“Naughty words and obscene gestures.”

This will be today’s topic (I almost said Tattooed Topic, the former catchphrase of one Tattooed Guru, who according to ethos magazine, is ISU’s most popular columnist. Now even I have a reason to hate that darned Guru).

Recently, the editors of Salem-Teikyo College’s student newspaper were removed from their positions for running an illustration in their paper depicting a man giving a prominently displayed middle finger to the word “Censorship.”

To me, this was a rather concise argument opposing censorship, an argument anyone who appreciates the freedoms we are allowed would support.

Instead, the student government vice president at the college relieved the two editors of their responsibilities as a result of the cartoon.

Nice to know an elected official supports demonstrations of free speech. Also, what is a governmental agency doing having that kind of jurisdiction over the press?

I shudder to think of the consequences if GSB had that kind of control over the Daily. (“With the time now reaching 4 a.m., I move that we vote on the amendment to the rule to the amendment to the motion to the previous vote on the bill to allow the ‘Tattooed Guru’ to use the word ‘ass’ in his weekly column.”)

I found this incident regarding the cartoon at Salem-Teikyo College especially interesting because during my stay here at the Daily, I have come across complaints from readers opposing the language that occasionally appears in the paper.

You know, swear words, cuss words, words that got you kicked out of geometry class and got your mouth washed out with soap.

Readers would write in disapproving of articles and columns that would appear with inflammatory language, saying that other newspapers did not print these words, and objected to the Daily doing so.

I fondly remember former Daily humor columnist Qory Hodnefield who occasionally would receive letters from readers challenging him to write columns without using offensive language, or topics that that didn’t endorse, praise or glorify the bizarre use of certain bodily functions.

I’ve also heard and read complaints from readers about current columnists, as well as news stories, that object to offensive language. Many would prefer we use the cartoon slang for bad words, like #%@%!! or the other popular method, motherf—er.

My rebuttal to these complaints are, “Who do we think we’re fooling?”

We’re all big boys and girls here, we all know what both of the above methods of dealing with inflammatory language meant. Why pretend it’s anything else but what it is?

My reason for tackling this issue is that I’ve noticed an urge among some people to whitewash language, to sanitize it in an attempt to make our society… I don’t know, nicer? Purer? Why? Not why make our society nicer (we could stand a little more “nice” in today’s world), but why concern ourselves with petty words and gestures when it is the meaning behind the words and actions and gestures that are really important.

I found it ironic that the editors who ran the “censorship” cartoon depicting the man giving the “bird” found themselves censored for running an anti-censorship illustration.

I remember a newspaper article I read a couple years ago about a relatively minor drunken driving accident, when one of the drivers involved in the incident made a not-so-nice comment about the situation that was printed in the newspaper.

I recall standing in line at a local convenience store when a woman complained that the Daily printed such filthy language.

Funny that she would have gotten so worked up over the use of a four-letter word, but the fact that there was a drunken driving accident that could have resulted in serious bodily harm would be a relatively minor issue.

It’s dangerous when we start concerning ourselves with the minor little details of life, while we let the bigger picture go unnoticed.

I understand and respect the efforts being made to “clean up” society by ridding ourselves of unnecessary rubbage, but sometimes we have to face the realities of existence.

The language and gestures that seem to get so many people in a tizzy are a reality, and it’s a dangerous mentality to think if we just pretend they do not exist. If we were to apply this to other aspects of our society that offend us, like war, racism, sexism and Newt Gingrich, we would be living in a dangerous place.

Tim Davis is a junior from Carlisle. He is the opinion page editor of the Daily.