The Primary Source thrives on the controversy it creates both on and off campus. The conservatives on this campus, a small minority, have undoubtedly found a voice in their monthly publication, and it is a loud one. As someone who worked diligently this election cycle to make sure my voice and the voices of those sharing my opinions reached Washington, D.C., I understand the need to express one's opinion. For that, I admire that a faction as miniscule as Tufts' conservatives has found a way to be heard so audibly, even if I disagree with many of these people's opinions. However, just as they have the freedom to write controversial items in their journal, I have the right not to read their trash. And I don't.
Up until now, this seemed to be a fair compromise. The conservative journal wrote pieces to stir up anger in students like myself, and those of us with restraint did not read them. The cover of the current Primary Source, however, has changed this compromise completely. To quote George Costanza, "We had a deal!" When the editors chose to put a blatantly offensive depiction of President Barack Obama characterized as a Jesus-like figure with the caption "Obama '08 for Messiah," they crossed a line. This cover does not give the Tufts community the option to ignore the filth that Tufts' conservatives choose to spew forth.
I can think of no one at Tufts who should not be offended by the Primary Source's utterly disrespectful cover. This characterization is highly offensive and blasphemous to Christians, Muslims and Jews alike. The extremely derogatory manner in which the Primary Source chose to portray our president, and therefore our democracy, should offend us as Americans and as a campus that (still) reluctantly supports this publication. I do not know whether this portrayal was an attempt at humor, criticism, both or something else entirely. Whatever the motivation, the editors of the Primary Source need to explain themselves. They should be ashamed for their thoughtless lack of discretion.
The next time the Primary Source's contributors wonder why there is so much detest directed toward them and their publication, or the next time they realize a stack of hundreds of their journals have disappeared into the recycling (not trash), they should look no further than the cover of the Jan. 28, 2009 edition. I am against strong censorship of campus publications by the administration, as I believe free speech is a fundamental right on campus, just as it is everywhere in our nation. Yet, when not given the choice to ignore the contents of the Primary Source, I cannot condemn the reflex of the student body to shield itself from such dirt.
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Benjamin Silver is a junior majoring in quantitative economics. He is the co-head of Tufts Students for Barack Obama.
