the problem is not just tone.

A smug, know-it-all tone can put people off and cause you to lose a lot your audience ... but this is not always the case, IF the piece is well-written and tightly argued. However, when you combine the obnoxious tone with flawed logic, factual errors, and a general disinclination to perform basic fundamental research... well, you've got a recipe for disaster.

Not to mention that the entire article was really just a cathartic vehicle for him to thumb his nose at the university administration and say "nanny nanny boo boo, i'm gonna break your rules and you can't stop me"

seriously, I've read better pieces in high school papers.

Unfortunately, what we have here is the result of a columnist who learned to write opinion pieces for The Technician ... because tripe like this was routinely passed as Op-Ed in that rag.

So this really is an indictment against NC State University, and not so much against JeffreyBSG. And you all wonder why UNC gives us such hell.






[Edited on January 26, 2009 at 3:04 PM. Reason : ]

1/26/2009 3:00:04 PM