“I figured out the first piece of the puzzle,” said one What Hath God Hidden member. “They’re using Morse code.”
Photo by Amit Roth
Recent controversy has emerged regarding What Hath God Wrought, the 200-foot installment of the Stuart Art Collection, after student organization What Hath God Hidden posted an iPhone Notes app screenshot on their Instagram saying: “Translate the Morse code. Actually translate it. You’ll find that it says ‘UC San Diego rules.’” Students were quick to denounce the university and orientation leaders for misleading the public. A demonstration last Friday in front of the “liar lamp” was an expression of disillusionment by those who had trusted What Hath God Wrought. The large scale of the demonstration showed that students all across campus share the sentiment that “nothing will ever be the same again.”
Osher Rogers, a Revelle student who was involved in the “liar lamp” demonstration, shared her testimony. “My dorm faces What Hath God Wrought. And every night, its solitary narcissism, the inaudible shouting of its own name, comforted me through my blinds even on the darkest nights of Winter Quarter. But after receiving the illuminating message from What Hath God Hidden, my parasocial love was gone in a flash.” Students from all colleges have come forward with similar sentiments alongside many alumni. One Class of 2022 alum warned the current student body: “If they lied to us about What Hath God Wrought, what else have they lied about? Are you going to tell me that the talking tree doesn’t actually talk? Or that the rock bear does not enjoy rock and roll?”
The mass “betrayal” drove more people to What Hath God Hidden’s TikTok, which experienced massive growth after the recent demonstration. They warn students, “Don’t believe everything at face value. Especially not the stuff they tell you at a university. Did you also believe your orientation leader when they told you about the giraffe nets? Follow for part two.” What Hath God Hidden has cultivated a substantial following on the platform, but the spotlight has put the organization in a potentially dangerous position with the university. In a recent statement, they said: “We cannot disclose the identity of the person who translated What Hath God Wrought. They fear legal prosecution by UC San Diego for being the whistleblower — or worse, having their WebReg enrollment time moved back a day.”
Eight days after this scandal came to light, Revelle College Provost Paul K. Yu made a statement to end the debate once and for all. “I mean, what did you guys expect? UC San Diego rules, and all the other UCs have to know it. I’m honestly surprised no one made the effort to translate it before now. You treat What Hath God Wrought as an unfaltering beacon, a saint perched atop the sky, but we don’t even leave it on all the time. No, really, we save power after 2 a.m. during summer sessions. You can check.”
Amit is a cog in this machine. But doesn't everything run on optic cables or something?
