November 04, 2004

The Cord received seven scathing letters this week. People were “disgusted” and “sickened” by the campus pictorial published in the previous issue: two students jammed under a crumpled car.

The car appeared on campus early one morning as a reminder to never drink and drive. “Look what could happen,” the display seemed to say, “you could get in a fender-bender.” Aside from the crumpled hood the car was intact: there were no brains scattered on the windshield and someone’s lunch sat undisturbed in Tupperware on the back seat.

The scene demanded some realism. So Bryn, the opinion editor, shoved two people under the hood and snapped some photos. “Unconvincing,” he wrote about the display in last week’s paper.

And seven readers wrote back in anger. “The way in which Bryn Boyce mocked the issue of driving under the influence was not only repulsive, but also rude and appalling,” someone wrote. “And where on earth did he find people willing to pose for such a shot?”

Umm…right here. I was one of the two people under the hood that day. Because the display was funny rather than moving, I tried to give it some realism.

And I’m glad the seven angry people didn’t find out about the Pumpkins Against Drunk Driving: they would be after my balls too.