Peninsula Calls Parody Assault on Free Speech

In what its editor labeled an act of "ideological genocide," the conservative magazine Peninsula on Thursday found itself the victim of a parody campaign that twisted the publication's slogan, "Faith, family and freedom," into "Racism, fear and bigotry."

Peninsula last week had posted flyers advertising its introductory meeting for new members. On Thursday, posters imitating those flyers were found in the Yard and the Houses, according to Bradley E. Whitman '98, a member of the Peninsula Council, the magazine's top tier of editors.

The magazine's editors attacked the parody as an assault on free speech.

"It's just a group of radical PC left-wingers who don't believe that conservatives deserve free speech," said John J. Appelbaum '97, an auxiliary--or staff writer--for the magazine.

The group's posters had linked "Racist quotas, Godless classrooms and Peter Gomes" with Harvard, while the Peninsula was associated with its slogan: "Faith, family and freedom."

The parodies were nearly identical to the original posters, except that the University was associated with "Equality, freedom and tolerance," and Peninsula with "Racism, fear and bigotry."

The original poster had referred to an incident earlier this decade in which the magazine condemned homosexuality as immoral. Minister in the Memorial Church Peter J. Gomes criticized the publication and announced he was gay. Peninsula in turn called for Gomes' resignation.

"I don't think I'm a racist. I don't think I'm a bigot," said Appelbaum. "Peninsula stands for the principles that this country was founded on."

Appelbaum said that the posters are "part of an overall campaign to turn the school into a liberal police state that has been going on for quite some time."

Whitman said that Peninsula members found the posters on Thursday, the same day that Undergraduate Council member Steven J. Mitby '99 found a hate letter outside the door of his Lowell House suite.

Four days earlier, Mitby had spoken against a council bill recommending that the University's non-discrimination policy be amended to protect "transgendered" persons.

"The two incidents could be related--it's interesting, at least, that they happened on the same day," said Randy A. Karger '98, a Peninsula Council member.

"Maybe it was a particularly inspirational day for left-wing activists," he added.

Peninsula members said they were particularly upset about the anonymous nature of the parodies.

"It's an underhanded tactic--akin to basic forgery," Karger said.

"If someone had had the courage to sign their names, that's something else entirely," he added. "But claiming to be us is just despicable."

Peninsula members speculated on who might have printed the parodies.

"It may be a whole formalized group, or an informal group or it may be just one student who doesn't have a life," Appelbaum said.

Although the posters were all torn down, Peninsula members said they may have done lasting harm to the magazine.

Karger said that he was particularly upset about the approximately two dozen posters placed in the Yard because first-year students are least likely to be familiar with the group.

"Some people might think the parodies were a semi-accurate representation of our views in some way--which they weren't, of course," said Whitman, who labeled the parody an act of "ideological genocide" in a letter to The Crimson Saturday.

"I'd just like the University to reaf-firm its stand that things like this are wrong, they're not political debate, and as an academic, intellectual community we can't stand for it," Karger said.