JuicyCampus

Stolen from mainecampus.com (by me, of course):

For those of you who don't know what JuicyCampus.com is, it's a Web site that allows students to be completely anonymous and gossip freely. These posts usually discuss who is the hottest in each fraternity, who slept with whom, or which Student Government employee was a douche bag this week. I couldn't believe it either.

Let's put this in a historical perspective. Every communication device, for the most part, was intended to help citizens become informed and engaged in their world. Each of these failed. The TV allows us to watch "True Life" and "Sex and the City;" films are now a vehicle for "Dumb and Dumber." The Internet has - well, we have JuicyCampus.

The University of Maine has its own JuicyCampus page. I'd say ours leads the pack, as it has a "who is the best teacher?" thread ... followed by three different threads, all with the same subject: "Sluts."

It's a revolting site, that's for sure. It is like roadkill - really bloody, still crawling while its tail and hind legs are smushed to the ground by tire treads - you can't not look. It's disgusting and terrible. What's worse is you're probably on it, and your angry ex probably detailed the exact inflammations of your last three herpes outbreaks. But, JuicyCampus has its place.

Is this an issue of free speech? JuicyCampus thinks so. The "About us" section states that its mission is to enable "online anonymous free speech on college campuses." It adds, "today it is a forum where college students discuss the topics that interest them most, and in the manner that they deem most appropriate."

Is it libelous? Of course. People are listed by full name and campus with the juicy gossip attached. Unless every bit of information is true, which is tough to prove in the case of "douche bags," it's absolutely defamatory. I could not find one lawsuit against the site or any of its anonymous posters - though the site could be subpoenaed and forced to give the IP addresses of specific posters. The free speech argument is difficult or impossible to make when the speech is pure libel.

JuicyCampus is not the most useful outlet for desirable information. The information is undesirable. But if people think it is so terrible, and if they do not want the outlet to exist, why do they keep looking?

The real issue is common decency. As the mission states, "in the manner [students] deem most appropriate." It's easy to say that the site is unfair to its victims and encourages pure malice among peers. And of course, it is. The main tab says "gossip" - the purpose isn't hidden. What it comes down to is, people should be acting like humans, and not bashing others to a bloody pulp ... like roadkill.

Heather Steeves is news editor for The Maine Campus.