The Crier

Public Secrets

The paradox of bringing secrets to the people

Forest Casey · Ann Arbor Secrets · Jan 29, 2007

This is a very odd column.

In no other field does the topic of a piece of writing cease to be a part of that field once published. Essays about race, science and politics are about race, science and politics and remain about race, science, and politics once they are released to the public. Look into the archives of any media outlet for proof. This isn’t surprising. In fact, it’s a rather boring fact.

But a column about secrets is a different story.

The second this column reaches the internet, its contents cease to be secret. Paradoxically, the more popular and widely read this column becomes, the less valuable its information.

It’s very easy to bemoan this fact and decide not to tune in because of the column’s inherent self-destructiveness. But that would be a mistake.

If you think about it, people read the news to learn yesterday’s secrets. The secrets of the day before yesterday are no longer deemed “newsworthy”. This fact does little to quench our addiction to the news.

Once a week, this column will go out to the internet, its writing instantly transforming into something other than a secret. In a sense, the topic of this page might be better published under the heading, “Advice.” But that title has already been hijacked by old women with permed hair.

Over time, the collective experience of the staff of The Crier and input from you, the readers, will coalesce to form a guide to living in Ann Arbor. A guide on where to eat, where to find a deal, how to get away with petty crimes and how to get the most out of your years here at the University.

And if you refresh this page quickly enough, perhaps you’ll be fast enough to catch a secret or two.