When I read Brock Kingsley’s May 1 column titled “Lantern’s Mixed Mantra,” my first sentiment was outrage.
I read Thompson’s article “April showers bring more than just flowers,” and found myself laughing at its flagrant irreverence to the “Lantern Mantra” heralding its boldness and acknowledging to myself that behind its seemingly juvenile exterior there was a human element: It was truthful.
Why truthful? Because, while it seems like a clichéd, low-browed, fart and dick joke, it happens. Sex surrounds us, and women dress themselves to attract our magnetic glance.
Should sex be covered up? Is masturbation abnormal, disgusting, or inappropriate? It might be in the Wall Street Journal, but not in the Arts section of The Lantern.
Kingsley wrote, “The Lantern showed just how slack its shoulders were to carry the aforementioned weight,” referencing the publication of Thompson’s “April Showers” column. And what is the aforementioned weight? The Lantern “mantra” of course: The Student Voice of The Ohio State University.
Kingsley’s letter is not only awkwardly fabricated and as non-human as blow-up doll sex, but it is also as arrogant and self-righteous as a conquering king.
Yes, The Lantern is the voice of the people. But voice, in this instance, is meant for plurality; it does not mean we all vote on which views will be published and the minority loses. If that were the case, Kingsley’s opinion might not have been published. Not with my vote, at least.
I would not normally read The Lantern if I did not occasionally come upon entertaining writing like Thompson’s articles. There is no room for self-righteous Puritans dictating what should and shouldn’t be printed in our student newspaper. If you don’t like it, don’t read it.
I find nothing disgusting about real-life topics written with a comic edge because I have a pulse.
Matt SmithClass of 2005Political science, Spanish
