Pissed off about Calvin

Wednesday morning, as usual, I came down to The Diner to pick up the day’s Diamondback. I glanced at the headline about the administration’s town hall and the disappointing news about the Hoff Theater before noticing the very familiar yellow hair that protruded over the paper’s fold. With a feeling of trepidation, I flipped it over, and, sure enough, there was the all-too-familiar picture of Calvin from the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes smirking back at me while urinating on a red letter “M.”

The strip, which ran from 1985 to 1995, is famous not only for its hilarity and often-profound looks at philosophy and art but also for the desire of Bill Watterson, its creator, to avoid cheapening the comic by overmerchandising his characters.

Consequently, very few pieces of official Calvin and Hobbes merchandise exist — the graphic that ran in The Diamondback is an unauthorized image that was taken from a panel in the original strip in which Calvin fills up a water balloon. Though it has become ubiquitous, with images featuring faux-Calvin peeing on everything from a Ford logo to a New York Jets helmet, the logo never remotely matched the innocent spirit of the original comic. Just like the beach boardwalk T-shirts and bumper stickers on which the image appears, The Diamondback’s prominent use of the picture not only insults the original spirit of a work of art but also directly defies its original creator’s wishes. I hope that the next time The Diamondback chooses to add a logo to its pages, its editors think less about recognizability and more about whether the spirit of the image is aligned with the original work from which it was drawn.

Logan Anbinder | Class of 2012 | physics and philosophy

High on fives

I just would like to applaud the enthusiastic group of students who assembled in front of the South Campus Dining Hall Tuesday afternoon.

In a rush to make it to a meeting, I did not stop to talk or to get that “free high-five,” but I just have to say thank you for brightening my day. You are all such an inspiration.

I am confident you touched a lot of people through your cheers, smiles and signs. Thank you!

In the words of one of your signs, “You are awesome!”

Maroulla Plangetis | Class of 2010 | supply chain management

Respect for holidays

It’s easy to criticize. With its shrinking pages, content and decreasing circulation, The Diamondback does it well, and it crossed the line by criticizing Student Government Association President Steve Glickman for leaving early from the meeting of the Committee for the Review of Student Fees.

Despite what the articles stated and the absurd cartoons insinuated, Glickman left the meeting, at the previously announced end time, to fly home to spend Rosh Hashanah with his family. Sure, the article stated that fact — seven paragraphs too late. This university has the largest number of Jewish students of any public university in the country. Presumably, most either went home or made alternate plans to celebrate this important holiday.

It is preposterous that Glickman would be criticized for this. This is the time of year when there are many holidays on many calendars. Criticizing one for practicing his religious beliefs is irresponsible, but criticizing one for practicing his religious beliefs without having reported the whole story crosses the line. I am sure that had a meeting of this importance been scheduled the night before Christmas, a majority of members would have been absent. In reality, a meeting should never be scheduled the night before a religious holiday.

Rosh Hashanah is a time where Jews do what we usually do: pray, sing, talk and eat with family and friends. It’s a perfect time to reflect on the past year and plan ahead for the year to come. While Glickman has obligations to the student body (which, unlike the article portrays, he met), he also has an obligation to his family, his religion and his values. 

John Lennon became famous for his iconic song “Imagine.” I imagine a day when The Diamondback makes responsible arguments. Let’s hope that in the coming year, The Diamondback practices more responsible journalism. After all, it still has time to repent.

Ilana Frankel | Class of 2010 | government and politics and Jewish studies