When I approached an opinions editor about writing about the culture of campus golf, I expected a funny article to shake up the end of the year, poking fun at Ole archetypes and expressing a few legitimate concerns of the game all while maintaining a lighthearted attitude.
What I did not expect was the rampant attacks on my person, writing style and by and large, a misunderstanding of exaggeration and sarcasm.
I admit that my writing, particularly this article, tends to be snarky, pessimistic and on the critical side. This is satire. By lumping a group of largely recognized people together, I thought I could create a piece which would take a stab at this group. I did the same thing at the end of last semester with Christmas Festival participants – for those of you who think all I do is practice my music. (I’m not a musician, for the record.) I, along with the rest of the St. Olaf community, tend to take myself too seriously and by publishing pieces like these, I feel the Messenger can show a different side of St. Olaf culture – one that isn’t the norm, one that’s less vocal and less seen.
I also did not and will not get paid for this article. It was an idea I brought to the attention of an opinions editor; not a sanctioned article by the staff of the Mess. As such, blame must be placed on me, not on editors of the Messenger.
I have been receiving pseudo-threats through my Facebook account. The comments left on ManitouMessenger.com tend to be left nameless and also tend to be vicious personal attacks (“Hoping to hit you with a tennis ball” was a thought that I’m sure crossed more than one person’s mind). I understand the reaction to want to be volatile – when the tone of any piece isn’t clear and can be read as offensive, it’s easy to react in a negative way. I want to personally thank Devin Horne, Dan Braun, Mark Ettel and Brycen Eberwein for showing their integrity by leaving their names with their online comments.
Most of the “Bro” culture I highlighted is fake. I was making sweeping generalizations of a group of people, something every college student does every day, St. Olaf or not. It is appropriate, then, to make generalizations about me and my subculture. Notice, please, how every time the word “Bro” is written, it is in quotation marks. I did this on purpose, again to call attention to the sarcasm and exaggeration of the piece of writing.
In short, my article served its purpose: to stir things up. I feel I did my part to the opinions page and the Manitou Messenger, but maybe my article was better suited for The Onion. I realize by writing the article, I was opening myself up to criticism and by writing this response, I am probably standing still in the eyes of my peers. My message to the commenters on my article: play campus golf, calm down – and don’t believe everything you read.
-Molly Trucano ‘10
Eds: This is a response to the article “Campus golf is subpar” that appeared in the May 1, 2009 edition of the Manitou Messenger. Although the author’s original draft contained quotes around the word “Bro” in every instance, they were kept only on the first appearance in the print edition. The author’s draft also concluded the fourth pargaprah with the phrase “I choose to chalk it up to the Golfers.” This was mistakenly edited to read “I choose to hate the Golfers.” We apologize for this decision. Several writers were invited to write a rebuttal to the May 1 piece; all declined to do so.
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