Sorry, but I'm totally with Eugene on this one. Except that I liked Dr. Gutmann's press release more than he did. I like his version too, though.
And I'm disappointed in Campus Watch. I thought they had more sense and much more important things to do than to get bogged down in BS like this. Let's keep in mind that these photos were posted on an obscure personal website of a Penn engineering student. They show a bunch of people having a good time at a party and, in some instances, showing extremely poor taste. (I could go off here on the unintended consequences of our society's newfound mania for posting our quirky, embarrassing and/or disgusting private moments on the internet for all the world to see and use to their own ends. But I'll save that).
One of Volokh's commenters linked to this photo of himself in his own Halloween costume -- Mohammad as depicted in the Jyllands-Posten cartoon with the lit fuse coming out of his head. And he's posing with other people, mind you. Some people, as we know, would find this offensive enough to riot over. Some others would find it hilarious. And then there's the whole range of responses in between.
Bottom line: Halloween, costumes, shock value, end of story.
End of week.
Shabbat Shalom.
