Tirade: The Observer

The Observer, Boston College's notoriously conservative Catholic newspaper, is at it again.

It's not that they don't kind of speak the truth, or that they don't convey the opinions of a (hopefully tiny-as-fuck) group of people on campus, it's really just the tactlessness with which they spew what I personally consider to be narrow-minded ignorance.

In fact, it's hardly even this editorial which has me heated, because I would expect nothing more from the opinion section of high-horse-straddling, dogma-slinging, soul-savers. Like many a mature individual, I'm at once able to hold an opinion and respect that other people have opinions that might not be the same.

AND, the real shocker, that I don't need to be a dick about it just because they're different. (Except those last few lines)

I'm not even going to touch the editorial in a gesture of tolerance The Observer might learn something from.

I go to a Catholic school.

It's not like I didn't know what I was getting into when I came here. Actually, despite not being terribly religious myself, and coming from a Protestant background, I really identify with the ideals of my Jesuit institution--service, excellence, a propensity for ideological arson, etc..

Here's where I'm justifiably angry: this is a "News" article from The Observer about the very same Support Love poster in Edmonds Hall.

Oh, wait. No it isn't.

It's another editorial misfiled under News, right?

No...?

Well then.

As a Communications major, and as a person who has worked tirelessly on newspapers for the last 6 years of their life, I would like to ask three simple questions--

What? The? Fuck?

It's one thing to disrespect a person's unalterable traits, their beliefs, and their actions. They are all awful things, but I'd be a hypocrite to say anything to the contrary in the spirit of openness.

It's another thing entirely to violate the ethical laws of journalistic integrity. This article makes a mockery of what it is to be a newspaper, what it means to produce unbiased, objective, thoughtful, and educational pieces for an audience. Drop the slant if you want to earn the right to be called a legitimate newspaper.

Oh, and develop a consistent style, and maybe, just maybe, understand that you don't start a sentence with the word "however" if you want to be taken seriously.

Right now, I'm probably sounding very unfounded if the same issues in the article haven't already grabbed you by your shirt collar and proceeded to bitchslap you with the Catholic Catechism, so I'll break it down for you.

This semester, the lobby of Edmond’s residence hall featured a large poster that proclaimed, “Edmonds [sic] Supports Love,” with symbols of same-sex couples and the signatures of over a hundred members of the Edmond’s and BC community.
A decent lead. Congratulations. 

Director of the Office of Residential life, George Arey, and BC’s Director of News and Public Affairs, Jack Dunn, both defended the poster’s presence in the residence hall.

“The poster was part of an educational awareness program that RDs [Resident Directors] and RAs [Resident Assistants] sponsored in Edmond’s Hall.  They have put up multiple posters and will continue to do that throughout the year,” said Dunn.

Life* should be capitalized. 

Luckily for the reader, this section is mostly quotes. They're relevant, which is at once surprising and reassuring.

"The poster was “part of a longstanding effort to promote respect and tolerance on campus,” he added.

“The Office of Residential Life is very committed to developing communities based on respect and our Jesuit Catholic value structure,” said Arey.

Good, as well they should be, when we pay $57,000/year to come here. Also, no one should have qualms with people being able to feel comfortable and secure where they live. Then again...here we are...

[quotes, quotes, and more quotes pertaining to ass-covering]...Dunn claimed that the poster was only meant to be educational, and did not cross the line into advocacy.

I feel a "but" coming on...

“Our policy as a Jesuit Catholic university has been to provide support for our gay and lesbian students and to provide educational awareness consistent with role of a Jesuit Catholic university; […] we have not tried to embrace the position of advocacy because that would put us in conflict [with the Jesuit Catholic mission],” said Dunn.

And I can respect that, Jack Dunn. I don't think the university should compromise its beliefs for the sake of a marginalized group of people who already feel relatively alienated on campus either. Wait for the Vatican to make that decision for you. That's how all the best leaders do it.

But wait, here's the crescendo!

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Tradition has always declared that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.’ They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. […] Homosexual persons are called to chastity” (CCC 2357, 2359).


Are you kidding me?

Are you the Pope? A cardinal? A  bishop? Even a priest? How about a priest wannabe?

You're a kid. How do you have the audacity to condemn a group of your peers in a "news" article that has absolutely nothing to do with sexual activity?

In case I'm mistaken, the point you were struggling to make was that Boston College should not publicly endorse the GLBTQ Leadership Council's Support Love campaign in such a public setting. I don't disagree with that. I think it was an innocent overstatement to assume that the entirety of Edmonds Hall supports the Support Love campaign, as is evidenced by the fact that this article was written in the first place.

It just makes no sense to clumsily segue into a blatantly polarized gay-bashing rant within the context of this article, for the most part because it's supposed to be an article, not your own personal, bigoted YouTube channel.

Rant on your own time, like me.

I hope the incredibly negative response to these articles serves not only as a catalyst for discussion among BC students, but also some marked improvement in the style of journalistic reporting within The Observer.

Next time you decide to throw Catechism quotes at my unwilling eyes, or otherwise think it's a good idea to undermine legitimate causes with with dogmatically-inclined hate speech, I'll be there, ready and waiting, with a nice big laugh for when you inevitably fuck it up with poor grammar, poorer tact, and the poorest of excuses.

News is a dish best served sans supposition.

Get back in the kitchen.

D