Comments on: Daily Universe explains why it pulled Dilbert’s Hay-Soos

By: John Clemens

John Clemens — Mon, 19 May 2008 05:24:04 +0000

Nothing is supposed to be off limits. If it hurts a little too much for you , then you gotta get in there, like irrigating a wound. The truth hurts too but you gotta suck it up to avoid an infection of hatred of people that don’t see it your way. Next, the nationalists may go after Wiley Miller for some of his work. I interpretted one of my favorites as being against Capitalism and the American way, while it could have just been a conformists applause of being first to rule the jungle.I speak of one where the amphibians are evolving in different stages and the first one out has erected a kiosk with the words “Gene Pool Real Estate” on it. All the while with a salesmans grin on his face. We have hydrogen fuel tech but only economics stand in society’s evolution.

By: Garey Mckee

Garey Mckee — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 20:58:51 +0000

Of course it’s an arrogant explanation. What else would you expect from a college newspaper that calls itself The Daily Universe?

By: Rich Diesslin

Rich Diesslin — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:34:18 +0000

Mike, I think you makes some excellent points and overall I agree with you. I’m guessing the paper felt it would be a “breech of contract” with more of their readers by leaving it in. Wiley also has a good point if they think comics are so insignificant then is shouldn’t matter. Although I think their point might really have been it isn’t worth having controversy from the comics section. Still, ultimately their paper, their rules. On this blog, I don’t think papers/editors can win, because they are darned if they do and darned if they don’t. However, over on The Daily Editor (TDE) … ;)

By: Mike Peterson

Mike Peterson — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:38:34 +0000

I’m not too keen on the idea of dropping certain segments of a strip and then picking it up again the next week. It seems like a breach of contract, not with the cartoonist, but with your readers. If you have a stable of syndicated columnists, you can pick this one and decide against running that one, but comics don’t work that way — the cartoon is supposed to be there every day. You’re on the bus or you’re off the bus.

There could be an exception: Let’s say your town experienced a school bus accident that killed some kids, and coincidentally a comic strip had an arc about a crazed school bus driver. You might well withhold those strips.

But in general, when you take on a strip, you’re taking on the artist’s vision. If you come to feel that vision is wrong for your community, drop the strip and replace it with something else. Otherwise, let it run, every day. You’ve offered it to your readers and you need to deliver what you are promising them.

The attitude of this college editor is not that much more arrogant than that of adult editors who pick and choose what their readers are going to get to see. The difference is, he’s still got a chance to grow up.

By: Rich Diesslin

Rich Diesslin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 23:55:50 +0000

I don’t agree with their decision, but I’m not the least bit surprised. Their decision doesn’t bother me either. Their paper,they can run it or not. Seems like the editor made a call, and without a poll even. ;)

By: Mike Peterson

Mike Peterson — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 21:53:10 +0000

I know how hard it is, in the current economic climate, to justify taking up space with some of the stuff that I think IS consequential. If there were something I thought was this disposable, I wouldn’t care if it were potentially offensive or not — I’d find something I did care about and put that valuable real estate to better use.

Of course, in my case, that would mean adding some cartoons, but then I’m not a student at BYU …

By: Phil Lunn

Phil Lunn — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:31:37 +0000

The Hay-Soos series is so offensive that it’s not even running in Denmark.
Apparently, the Danish have swapped it with the Mohammad cartoons instead.

By: Rick Stromoski

Rick Stromoski — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:54:04 +0000

Perhaps they thought the sun would spin out of it’s orbit and dance around the sky if they ran them.
0- :)

By: Wiley Miller

Wiley Miller — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:43:34 +0000

If cartoons are non-consequential (in their view), then what were they afraid of? What did they see as being the worst case scenario of running the cartoons?

By: John Cole

John Cole — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:05:24 +0000

What a steaming pile of sanctimonious cr@p.

Good Mormon, America!