On the morning of March 8, one of my hallmates told me to log on to Brian's Rumors Daily, a popular website that provided, among many other things, an anonymous forum in which Tufts students could voice their opinions. I expected to see some sort of scandalous story on the page, but instead found a page devoted to Rembrandt Brown, a character from the television show Sliders. I came to the conclusion that someone had hacked Brian Finkelstein's website. I later found out that Brian himself had shut down his creation, ending a two-and-a-half year stay. I later discovered a "secret message," posted by Finkelstein explaining to his "devoted fans" why he decided to shut down the site. In his statement, Finkelstein blamed the downfall of his site on campus "riff raff" and frat boys.
I began logging on to Brian's Rumors Daily at the beginning of the spring semester, because I found the anonymous forum to be amusing. I never read any of the weekly columns posted on the site; I went straight to the forum. The premise of the forum was simple: it was a place for Tufts students to anonymously voice their opinions on any matter that they chose. I enjoyed the witty replies and the conflicts which arose among those who posted their opinions. I even enjoyed the trivial subjects discussed on the forum, such as which frat was the worst or who threw the best party. I rarely replied to the forum; I just sat back and watched the rumors unfold. Although some of the posts were offensive and ignorant, I appreciated the forum as a whole. For this reason, I am upset that Finkelstein's disappointment in the anonymous forum led to the downfall of the website.
Finkelstein cited many valid reasons for his decision to put an end to Rumors Daily. I sympathized with Finkelstein at times during his message, for he had to deal with many problems concerning the site. I understand his frustration. Many people on the forum had insulted Finkelstein without provocation. He was constantly blamed for the content on the forum, despite the disclaimer he posted. His simple requests were often disregarded, especially concerning public figures at Tufts. He had been threatened with lawsuits concerning the forum. In one particular incident concerning the forum, Finkelstein was confronted by the Secret Service, for a student had threatened the life of Al Gore on the forum. I understand Finkelstein's frustration over the results of his creation, but such problems were inevitable. After reading his message, though, I was more disappointed than sympathetic.
Finkelstein also pointed out particular members of the student body who contributed to the end of Rumors Daily. Specifically, he pointed out the direct correlation between the decline in quality of his website and the increased use of the forum by fraternity brothers. In the final post of Rumors Daily, Finkelstein chose to bash the fraternity system himself. It seemed that a major theme of the secret message posted by Finkelstein was how the fraternities ruined his "beautiful" creation. It seemed hypocritical that he would cite fraternity-bashing as one of the more boring topics presented on his forum, yet he participated in it in the final post of Brian's Rumors Daily.
Finkelstein devoted much of his time and effort to the Tufts student body, giving students a place to speak out on whatever issue they chose. I am thankful for all he has contributed to the Tufts community. However, I could not help but feel disappointed in the closing of Rumors Daily. The arrogant manner in which he chose to address the fans of the website in the end was discouraging. It seemed as if Finkelstein chose to set himself above the average student attending Tufts University; it seemed as if he chose to belittle the students of Tufts University in his final address.
Thank you, Brian Finkelstein, for giving up your time, effort, and money for giving us a chance to debate on what we pleased. However, I will not thank you for insulting our taste in conversation, no matter how juvenile it may sometimes be.
Christopher Carril is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.
