10 o’clock list: The Cutting Room Floor
The Thrill has published plenty of horrible, awful things that were never good ideas, but some of our worst ideas have been lost in the editing process and others just didn’t seem appropriate. Here is a list of the top five features that never made the cut. (I probably am only allowed to write this because it’s Thanksgiving and two whole people will see it … hi Mom!)
- 10 o’clock list: 5 Totally Inappropriate Things That Have Been Said to Me in Class — This was a hard one to cut, but it’s slightly over the line when you’ve had a professor say that it will be a good weekend because he “saw a girl in combat boots on Middle Path today.”
- All-Stu War Correspondents — This seemed a little bit forced; also, have you seen the inane drivel that makes it on to the all-stu battlefield? Also, let it be known, this author is sick of finger boxes.
- Top 10 Biggest Complainers at Kenyon — We get it, you think Peirce food sucks, but that doesn’t mean you constantly have to remind the rest of us about it. And for those of you who still remember him, Bryn Stole would have rounded out this list.
- Most Attractive Professors at Kenyon — We all know who would make the list, but I’m not going to be the one to say it (I’m looking at you, American Studies Department*).
- Biggest BS Departments at Kenyon — This joke would have been too easy to make as well (I’m looking at you, American Studies Department**).
I doubt any of these will make it past David McCabe; hell, this article probably won’t even make it past copy editing (Ed. Don’t underestimate the copy editing prowess of David Hoyt). No wonder I’ve never been published in the Collegian. Back to the design department…
*It’s cool, I can make that joke.
**Ditto.
Note from David McCabe, who edited this post: When this post was originally published, it included the following joke, “We get it, Peirce is heteronormative/gender normative/not very good at making food. But stop your whining – it ruins it for the rest of us.” As noted in the comments section below, this joke was offensive on a number of levels. First, it implied that all people who care about issues of gender and sexuality on this campus are complainers. I don’t believe that, and I wrote the joke so quickly that I didn’t think that through. Second, the joke disregarded scholarship that indicates that the Great Hall is set up in such a way that it historically made female students uncomfortable. Given that I am a cisgender male who has been able to get through life without being discriminated against because of my gender, I am not in a position to be writing a joke like that.
I want to make it clear that this joke was added during the editing process, because it is one thing for me, a gay man, to make a joke about my compatriots overusing the term heteronormative, and quite another thing for it to come from Spencer.
I have restored, as best I could from memory, the original joke above.
Thanks for your readership and for remembering that we all make mistakes sometimes. Also I wrote this on my phone from a friend’s dorm room, so I’m sorry for any typos.
Woah, not to live up to my name as a “Top 10 Biggest Complainer,” but it’s only annoying when people complain about things that are privileges that they should be grateful for receiving/having (ex: AVI, Sendoff, ketchup). Talking about heteronormativity and the gender binary is not complaining, it is raising awareness in movement towards a more tolerant (or even accepting!) society.
People’s physical and mental safety are affected by the careless, oppressive comments and actions of Kenyon students regularly. Please do not silence those who value equality. Remember that your words shape reality. Remember the privileges you have as a heterosexual white man. Remember who your colleagues and friends are.
I hear from Spencer that he did not write the, “Peirce is heteronormative/gender normative” joke but that it was added by one of the editors. I apologize for any misunderstanding and instead fault the editor for this poor attempt at humor.
For the record, I copy edited this post but wasn’t the editor who added that joke.
Amen, McCabe.
out: star wars
five minutes ago: allstu wars
in: thrill contributor wars
I feel that we should not allow ANYONE to make a joke about heteronormativity. Using your sexual orientation as as excuse to make jokes that others are not allowed to make is a double standard.
I disagree with this. Members of marginalized groups may joke about their own marginal status. The degree and publicity of this humor may be debated but marginal status allows its own in-group privileges.
My joke wasn’t strictly about heteronormativity. It was directed at people who misuse (or overuse) the term, oftentimes, I think, to show that they know what “heteronormative” means (in this case, I was attempting to conjure the image of a person claiming that a building was heteronormative). When this happens, it makes it more difficult for people who are actually making reasonable critiques of a heteronormative culture.
And if you can write a genuinely funny joke where the punchline is that society is heteronormative, I’ll buy you a MiddleGround cookie and give you a column (I will do one of those things – guess which one).*
*One joke per person. All entries can be sent to mccabed@kenyon.edu.
