Letters to the Editor

Humor column was an 'underhanded' swipe at New Jersey In my 21 years of experience on this earth, I have cultivated a very dubious relationship with what we call "humor" or "comedy." Sometimes, albeit rarely, "humor" entertains me, other times I find appeal in its shock value. But my most lucid encounters with "humor," the ones that stand out most prominently in my mind, are those in which I have been offended.

I am sure you all have been the target of an off-color joke. If you are actually taking the time to read this article, I am going to assume the comment was about your looks or your weight. By this point in your life, these insults have become so frequent that you are for all intents and purposes desensitized to any pain they may have once caused you. Am I striking a chord here? I thought so.

I spent my formative years as a handsome athletic standout - a role model to some, a hero to most. My experiences have limited my exposure to the aforementioned kind of teasing and thus made me all the more vulnerable to its degrading effects when I find myself its victim. If by some accident a person - be he friend or foe - stumbles upon an obscure flaw of mine, and is able to make humorous light of it, I begin to weep uncontrollably, often for days at a time.

So you can imagine my frustration when I picked up the Monday edition of The Heights and read Ryan Kagy's "humor" article on life as an off-campus resident, and had to endure his underhanded characterization of my home state. "Living off campus," says Kagy, "means a New Jersey-like level of filth."

What frustrates me the most about this comment is that it comes from someone who has probably - no, undoubtedly - never set foot in the great state of New Jersey. Someone who has never taken a drive along the Jersey Shore, never experienced the anticipation of ripping the shrink-wrap off of a brand new Bruce Springsteen release, never pumped his fists to the latest Eric Prydz remix at a club in Asbury Park. I see you, Ryan.

Go ahead, tell me I am over-reacting, tell me I have a chip on my shoulder. But I am a proud Jersey expatriate who is used to nothing but the best when it comes to a living environment. It is bad enough that I have to spend eight months a year in this land of bad bagels and stale pizza, but to then have to witness the sanctity of my homeland be journalistically urinated on by a misinformed writer of "humor," well that just breaks the camel's back. Regardless of context, regardless of intent, Mr. Kagy's comments are insensitive and inappropriate. He is better than this, The Heights is better than this, Boston College is better than this, America is better than this.

Some of my more learned readers may criticize my opinion on this matter, and I guess I must confess that there is part of me that will simply never understand "humor," regardless of the form this satanic art may take. "Humor" is the relic of an uncivilized past, it has no place in modern society and only serves to stifle economic growth. Most appalling to my sense of propriety is this particularly offensive element of American "humor" that I believe, if I am not mistaken, is called "self-defecation." For reasons completely foreign to me, an increasing number of people find some sort of sick pleasure in directing jokes at themselves rather than others. What has resulted is a general sentiment of self-loathing among Americans, a collective dulling of our will, and thereby a society more susceptible to acts of terrorism.

Given these broader implications, Mr. Kagy's comment is more than just a personal matter for me. The nature of "humor" presents a moral question that our entire community must address, lest we be overcome by this anarchic, ungodly form of self-expression.

Andrew Mauro A&S '08

Boston College Rally Committee: Speak for yourself The Boston College Rally Committee (BCRC) would like to inform the BC community of an important clarification. The letter written by Alex Rikleen published in the Nov. 5 edition of The Heights reflects his own personal opinion and not the views of this organization.

The member of our organization who wrote the letter was speaking on his own behalf, not that of the club.

The Boston College Rally Committee