With Barack Obama’s win and the promise of change in the White House, we couldn’t be happier. We applaud the overwhelming support of Obama and we can’t help but be proud of our generation, but when we look at our peers and the activities in which we partake, we’re concerned.
We’re not above gossip, we all do it — but the advent of JuicyCampus.com and Binghamton University as one of the top 500 “juiciest” campuses is more than a little disheartening.
The sensationalized reality “The Hills” has created and the message “Gossip Girl” is sending are less than admirable, but there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with indulging every now and then. On the other hand, if there’s one thing we can take from Obama’s campaign and apply to our daily lives, it’s an understanding of our potential to bring about change.
Barack Obama ran arguably one of the most impressive campaigns in history, and a large portion of his success can be attributed to his grassroots efforts. It’s time to get your head out of the clouds of gossip and focus on the things you can do if you put your mind to it — there are better ways to waste your time. Tabloids and celebrity gossip have become accepted as a part of our society, but Juicy Campus has taken it to a new level. We’re all just people, whether we’re part of a campus publication, captain of a sports team or president of a fraternity: we’re all equal because we’re all students. No one should have to worry that people have posted nasty things about them online where anyone could stumble upon them.
Blogs and personal Web sites are one thing, but Juicy Campus is allowing for unedited and unaccountable hate to be spread throughout the Internet. The site is nothing more than a venue for hate speech, despite what its creators and marketers would have you believe. The creator of the Juicy Campus Web site said he created it to help us remember our fondest college memories (See Page 11). We’re not buying it. While the posted comments may be the responsibilities of those writing them, we refuse to believe that this site is anything more than a cesspool in which the disgruntled and mean-spirited among us are permitted to stew.
Thanks for the thought, but we’re saying “no thanks,” and hope you will too. The real world is calling — leave LC and Heidi to their own lives while you take control of your own.