View From the Phlipside - Zonker Harris and Wesleyan

My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, Radio, the Movies and more.  I love them and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View From the Phlipside.

So I was reading the comics the other week when I saw that the story line on my favorite strip had suddenly detoured.  If you read Doonesbury (and you should) you’ll remember that suddenly a story line with Zonker popped up out of nowhere.  It seemed that some college used to have a day named in Zonker’s honor till the president put the kibosh on it.  Zonker was a little puzzled by it all and so was I so I did a little research.

It didn’t take much to find that the story was true.  Wesleyan University in Connecticut started celebrating Zonker Harris Day back in the ‘70’s.  It has always been a decidely, shall we say, counter-cultural affair with a certain use of legally frowned upon substances.  In 2008 the president of the University decided that Zonker was not the sort of person the University wished to be associated with and threatened to pull the funding.  Garry Trudeau the creator responded this year after the students decided to take the case to a higher court.

Where to even begin with this?  As Zonker himself noted, the president is aware that he’s a fictional character, right?  The complaint was because Zonker was an inveterate user of marijuana in his past.   I haven’t seen him use it recently.  Of course the University said NOTHING about the activities that actually go on during the event, they just wanted the name changed.  They also overlooked the fall event at Wesleyan called “Duke Day” named for another and decidedly less socially acceptable character from the strip.  Trudeau had been aware of the flap in 08 but had chosen discretion as the better part of valor.  The letter from the students this year impressed him so much he decided to weigh in finally.

Surely the president of a University that has been around for almost 180 years has better things to do that demand name changes of student blowouts.  Even Zonker has better things to do.  This coming April he will NOT be able to attend the next festival as it interferes with the Royal Wedding in England which is already on his calendar.

In the end three cheers to the students at Wesleyan.  Like their idea of a good time or not they have the right attitude to the mis-application of power.  When the university demanded a name change they did.  The festival is currently called “Ze who must not be named” day.

Call that the View From the Phlipside.

"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY.  You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010