Whatever

Well, that’s good advertising for Dartlog, I guess, but it strikes me that there are a few problems with this Sam Stein fellow’s analysis. There is, for example, the assertion that “this unacceptable behavior exists and thrives throughout the campus community and that it needs to be ended.” Of course, Mr. Grossman is no longer a student at Dartmouth or part of the “campus community” and Dartlog is similarly not affiliated with the College in any official way. So I would gather that by “it needs to be ended,” Mr. Stein is suggesting that Dartmouth College block on-campus access to offensive off-campus websites or, perhaps, seek out and destroy all unacceptable opinions among its alumni. That can’t be the case, however, because Stein acknowledges both “the right to opinion and the right to express your opinion.” And, while Stein does insist that Grossman’s words “should not be posted for others to see,” he repeats them verbatim — right there, in the pages of the Daily D! Surely, he’s just exposed a whole lot of people to these words, who would have otherwise escaped the trauma of reading them. Sam doesn’t even mean his letter to be a critique, for as he bemoans, “The fact that your ridiculous, opinionated comments can be posted on the internet and not precipitate a critical reaction is disturbing.” So his letter, it turns out, is not even a “critical reaction,” since no such reaction has yet been precipitated. Rather, Sam explains, “I write this out of pity for you Mr. Grossman” and then proceeds to address Mr. Grossman directly. Yet for some reason Sam feels compelled to explain that “This is not a call to the African-American community of Dartmouth.” That caveat strikes me as quite unnecessary, since Sam has already explained that his letter is addressed to “Mr. Grossman,” and I have never mistaken Mr. Grossman to be the African-American community. But then Sam abruptly alters course, announcing, “this is a plea for the progressive minded people on this campus. Understand that this unacceptable behavior exists and thrives throughout the campus community and that it needs to be ended. The good fortune that this event occurred towards the end of the term rescues you from the humiliation you deserve.” And so it appears that, in fact, Mr. Grossman is the progessive minded people! Or Sam Stein is an idiot. Either way.