Thursday, September 08, 2005

Predictable response to an unpredictable response

You may have heard about the three Duke students who drove to Louisiana, posed as journalists and wound up evacuating people. That's one of the most surprising stories in Katrina's aftermath.

As a Duke grad who spent most of his time at the campus paper, I can tell you the chain of responses that will follow:

1. From a College Republican: "These kids should have more respect for authority."

2. From a College Democrat: "I don't condone these kids passing themselves off as journalists, but their hearts are in the right place."

3. From a "Libertarian": "These kids are stupid. The federal government shouldn't be helping these people -- that's a job for private citizens."

(Stop. Re-read #3. No, I didn't mess up. Now continue.)

4. From a guy who doesn't bathe often: "We should all go to New Orleans and pretend we're National Guard! No, wait, let's all go to Washington and protest! No, wait."

5. From anyone: "Shut up!"

6. From anyone else: "No, you shut up!"

3 comments:

Neel Mehta said...

As a Duke grad who spent most of his time at the campus paper

Ha! I'm guessing from this entry and the high school songs list that we never crossed paths. I'm Trinity '95.

bdure said...

Trinity '91, MALS '00, so I would've just missed you. But if you knew anyone from the classes of '92, '93 and '94 at The Chronicle, I knew them. Unless they were Barry Svrluga, who somehow escaped my memory.

Neel Mehta said...

Michael Saul ring a bell? During orientation for Chronicle reporters, he kind of rubbed me the wrong way, so after one assignment (front page, baby!) I quit. I resurfaced as a columnist my senior year.