Re: 5 totally inappropriate things — I for one am intrigued. Come on, you already spilled the first thing on the list, you might as well just come out with it now. No point teasin’.
McCabe, thank you for your thoughtful and brilliantly composed response. I would also like to add that the Peirce servery and both wings of the dining hall provide their fair share of gendered eating issues (ex: Why do only girls seem to hover at the salad bar? For whom is socially acceptable to be viewed consuming fries AND desert?).
I go to the salad bar. And generally high five people eating fries and dessert while saying “Good choices!”
you really should stop censoring humor, it kinda takes away the entire point. if you don’t think it’s funny you don’t have to laugh. but political correctness really has no place in humor. The double standards of some people are hilarious, I can make jokes about this but you can’t. Under the constitution i can make jokes about anything i want, as long as it doesn’t incite imminent lawless action. Becca and Colleen(Colleen in particular), you both espouse viewpoints that are often calling for more openness and fairness, but as the recent all stu war shows when confronted with an alternative view you shut down, plug your ears and start yelling “NO YOU’RE WRONG”. You may believe in allowing more sexual freedoms, and gender bending, but not everyone agrees with you. If you can not listen to contrary arguments and ruminate on them, why should anyone listen to your arguments? Their points are just as valid as yours, and deserve to be heard equally. So to quote you Becca “Please do not silence those who value equality.” because your views are not the only ones that matter, and mine are just as valid and just as equal and deserve an equal hearing.
Hi, Jon.
I don’t actually love debating with anonymous commenters (or commenters in general, contrary to appearances…) but I need to deconstruct parts of your argument:
“You may believe in allowing more sexual freedoms, and gender bending, but not everyone agrees with you. If you can not listen to contrary arguments and ruminate on them, why should anyone listen to your arguments?”
Others’ bigotry and lack of acceptance is not to be tolerated. You are correct, equality does not mean some voices get to stamp on/silence other voices, but when certain people wish to strip others of humanity they must be corrected.
” ‘Please do not silence those who value equality.’ because your views are not the only ones that matter, and mine are just as valid and just as equal and deserve an equal hearing.”
Agreed that your views should be heard! However, if your opinions restrict others’ ability to have access to the same basic resources as other people (yourself included) then your opinions are not valid, they are unfair and misinformed, constructed under blinding veils of privilege and eventually detrimental to greater societal happiness (ex: the greed of a few bankers erasing the need of many struggling Americans).
I am listening to you. We are engaged in peaceful and respectful dialogue/debate (as a dissenting commenter below requested). This dialogue is where equality starts, where multiple voices are espoused. Equality begins in respectful and valid deconstructions of other’s arguments. I am pro-dissent and pro-free speech! I was not requesting Constitutional reform or even a change to the post’s original content, I was instead requesting awareness of the author (and readers) of the post to the potential consequences of language that categorizes activism as complaining.
This type of dialogue is essential in creating a society in which one’s sexual orientation or gender identity does not disqualify them from basic legal or human rights. Thank you for helping us move forward!
Look! More than two people read the article! :D
It really saddens me that political correctness is to a greater and greater degree stripping people of ways to communicate ideas and opinions.
I think the small jibe at people at this school who overuse or misuse the word “heteronormative” is perfectly valid and should stand. The degree to which the term is thrown around is a little bit frustrating at times (see: the recent Collegian article on heteronormativity in Glee). While I support equality, tolerance, and acceptance, I occasionally disagree with some of the points that are made; I imagine others do as well. However, anyone who disagrees with the minority perspective, anyone who raises a voice or starts a peaceful debate, is immediately shut down and told that they are close-minded, intolerant, and insensitive. They are told they should not speak like that, about that, or at all. The hypocrisy is almost laughable. Where is the room for open debate on this campus?
Honestly… you will never win any battle if you are at war with comedy. You opponents will only make jokes about you.
Also: I understand taking a stand on issues…
but at some point you have to separate out the gashes from the paper cuts.
equality means everyone gets made fun of equally.
YES! McCabe reference FTW
This whole argument is absolutely ridiculous.
becca hafter, shut up please. everyone’s sick of hearing the same old “hetero-normative blah blah/communism is the best” tune from your irritating mouth. save it for your gender studies class.
Hey friend, I’m a Marxist not a Communist.
all you red’s need to go to hell, GO CAPITALISM.
I find this comment rude and unnecessary, however: in what situation would saying “hetero-normative blah blah communism is the best” not be incredibly entertaining? I plan on testing this question as many times as possible tomorrow. First stop, a grocery store!