Dark yet intriguing.
I could see an elementary school paper not wanting to print but not a high school or college paper.
We are exposed to a heck of a lot more than this on a daily basis through radio, billboards, newspapers and tv.

Irony in the headlessness is the easy part. Getting the psychological right is the work. Seems to have transfixed on the gore and didn't create a character worth caring about. Unless this is only an excerpt. And Stewart instead of Stuart. A good start, but why print an unfinished piece?

Perhaps it was not rejected so much for its gory details as cited but because of the lack of writing quality and they didn't want to hurt the author's feelings. As a writer myself, I get much more out of honest criticism than empty praise. So here are my thoughts, based on over 30 years teaching writing as well as writing and publishing dozens of articles, plays, and books:

The problems with the piece include too many unconnected thoughts, especially in the very first sentence, that serve more to confuse readers than draw them in and set the stage for what is to come: we start with Jamie's head in his hands and end with a memory of Annie's ears bleeding?. There is also an immediate grammatical error that is very distracting ("Jamie's got"), an over reliance on weak verbs (is, is, is, was, was was!), a lack of brevity (see just about any sentence), repetition (did he mention Jamie was headless?), run-on sentences ("It was impossible to know how long she'd been in the water; Jamie had blacked out early the evening before, seven drinks deep into his third drunk that day, but when he grabbed her, when he picked her up and pulled her to him to hold her to him she was cold."), an entire paragraph in italics for no apparent reason in which the writer switches from present to past tense, erratic punctuation (why is "any-goddamn-thing" hyphenated?), and using adjectives as nouns ("dumbass" should be describing a missing noun, e.g., "his dumbass body"). But these are all technical things that can be fixed. Above all it displays a sophomoric approach to writing in which the writer would sooner shock his audience than craft a well-written piece that moves them to think. And its not really a story, which involves plot and character development (take note, Mr. Lundgren!); it's really more of a sketch of a scene. I know, I'm nit-picking here, but to make a point.

I can't believe any newspaper--school or otherwise--would commission this writer to produce this sort of piece: it isn't news or reporting or even opinion; it is a work of fiction, and a poorly formed one at that. Even if this was submitted to a fiction writing class I would send it back for a revision. 

That being said I don't want to discourage the writer: I admire his effort to do something different. My advice to Frank Black (if indeed that is your real name!): like James Joyce, you first have to be able to write "Dubliner's" before you can create "Finnegan's Wake": in order to break rules effectively, you must first have mastery over them. Best of luck with your writing, and I hope we see more of it as you develop you talents!

Edge, I agree more blood soaked than dark. But I am no fan of "flash fiction" and so that my also be coloring my critique. (My opinion is that If you're going to bother with flash fiction, why not take it a step further and turn it into a prose poem?) 

Anyway, Mr. Black, I hope you find this helpful, as that is my intention:

So, here is that first sentence again:

"Jamie's got his head in his hands, having just hacked it off with the cordless reciprocal saw Annie ordered for him off the internet the night she overdosed and stopped breathing—and blood came out her ears. This made Jamie very sad, so he cut off his head—and now it's in his hands—and he's watching and pondering curiously at how his scabby, haggard heart continues to pump random arcing spurts of thick blood out the ragged, chunky stump of what's left of his neck—and thinks he should've thought this through a bit more, which is an odd thought to think when your decapitated head is resting in your hands." 

Two sentences, 111 words, five weak verbs, no clear conflict to drive the story forward.

And just a quick bit of editing:

"Jamie's decapitated head rests in his hands; his mind remains on Annie and the night he found her overdosed in the tub, blood draining from her ears. In his ensuing depression Jamie freed his head with the cordless reciprocal saw Annie had ordered online just before she took that last bath. Now he finds himself staring at the thick blood spurting from his ragged stump of a neck and wondering if he should've taken more time to think this through—and just how the hell he's gonna pull himself together this time."

Three sentences, 94 words, one weak verb, and a final clause that gives the piece direction and focus: his conflict at this point. Still, not perfect, and likely not the direction Mr. Black was intending. Just providing an example to back up my previous critique.

Mr. Black has the raw material; he just needs the refinement.

You're missing some of the allusions there, Tony. While, "Jamie's got his head in his hands" may be poor grammar, it precisely conveys what "Jamie's decapitated head rests in his hands" does not.

And seriously, quit with the double spacing after periods. Unless you are using a typewriter, stop it.

@duluth_bishop In this case, you can't ask for one without the other. The editors have to assess whether it is "worth" publishing. Do the benefits outweigh the costs? In other words, is the so-called "outstanding" writing worth the so-called "dark" subject matter?

My personal assessment is that the writing is a far cry from outstanding. The writer seems to be using shock value to make up for other deficiencies. It's amateurish at best and shouldn't be published. Keep working at it.

Does this college newspaper typically print flash fiction? Then you might have an argument. Otherwise, edgeways is right--most newspapers do not do so and would dismiss it out of hand. 

I'd recommend trying the literary magazine, but if the author is more attached to images than storyline, I agree with Tony that this leans more in the direction of a prose poem. Go more dreamy, more vivid verbs.

To answer your yes or no question, duluth_bishop, I would reiterate my initial comment:  it depends.  The answer is the same as the porn answer--I know it when I see it.  And "I" am a lot of different people.  In this case, "I the editor" obviously believed it was, and that's the opinion that matters.  

Also, Tony D., I am going to directly quote you for the rest of my life:  "You have to write _Dubliners_ before you can write _Finnegan's Wake_."  That is perfectly put.

I agree with the Flash Fiction comments. When I pick up a paper it usually isn't to read a story of fiction. That is probably why it didn't run in a paper.  

That is also why I rarely read the Transistor's short stories, it just confuses me when I grab a paper and read some stuff that people write. I won't get off on that here though.

I've never typed on a typewriter and was taught to always double-space after sentences. I was also told we would be on the metric system by now too. 

The double-space thing is the hardest habit I've ever had to break.

"Curdled."