02.29.08
Campus Press suspends Max Karson
Max Karson’s duties with the Campus Press have been suspended pending a restructuring of the opinions section,he published flammable column regarding Asian Americans “If it’s war the Asians want … It’s war they’ll get,”click here for more
ExploitAsian said,
March 1, 2008 at 3:15 am
I’ve heard so many unintelligent, automated sound bites on this issue, it sickens me.
Step on a lever, “Freedom of speech”, insert applause
Step on a lever, “It’s satire.”, insert applause.
Step on a lever, “What race hasn’t been attacked…”, insert applause.
People don’t read the news anymore, they memorize sound bites to make themselves sound clever. Journalists don’t write news anymore, they just regurgitate and vomit a press release.
What happened on Campus Press is a microcosm of all that is wrong with mainstream media.
I expect Campus Press to produce stories that are well written and well articulated, rather than poorly written and barely though out. I expect Campus Press to care more about truth, accuracy and relevance than controversy, edginess, and publicity. I expect Campus Press to strive to produce A-list journalists instead of D-list wannabes.
Are they marketers, or journalists?
This is not about free speech. It doesn’t matter if it’s funny. It doesn’t even matter that it’s racist. Mein Kompf is racist, but at least Hitler articulated his point well.
The question is, is this good writing? Is this good journalism.
I am for free speech all across the board. But as a journalist and staff writer, as an operative of the fourth estate, Karson and crew have the RESPONSIBLITY to write well.
If it were a schmoe like me that wrote the article, it’s one thing. He is a staff writer. He is a journalist (or at least he thinks he is one).
I fault Karson for not writing a BETTER piece.
I fault the editor for not knowing the difference good writing and bad writing.
But I don’t think anyone needs to be suspended or fired. If they voluntarily quit, however, I think that would put faith back into the Campus Press.
ExploitAsian said,
March 1, 2008 at 3:19 am
MAX KARSON THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
written by a non-journalist
As I walked out of the UMC, and let my eyes adjust to the light, someone from behind me slammed into me. It was Cassie Hewlings, the editor of the Campus Press, dressed like a Kittredge duckling
“I’m sorry, quack, quack,” she said. Her eyes focused away from me.
I turned around and there was a mob of Korean students running toward her. Well, they looked Korean anyway.
“I’M SORRY! Quack, quack.” she exclaimed as she ran off, “I’m sorry! Quack, quack. I’m sorry! Double-quack.”
The mob of Koreans chased after her, still holding their fingers in their ears. I stopped one of them. She pulled her fingers out of her ears.
“Why do you have fingers in your ears?” I asked.
“Because we don’t trust her words anymore,” she said, and then continued the chase.
I walk over to a newsstand, and noticed all the copies of the Campus Press newspapers were gone. I go to another stand. Gone. Then I noticed a large pile of Campus Press newspapers sitting in the recycling bin. There were several days’ worth in there, and none of them had been read.
I pulled one out, and I noticed there were no advertisements. On top of that, all the articles were about the same topic, but just different tones. They looked like they were all authored by different people, but then I just realized the names were just anagrams of the same name. The subject matter was closet space efficiency.
A Japanese-looking student walked by, and dumped more Campus Press newspapers into the bin.
“Why are you throwing these away?” I inquired.
“Because we don’t trust their words anymore,” she explained. That’s when I noticed a whole line of Japanese students who have come to recycle the trash. Gotta love Japanese efficiency.
I walked outside, and noticed a podium at the end of the UMC fountain, which happened to be filled with some kind of Kool-Aid. A bunch of Vietnamese students were standing in front of the podium with their ears duct taped. I don’t know how I knew they were Vietnamese considering their eyes were also covered in duct tape, but some how, I just knew. We always know.
Then I saw Max Karson go up to the podium. Karson admired his audience for a second, lowered the mic, and turned around. Karson bent over, and grabbed hold of his cheeks to spread them apart.
Everything then started to spin.
His anus began to speak:
“When I wrote my Pulitzer Prize winning satire, I was speaking for the Asian people because God knows they don’t know enough English to speak for themselves. I know what it’s like to be an Asian. Correction, Asian-American. I love pho, kung-fu movies, and Japanese bondage. I didn’t need to interview anyone. That would have made me a common journalist. I’m above that. I know what’s it’s like to be an Asian-American. I know their pain and suffering first hand. I grew up as an Asian-American. I AM ASIAN-AMERICA! So I don’t owe Asian-Americans an apology. If anything, Asian-Americans owe me an apology…as soon as they pass their ESL classes.”
I got so dizzy, I had to take my fingers put them in my ears, and shut my eyes.