A Question for the Culture

The following article is NOT satire!

          People tell me to write for the lawrence all the time—my teachers, my classmates, and even my mom. They all have different reasons, of course, but all share the belief that writing would be beneficial for me or my community in some way. I always laugh off the idea—besides day students, the lawrence is the easiest thing to poke fun at on campus. When a certain editor insists I, a “provocateur of chaos,” should write for the lawrence—a weekly conversation-–I brush her aside, joking that I would never write for the most censored, overfunded, pretentious club on campus. The real reason I could never see myself seriously writing for the lawrence is because this campus cares for this publication just as little as I do. Very few people on campus read the lawrence—including faculty, staff, and students—so why would I spend what little free time I have watching my articles torn to shreds by tyrannical editors? I do not usually write, and I hope I never do again. When my teachers tell me to change three things about my writing style so I can score higher marks, I only lightly heed their warnings, most of the time disregarding them completely. So why in the world would I let editors, from the comfort of the extremely well air-conditioned office, laugh at my excessive use of commas or misspelled words as I know they delight in? When a certain editor tells me to write for the lawrence, she is not saying this because she knows I am a good writer, but because she really does believe in the lawrence. She agrees with my sentiment that no one reads it, yet is convinced a “fresh new voice” will help bring the masses back to engaging with the weekly publication. 

          If she truly believes that a “new voice” will change something about the lawrence, I encourage her to stage a coup. Usher in a new board. Abolish the “style guide” that has swiftly taken the California out of me, and finally allow students to publish articles that are thought-provoking and mean something to them. If we even somewhat agree with the adage, “with the Vth formers goes the school,” this same principle should be brought to the lawrence: if V Formers are recognized as dictators of school culture, then the same should go for lawrence editors. Though I do believe that the lawrence is capable of publishing something riveting while I'm here, why not test that theory and speed up the process? Impassioned lawrence writers—the only demographic actually reading the publication in full—should stage a mutiny: band together, stop writing for the lawrence, start your own publication, and write your own “Dear Lawrenceville.” Overthrow the editors of the lawrence: with them goes the culture surrounding it. Maybe then will I, along with Lawrentians of all types, finally be moved to read more than “THE LAWRENCE” on the front page.