Confrontation
My name is Susie O'Connell. At the time this story begins I was a freshman at the local community college. My English teacher and the school paper advisor, Ms. Richards, and the editor of the paper, Danielle White, had asked me to write the advice column for the paper. I agreed hoping that the experience would help me realize my desire to become an Ob/Gyn with a practice dedicated to helping young girls. I had written a sample first column answering three sex related questions. Ms Richards had reluctantly said she would consider publishing such a column.
My boyfriend, Corey, and I spent Saturday night in the guest house of his father's mansion, as we usually did. Sunday morning I awoke next to Corey thinking about the column. I got up and re-read what I had written. I hoped that Ms. Richards would find it acceptable. I decided that if they wouldn't publish this column I would decline their offer to write the column.
On Monday after English class I showed Ms. Richards the column. "These are very good answers," she said. "But quite explicit for our newspaper. Do you have anything else?"
"Yes," I answered. "But I really want this to be my first column. It'll help students know that they can send in any kind of question. I don't think it's really that explicit. Believe me there are much more explicit possibilities." I had a couple of more explicit letters with me and I showed them to her. "I don't plan to answer these," I told her. "You can see the students have some very specific questions."
"I see," was her only response.
"In any case," I continued. "I want
this
to be my first column. We can talk about revisions that tone my responses down as long as they don't change the message."
Danielle came in as I was talking and I turned to her, "I've written this first column," I told her, taking the pages from Ms. Richards.
Danielle looked at it and said, "This is fabulous, just the kind of thing the paper needs."
"I'm not so sure about publishing questions and answers like these," Ms. Richards told her.
Danielle was not very good at standing up to authority. "Well, maybe you are right," she said. "We probably
should
go with something less sexual."
"Danielle!" I said, emphatically. "You just said that this is what the paper needs."
"Well, yes," she responded, "but Ms. Richards is the paper's advisor. She knows what we shouldn't do."
"I don't think she always does," I said. "I think she may be too cautious. After all this is a paper for college men and women. Many of them are having sex and I bet all of them are thinking about it. I don't think we should restrict ourselves to restrictions more appropriate for a middle school paper!"
Danielle looked at Ms. Richards and then at me, hoping one or the other of us would just give in.
"Remember when you first offered this job to me," I reminded them, "and I asked about sexual questions and answers. I told you that I was willing to do this as part of getting familiar with what young people, besides myself, are asking about sex. I also want to exercise my skills at answering their questions. I offered that you could edit the answers as long as you don't change them substantially. But, ... if you're not willing to publish this then maybe you should have a different columnist or just continue with what you are doing."
I turned and left the room.
Resolution
Darlene came out after me, "Susan!" she called.
I stopped and waited for her. When she caught up I told her, "You could at least have stood up for me if you really believe what I wrote is right for the paper."
"It's just a school paper," she answered. "Ms Richards has the final word. It's not like I'm
Perry
White or Jonah Jaimeson."
"Who?" I asked.
"Perry White -- The Daily Planet." I still didn't get it. "Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Superman."
"Oh," I responded, not sure why a comic book character was relevant.
"Jonah Jameson -- The Daily Bugle, Peter Parker, Spiderman."
Another comic book. "And you mention them because ...?" I asked.
"Because they both ruled their newspapers with an iron hand and what they said goes," she answered with an exasperated tone. "I can't just publish anything I want. Ms. Richards has to approve."
"Maybe you should think about some way to get her to approve," I responded.
"Susan, this has to be your fight," she told me. "I'd like you to write the column but you need to understand that it's your copy and you need to be the one to convince Ms. Richards. If you convince her to run the column you submitted I doubt this will be the last time she will reject something you write. I can help with ideas or critique yours.
But
,
you
need to fight your own battle."
That stopped me. I thought a bit. "So, do you have any suggestions?"
"Only to submit less controversial columns and then try again with this one once your column catches on."
"I'm not sure it will 'catch on' if I only do non-controversial items," I responded.
"You could try," she said.
"Maybe the paper could try the controversial column," I suggested. "Is there some kind of guarantee or commitment I could make that would help in case the controversy gets out of hand? I don't think I will ever be able to have you publish 'controversial columns' if I can't get this one published."
"I don't know. I doubt Ms. Richards is totally opposed. I've worked with her for over a year and my 'read' is that she really wants to publish your column as is. I think she's afraid of what might happen to her if we publish it."
"What about editing it like I suggested?"
"Susan, It's practically perfect as it is. There is no way we could edit it to make it less controversial. Editing can improve your presentation but it won't change what is being said. That's her concern."
I walked back to the classroom and apologized to Ms. Richards for walking out. "But I'm serious about the column," I told her. "If I'm to be the advice columnist then I insist that this be my first column. Is there something I can promise you to make you feel better about publishing it? A disclaimer maybe, ... or some kind of apology afterwards if the controversy gets out of hand? Maybe you or another faculty member could write an introduction."
"Thank you for your apology," she said. "But I'm not in the mood for ultimatums from students."
"I don't mean it as an 'ultimatum'," I responded. "I just need to know I can write about certain things or I'm not interested in putting in the effort. For me this is part of my education, not some fun thing to do. And it won't accomplish what I want from it if I'm only talking about what kind of dress to wear to a dance or whether or not to hold hands."
Ms. Richards looked thoughtful. "Okay, Ms. O'Connell, I'll allow it to be published, as-is, if you can either get another faculty member to write a introduction explaining why this is in the school paper or provide me with a written retraction and apology, which I find acceptable, to use in the event there is an uproar."
I knew someone who could and would write a great introduction. "Ms. Richards, could I have my personal doctor write the introduction? I know he'd do it,. He will check that what I've written is accurate too."
Ms. Richards brightened, "That would be acceptable. I have one other request."