Take Pepper with a grain of salt

Aaron Wells

Reporter

11-7-2000 Sagebrush

First, I consider Pepper Mackay to be a no-talent hack. All she does is tired gags about dorm life and Internet porn. It's like she's not even trying.

Second, no one reads Pepper Mackay. When I mention the column in question to any of my student friends, they all say "What? I read your column, Aaron, and that's about it." This backs up my theory that the Sagebrush audience is composed exclusively of friends of opinion piece authors, and school administrators looking for something insensitive to get upset about.

And, thirdly, Pepper's column is insensitive. All this aside, though, I can see what she's going for. There's a definite tongue-in-cheek vibe coming from Pepper. I'm pretty sure that she means exactly the opposite of everything she says. At the least she's pointing out problems that actually exist and making them more apparent.

Like her piece last week, about using D.A.R.E.'s "8 ways to say No" on your parents' phone calls instead of on drugs. That's something so ludicrous and insensitive that it couldn't possible be meant in a straightforward manner. Seen with an eye for sarcastic humor, it's an effective criticism of the ineffectuality of D.A.R.E.'s over-simplistic curriculum ­ how it won't keep kids off drugs and how irresponsible young people simply laugh and sing the D.A.R.E. theme between snorting lines of high-grade methamphetamine.

And even if it was meant in a straightforward manner, it's still a sad statement about D.A.R.E. that people could graduate from it and still hold Pepper's attitude.

Clearly, these are reasons why it's important to protect ALL speech, even politically incorrect speech. Not everything uttered by mouth or pen is meant in a straightforward manner. Such is the richness of human expression. Even speech you disagree with can show you why you're right. Nothing convinced me to vote no on Question 2 more than reading the "yes on 2" FAQ.

The First Amendment. Thank God we've got it, or Pepper and I both would probably have to hit the streets.