Diamondback Online - The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: Opinion

Constructive criticism


Regarding the comic strip "Nut Butter," I want to thank Mike O'Brien for helping me win a bet I made with some friends. After reading Friday's letter, I bet that O'Brien would respond by drawing a comic directly insulting the letter writer in a way that involved at least one penis reference. On Monday, I became $20 richer. Perhaps O'Brien will suggest that I take my $20 and stick it in some bodily orifice, because I agree that "Nut Butter" is awful. It reads like the sad, self-loathing, anger-filled and slightly misogynistic diary of a social outcast. This is not a judgment of O'Brien, but a generalization of content. Criticizing art - and yes, even comics that depend on crude humor count as art - is not the same as personally insulting the author. For more than two people fail to see the humor in "Nut Butter." If you'd rather draw another unflattering personal response to this than draw a good comic, that's your problem, not mine. Just know that making a pedophilic or sexually degrading joke about me would be in extremely poor taste, and if you must insult me, I would prefer to be at the brunt of a poop joke.

Alternately, rather than responding with the oh-so-witty comeback of "F--- off," perhaps you should learn from criticism. Good artists do that. It's not selling out to the man, it's giving two craps about your craft so that it's reasonable to expect other people will too. Be flattered that people are taking the time to write in about something as relatively unimportant as your comic when there are so many social and political issues to be concerned with. In sum, take your audience and craft seriously or get the hell off my Features page.


Rebecca Ogle
Sophomore
English and environmental science


Banning for the wrong reasons


Banning for the wrong reasons

So, the powers that be want to bar Stacia Cosner from the University Senate. Are they high? She accomplishes more on the toilet than half of our student body is capable of in a week. She's more active in the community than Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich and appears in The Diamondback more often than crime stories. She's a Wikipedia article waiting to happen, and the university will look foolish 10 years down the line when people read that the school wanted no part of her. After reading the news online, a foul taste invaded my mouth because of two jackass comments, one from Bob Miller. But it was the "Presiding Officer's" comment that caused my nostrils to violently flare from the flagrant smell of b.s. I embrace his undesired former presence on the senate because diversity plays a cornerstone role on our campus. Let's continue to have representation from all areas of students instead of the attack of the clones deciding our matters.

I'm fed up with our university's laissez-faire bureaucracy. When they smell something fishy, they stick their noses in student affairs, but turn into Helen Kellers when help is needed. Do the millions of dollars fed to this institution not cover an administration that gives a s---? I mean, there are spoon-driven predators burrowing through sorority panties - is Stacia really the fish that needs frying? All over less than half a gram of marijuana? $5 worth of paraphernalia is enough to deny the right to a student representative who actually represents students' needs? Fear the turtle? Fear the man.


Michael O'Brien
Senior
Marketing

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