Through Murky Waters: Writing the election
Webb’s ‘graphic’ novels are much ado about nothing
By Alex Sirney, senior writer
Posted on October 30, 2006

Sexual controversy is no stranger to our recent elections, and now that Sen. George Allen has read excerpts from opponent Jim Webb’s books, it has surfaced in the race for Virginia senator.

The accounts are sure to influence voters against Webb because of their content, despite that they do not reflect on Webb’s ability to serve as a U.S. senator. On one hand, Allen’s literary hour provided necessary information about his opponents writing, but the presentation also ignored the context and meaning of Webb’s words, thereby reducing Allen to the level of those who would ban books based on one colorful passage or even one word.

In a press conference on Friday, Allen read the excerpts that describe sexual situations ranging from descriptions of promiscuity to accounts of underage sex and child molestation. They come from five of Webb’s six best-selling fiction novels that he published between 1978 and 2001 that he says were based on his experiences.

The most lurid of these is an account of a man picking up his naked son and placing the son’s penis in his mouth. As disturbing an image as this is, Webb’s defense is perfect — rather than the product of a deviant mind, it is an actual account of something he watched happen.

Whether it was fact, fiction or some hybrid is not important, though. Authors are given the liberty to use whatever accounts or words they feel necessary to make their points. Allen’s press release claims that other war novels have been very successful without using such graphic imagery, but that is unimportant to Webb’s own writing style. Webb chose to use these accounts and, if they are truly innocent within the context of the books, there should be no cause for concern.

Unfortunately, this author has not had the opportunity to examine Webb’s work other than through the eyes of Allen’s press release and Webb’s comments in response, but even such casual and skeptical treatment shows that, of the 10 passages Allen included in the press release, only one is especially concerning. In it, Webb criticizes America, saying that America is becoming the world’s “recreation center,” a leader in music, movies, fast food and drugs, and that “fifty years from now as you come over the bridge and stop at the tollbooths outside Manhattan: A smiling beautiful naked woman, and the sign saying AMERICAN ASS IS OUR MOST IMPORTANT PRODUCT.”

That passage, more than any other, should disturb Virginia voters as it is presumably a direct reflection on Webb’s view of America. Of course, the context of the excerpt is important — many a literary character has said things its author doesn’t agree with. The other side is that perhaps Webb is exactly what Washington needs — someone who has a different point of view.

Regardless, none of the quotes from Webb’s book were any more disparaging to women than men (as Allen alleges), and, unless the passage about the father and son described above was followed by “I wish I was in on that,” there is no cause for alarm from voters. It is certainly important to examine a writer’s work if he or she runs for public office, but in this case the scrutiny has turned up nothing but a slightly racy author. If Allen thinks the world we live in isn’t more than slightly racy, perhaps he is out of touch with his constituents and fellow humans.

Alex Sirney is a senior anthropology and SMAD major.