W hen I saw Dance Marathon's emcee selections last week, I was surprised to recognize a familiar name chosen to replace half of the legendary TnA duo.
Surely, any emcee candidate must undergo a thorough background check to verify their commitment to charitable causes. That said, I was confused to see that my former Communication Residential College dormmate Benjamin Singer had been selected.
Every year CRC holds a radio-broadcasted fund raiser for the American Heart Association. My sophomore year, I decided to broadcast a show inspired by a popular 1930's stunt - swallowing a live goldfish. Determined to raise as much money as possible, I created two funds: one favoring ingestion of "Nemo" and the other opposing. Soon after the event was announced, Benjamin Singer e-mailed the CRC listserv calling on residents to boycott my show. Now, I had no problem with this; he was exercising his freedom of expression.
But his protest quickly escalated. Soon the university had gotten urgent faxes from The Humane Society urging the university to stop me.
I was determined the show would be fair. If the "eat Nemo" fund won, I would eat the fish. Period. And that fund was ahead when I received a call at the radio station telling me Singer had called the police.
Apparently there's a city ordinance against eating live animals.
Nonetheless, as I heard NUPD enter the building, I downed the fish. The cop was followed by Singer, videotaping everything. After a brief questioning, I was let off with a warning.
In the end, I raised nearly $150 dollars to help people with heart disease at the expense of a fish.
DM raised nearly $1 million last year and stands to raise a similarly large sum this March. Undoubtedly, some of the funds will be raised using unorthodox methods, perhaps similar to my own. My question is: Can Benjamin Singer stomach representing such an organization?
-JAKE SPRING
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2008 Woodie Awards
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Viewing Comments 1 - 9 of 9
Ivy
posted 11/18/08 @ 7:21 AM CST
I have no comment regarding the goldfish matter, but I do have to wonder whether a vegan emcee means there will actually be palatable and plentiful vegan food at this year's DM? It was pretty slim pickings last year. (Continued…)
Go Jake!
posted 11/18/08 @ 12:58 PM CST
Jake Spring, I had no idea you did that with the goldfish. You just gained 50 points in my book. Please do it again this year, preferably right in front of Singer!
What a saint!
posted 11/18/08 @ 2:56 PM CST
Good thing we have people who really care about charity like Jake Spring! He sure does care about Dance Marathon and has devoted countless hours to the organization's numerous beneficiaries over the years! Oh wait, he hasn't, which makes me wonder if he really cares that much about DM or if he's just harboring a two-year old grudge and abusing his editorial power by advocating his own agenda in the pages of the Daily Northwestern. (Continued…)
S
posted 11/18/08 @ 7:52 PM CST
WHAT A WASTE OF SPACE.
Mr. Spring, you must not be able to find anyone else to rant in Firing Squad. Leave Benjamin Singer alone and find better things to write about. (Continued…)
Eh...
posted 11/18/08 @ 10:11 PM CST
Charity is one thing. Eating a live animal is another.
It's not necessarily wrong, altough I'm probably not the only person who cringed. But calling the police about it was not necessarily wrong either, if a little bit nosy and assholic. (Continued…)
Yawn
posted 11/19/08 @ 10:53 AM CST
I don't know you or this animal rights guy, but I couldn't care less. Thanks for reminding me why I rarely read the Daily. It's turned into an immature, unprofessional forum for personal attacks and whims. (Continued…)
Anti-charity?!?
posted 11/19/08 @ 6:30 PM CST
Wow, Jake raised 150 whole dollars with his unnecessary and (appropriately) illegal stunt. Does he have any idea how much money or intangible enlightenment on numerous issues Benjamin Singer has manifested? I had thought Northwestern was more about the kind of behavior the new MCs are demonstrating, instead of supporting some tired, disgusting activity for people who need juvenile reinforcement. (Continued…)
don't hate
posted 11/19/08 @ 10:56 PM CST
Just because you are anti-vegan and have some sort of grudge doesn't make it okay to publish this mess. Get over it, Jake.
LAG
posted 11/19/08 @ 11:37 PM CST
I have no problem with eating live fish personally, but there's nothing wrong with singer trying to stop you. It seems that if people really cared, they could have donated to the non eating column, but the fact of the matter is it was a crime. (Continued…)
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