I think (and hope) only a small minority enjoys any of the more cruel threads of discussion, though some may laugh despite themselves. Because of anonymity, it’s really impossible to tell just what proportion of the campus are “awful and rotten.” For all we know, it could be a small minority posting repeatedly, responsible for the false impression of a larger party. It could also be an individual posting about him/herself. I think in many cases of the more outrageously themed and potentially hurtful posts, the original poster veers towards the extreme in an attempt at humor–reflecting the two predominant types of visitors of this site: those that take it seriously, and those that don’t.

Ignoring the potential fallacy of the “awful and rotten,” then perhaps we should thank this website for exposing this side of the campus to us, clearing from our eyes a fog of naivety that made us think everything and everyone was perfect here. Now we can be more alert to these themes and realize the need to respond to them.

What I feel is more important than all of this, however, are the good parts of this website. My impression has been that the hurtful threads and comments have been somewhat waining or have received less attention the longer the site has gone on. Already the gimmick posts (i.e. Kyle Howard) prevalent in the beginning have subsided. If you look at the threads sorted by “Most Comments,” you’ll find only nice ones that are genuinely about “spreading the love” on our small campus–calling out to crushes and good sumeritans that somehow affected someone else for the better. Important issues such as self-destructive behavior, easting disorders, suicide, rape, responsible sex, etc. have been broached on this forum either truthfully or facetiously, but nonetheless have received what are apparently honest and earnest responses. As a caveat, however, it is also impossible to know how many individuals responsible for these posts, as well.

I think the people who focus on the “awful and rotten” are surprised because of their unrealistic impression of the perfectness of this place. That impression of perfectness is already responsible for too much pain and stress on this campus. Everyone should focus and contribute to the good instead.