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October 25, 2005
Letter to the Editor: Clarification on criticism of columnist
I have taken the liberty of writing a letter to the editor in defense of Nick Bell, not because of what he wrote, but rather, what he didn’t. Two articles in the Oct. 18 Oracle regarding “Bell’s sex advice” clearly display anger, resentment, and outrage and for good reason.
Upon reading Nick’s original column I can assure you that what was published in the Oracle was not entirely his voice or even his own words. Several examples are cited in both of these articles such as
“The scenario described could be rape” as compared with Nick’s original “I need to tell you that the scenario you described actually constitutes as rape ” I’m sure the sentence was condensed because of limited space, but notice how through omitting and changing words you are also omitting the original tone and/or meaning, which potentially alters the entire column. In this context, the word “could” is powerful in that it is ambiguous. The change may be subtle, but it is an integral part of his argument.
Most of the initial advice given seemed to carry on a more serious tone than the edited response, which is what Hamline students are ultimately able to read. It is a misrepresentation of his beliefs, and it is unfair that people, unaware of this issue, should make him to be the scapegoat.
As I myself am limited to space I can only touch on one more important issue: Mr. Bell does, in fact, have knowledge of current Minnesota statutes. But these important and informative statements were also left out due to poor editing or worsečtransformed into ambiguous advice, which destroys Bell’s credibility and confuses and/or outrages the reader.
As far as volunteer work goes, Nick has been involved with a program known as “Breaking Free” which provides prostitutes with life-saving information and resources to build a better life.
Camille Schultz CLA ‘07
Posted by msveum at October 25, 2005 12:57 AM
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