Traditionally, the Opinions section in a newspaper is typically well thought-out and supported by documented evidence to persuade readers of a point. However, in this issue of The Bucknellian, this forethought was shoved into the backseat as Ryan Laughiter ’24 wrote a disgusting, harmful article about Jordan Peterson’s recent on-campus speech. 

“It was so moving that tears formed in my eyes.” Laughiter wrote. “He has the voice of a Canadian angel.” While Laughiter didn’t go into specifics about what Peterson talked about (something hateful or bigoted I’m sure), Ryan’s article was immediately slammed by comments, many of them coming from alumni, upon publication. 

“This is absolutely disgusting.” One commenter wrote. “Everyone knows that you shouldn’t let controversial speakers on campus. This is why. They cause harm to our student body by making them cry.”

“This is why you do research before you write on something. Where’s the journalistic integrity in all this?” Another commenter said.

Perhaps the most stinging rebuke of all for Laughiter’s article was that there were no facts to prove his argument. Did he post a picture of himself crying to social media? If not, then he has no proof. He only has his feelings to go off of, but in terms of journalism, facts should trump them every time. 

Using a feelings-over-facts mindset is disruptive to the paper as a whole. Not only does it create unintelligent takes, like Ryan’s, but it also dilutes the reliability of the paper to the general readership. After all, with Peterson being as misogynistic and transphobic as the media makes him out to be, we all know that he can’t make anyone emote naturally, much less shed tears of joy from hearing his speeches.

The obvious claim from now on is that Peterson is an android, pure and simple. His prime directive is to make speeches so boring that we all fall asleep while listening to him. Then again, doesn’t everyone do that during lectures? Maybe it’s because I have a lot of personal experience with it, but they’re often the most boring thing imaginable.