notes from the desk The responsibility of power

Author: Jay Dolan

As a senior at Middlebury, I'm afraid I can't leave this campus with anything all that entertaining or insightful. Still, I'll do my best to relay an interesting realization I had while working on the Opinions section these past two years. It is directed to anyone who has ever submitted a letter or op-ed.

I often find myself editing and placing submissions that openly criticize organizations or individuals. I will admit that I enjoy these pieces because they demonstrate that people read the section and care enough to write about it. They also guarantee a response from the organization that is attacked. These are the responses which almost always reveal a flaw in anyone's strategy for responding to an attack. This flaw is each person's tendency to vehemently defend themselves, and their position, at all costs.

While it is some times necessary to practice this art of defense, I have seen countless responses that should not have used this strategy. I have limited space, so I will share one example with you. You might wonder how I decided on which example to discuss. Well, I wrote them all down and put them into a hat. Actually, I used two hats. One was filled with examples of people who laughably defend themselves to no end. And the other hat contained examples that did the same, but also took away my radio show. I drew from the second hat.

Earlier this year, WRMC was accused of skewing the MCAB concert survey by rallying their loyal group of hipsters and pushing for a swift vote of Cake. People were upset and wrote to this section. Then, as predicted, WRMC wrote back defending themselves with the usual rhetoric of, 'WRMC is a diverse group of students with varying tastes in music and would never … yada yada.' What I will never understand is why groups such as WRMC do not admit that they held the power, and they used it. I mean, rather than defend yourself with a drawn-out, bleeding-heart response, just tell the truth. Say, "Yes, as members of the executive board, we decided we wanted Cake and we used our power to get it done. We did it because we could. We have that power and it wasn't fair, but we did it anyway."

It sounds bad, but isn't it true? I think a large number of the complaints that are sent in to this section are legitimate reactions against the organization they target. It is rare that the group that is attacked responds with, "You know what? You're right. Right or wrong, that is what happened."

I think it is the instinct of a person to defend himself when he is attacked, but has anyone ever thought of accepting that the criticism is true? Certain organizations need to understand that they hold positions of power, and that sometimes they use that power.

The same holds true for the Opinions section. If someone submits an op-ed that says, "Jay Dolan is an arrogant prick that has no business editing these pages," I will immediately delete it from The Campus inbox. I'm kidding, I would publish it … (haha) … no, I wouldn't. I would delete it in a second. Does that make me a bad person? Yes. Does that make me a bad editor? Probably, but at least I can admit it. If someone doesn't like it, I invite them to apply for this position when I graduate, or am forced to step down before the last issue.

I guess the point I am trying to make is that you should take responsibility when you are in the position of power. Don't insult people with defensive words or claims of innocence, because maybe the person criticizing you is right.

Jay Dolan '08 is an Opinions editor from Richmond, Va.