As I read through Marrianne Gosz's Feb. 17 column, I was dismayed at the article and its author. If I am not mistaken, I started reading her column a few years ago when she wrote how fast she sent her resume and how fast she got the rejection letters. That article was amusing. But this article on Feb. 17 is not amusing. Not anymore.
Consider the following cases. 1) If the guy came politely to her window and asked her to open it and then punched her in face and disappeared for showing the middle finger, what should she have done? Call the police? It is not difficult to imagine how effectively the police can catch the hitter. If he wore gloves they would not even be able to get a single finger print. There is absolutely no proof unless someone wants to come forward and act as a witness. Even if you used obscene words but did not touch a person, then there is no crime. 2) If the case happened on a highway, Gosz could have been involved in a road rage accident that could put her life in danger. Giving the middle finger and taking temporary happiness in that, can indeed be dangerous to her own life not to the other guy. 3) That guy might have been in a hurry to take care of something. Without knowing his circumstances it would be insipid to make a comment. But when shown the middle finger anyone would feel that rage. Would not Gosz too?
On the contrary, if that person hit Gosz's car, it would have been her case to argue. She would get everything she wanted the accidental coverage money, a new bumper if her car was damaged, a free battery check and a car wash too. It is debatable how good her temperament is and what good it could do to her. Even after watching TV and seeing hundreds of videos where they virtually preach about road rage, it is utterly disgraceful to behave like Gosz did. It only puts your own life in danger. It is not the etiquette a Marquette University student is supposed to behave with. The column not only shows how bad her temperament is but also seems to tell people that it is OK to show the middle finger.
If Gosz was the person who wanted to leave the lane and if the other driver showed his middle finger to her, would she have come to Marquette and wrote a column saying that the public is so rude to the awesome lady? I seem to think so. It also seems that if she has no matter to write about, she could write anything and the editor is just glad enough to put it in print.
I am beginning to think these sort of columns are responsible for the recent firing of the adviser by the school. Temperament is the first thing to develop and to face a situation calmly is what employers look for in a person before giving reins of the horses for work. Of course this matters only if she is looking for job now. But in any case a bad temperament would only put her ugly side out. To make the situation murkier, she admits that she does not regret showing the finger. This is more disgraceful.
The lesson to learn in this situation is, not just be more careful, she narrowly escaped a jaw punch on her awesome face. Good luck next time.
Sarma Danturthi is a professor of biomedical engineering.
This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Mar. 1 2005.