Dear editor,
My friend and I are religious readers of this publication. Every week, we both obtain our respective copies because we find it enthralling and key to student life and a better understanding of our blessed university. However, as of yet, we have only experienced columns written by one individual; with few expectations, such as the chronicles of the individual that ventured to India, and the supplementary columns written at other universities. These columns, although written with interesting style, alienate a vast majority of the student population, because not all of us suffer from manic-depression. It is our wish to alleviate this situation and provide works/columns that would better reach the diverse interest contained upon this campus. We offer two solutions, either remove the individual that writes these depressive selections or accept our offer to further enlighten the reading audience. This is not a demand, but rather an enlightened suggestion.
We feel that a large majority of the student population cannot relate to presented perspective of the paper, sherely because of its reliance on this single author. Each week readers are subject to the distant and vague writings/rantings of a man clearly out of touch with the common student and even the society that surrounds him. More often that not, we are forced to swallow a bitter pill shoved down our throats by a person who has obviously lost touch with any of the semblance of the reasons that warrant getting out of bed each morning. We can stand to suffer through most columns, however, the recent addition by this author, Chris Morgan, discussing the reasons for writing, forced no other choice but to respond with our respective feelings on the series of writings which we have been subjected to. Ironically, for once, we found ourselves asking the same questions that Morgan addressed in his column such as, “why does he even bother to write for the paper?” Although we all were in agreement with the question, the answer is an area of disagreement. How could one, who in one paragraph uses the phrase, “get screwed over by other people,” go on to the next paragraph to state his purpose for writing is to help people? Even though, we can appreciate the humor and idea of the “cynical optimist” and all that it entails, we are no so easily lead to believe nor so appreciative of one who manages each week to suck the very humanity and meaning out of life. In short, not everyone lives their life distant, jaded and depressed by the exciting world that surrounds them. Nor should one be subject to such infectious manifestos by those that find the world as such.
Please bear in mind, we are by no means, asking for an unrealistic picture of the world, but rather a picture that more accurately takes in account all aspects of life.
The world by no means is a perfect place, and we understand this, but constant self pity and the desire to spread this wasted pity is no real solution to the problems of the world/life there in. Instead, it only furthers to invoke criticism and apathy among a student body that already lacks a desire to understand and change the world around them. As such, to spark the fire of change and motivation, we request, no as dedicated readers of a publication linked to our university, we demand editorials that will inspire and provoke not dampen and defeat our abilities to impact the world and society in which we live. We feel that this paper could be as a medium to better link and provide a better forum for the free exchange of ideas. There is a vast range of experiences and perceptions that can be related in such a wonderful forum as the East Tennessean provides. Our true complaint is that this forum does not meet its potential, but instead, relies upon a single viewpoint which for its narrowness is allowed too great of an opportunity to be expressed.
Please take our concerns and suggestions under advisement.
Hagan F. Hensley and Justin L. Williams

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