Penn’s own infamous “Page Six” column, Street Sweeper, offers up the best of Penn’s trashy gossip peppered with so many acronyms, pseudonyms and euphemisms that it’s often indecipherable. I have to admit, it’s quite entertaining and often cleverly written–it’s easy to laugh at the expense of the drunk and uninhibited.
As long as the drunkard is not a friend … or worse … yourself.
At what point does Sweeper cause more damage than it’s worth?
In light of recent arguments over the validity of certain statements made in Sweeper, I found myself wondering why exactly Penn needs its own gossip column. Doesn’t the rumor mill serve well enough? While 34th Street is certainly no fountain of clean, ethical political-correctness (and it should stay that way!), I thought, is anything sacred?
Sweeper is driven by the same self-important attitude that gives Penn students a bad rep (and put Stephen Glass out of a job, coincidentally). We love to read it because it makes us feel elite, important — like we’re a part of some relatively decent social scene. Having a blurb in Sweeper basically cements your position in the Penn “scene,” so to speak … which I guess consists of Blarney’s, Smoke’s… and uhh… late-night Allegro?
While I don’t contest the right of Street to publish a gossip column (of course, heeding all necessary ambiguities), there are tricky lines between appropriate and inappropriate content that are quite difficult to toe. A small slip-up in writing could mean a world of depression to one student — especially if that particular information was not “general knowledge” or gossip, but rather personal and private, perhaps divulged to the wrong person.
I hope those who write Sweeper each week consider the fact that they hold the psychological well-being of their subjects in their very hands, though I honestly doubt that they give two shits. After all, if they cared, nothing that embarrassing (or that entertaining) would ever be published. Booooooring.
Tags: street sweeper
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December 4th, 2007 at 6:39 am
The Street is perfect because it contains this kind of non-PC stuff. Anyone who’s truly offended by it should not read it. It only causes harm to those who aren’t mentally strong enough to handle the truth i.e. people who shouldn’t be at Penn in the first place. It’s just for a laugh; people need to lighten up.
December 4th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Street Sweeper is stupid. and to whoever made the first comment on this article, what’s written isn’t “the truth”. so there’s nothing to handle ’cause it ain’t the truth.
I’m not saying that one shouldn’t read street sweeper but please don’t read it thinking that everything is true and that those who write the horrible gossip column, know everything.
everyone needs to go to Fre-Gro (it’s not Frosh Grocer) and go to the aisle where they sell lives…..get one..and get one for your friend too.
December 4th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
I agree with anti-sweeper. Its just for pieces of shit that want to feel better about themselves. People put lies on it all the time knowing good and well that its not ever verified, yet will still make tomorrows “news”.
Sweeper, all you write is garbage and you should be in the fucking trash.