A breakdown of what riled up Northwestern’s commentariat this week, after the jump.
Brothel-gate
Impossible to escape this week (especially because of the back-and-forth that caused confusion), controversy over the so-called “brothel” ordinance kept us outraged and amused. It started with a Daily feature detailing how Evanston would start enforcing the three-person unrelated ordinance—something we all honestly thought would never happen—and immediately brought attention to Tuesday’s off-campus town hall. We were there live blogging for those who couldn’t attend—and managed to foster a discussion online between Intel and commenters while the Town Hall was actually happening. Our fave: “To students, creative translates as illegal,” from “Guest” made in jest about Assistant Dean of Students Betsi Burns telling students to get creative in their off campus housing decisions.
Comments: 70+ over the course of the two hour meeting, all (needless to say) very, very angry.
Not fit for Vogue
And in the midst of Brothel-gate, NBN managed to stir a firestorm among its readers with an article on why Kristen Stewart doesn’t deserve to be on the cover of Vogue. The piece varied between legitimate critiques (Comparing paparazzi to being raped, Twilight) and ridiculous (She only has one facial expression). The audience for Kristen Stewart-related stories at Northwestern is larger than we would have expected. Commenters quickly jumped on writer Gabe Bergado panning and flattering his piece. Our fave: “You may not want Kristen Stewart as the face of Vogue, but you don’t seem to have any issues with her being the face of NBN,” from “Sam.” How did no one else catch that?
Comments: Too many to count, including some comments that read as over-the-top short essays supporting Stewart and trashing Bergado.
