Wednesday, October 8, 1997
Letters
Offensive and naive
We take strong exception to an article which ran in your
Viewpoint section on Oct. 6, "Accommodations can only go so far."
The writer, Mason Jackson, while attempting to deify "progress"
(manifested in co-ed dormitories at Yale), belittles and condemns
as "misguided" religious beliefs which have existed for millennia
and have shaped the world as it is today.
Whether or not one agrees with the stance of the five Orthodox
freshmen at Yale who do not want to live in co-ed dormitories is
irrelevant. Anyone claiming intellectual integrity must show a
minimal level of respect to a tradition which has progressively
changed the lives of more people in this world than co-ed
dormitories ever will.
Take, for example, the principles of monotheism, tikkun olam
(fixing the world) and objective morality. All of these ideas have
their initial roots in the Torah – the very book which Jackson says
is "ignorant."
If the author believes such a tradition is backward, perhaps he
should go and live in a place where it has had no influence (if he
can find one). Meanwhile, he should not engage in baseless
condemnations of things which he obviously cannot comprehend.
Rebecca Blustein
Third-year
Editor in chief, Ha’Am
Netanel Livni
Fourth-year
Cybernetics
Thanks for your words of wisdom
As a person with a Spanish last name, I have been given
permission by "minorities" around the world to excuse you, Alex
Balekian, ("I am the Root of All Minority Problems," Oct. 7) from
any form of sympathy or accountability in any dealings involving
discrimination due to race, gender, sexual preference, age or
anything else that has nothing to do with you. I applaud your
ability to step into the shoes of "your little brown brother" to
see the world through his or her (oh, what am I doing – of course
it’s "his") misguided point of view. It took a lot of sensitivity
on your part to be able to lower yourself into the simplistic
mind-set of "them," pushing aside your logic and rationality in an
effort to better grasp issues important to "minorities."
We, the "minority community," would like to thank you, Alex
Balekian, for making us see the errors of our ways, for explicitly
illustrating to us that racism no longer exists and finally, for
being the only person smart enough to figure out that the "minority
community" is to blame for all its own problems.
Humberto Iglesias
Fourth-Year
Psychology
There’s a time for everything
I hope Ms. Fox-Davis keeps her "perestroika" to North Campus
("Arrangement of power in classroom causes learning difficulties,"
Oct. 3). My experience has been that most of my professors (who
were largely on South Campus) had an incredible amount of
information to impart and elucidate in only 30 or 40 hours of
instruction. I would not be happy to see them share that time with
students who wished to speak. I do not care to hear what students
know during the lecture nor to listen to them "criticize the way
the instructor has organized the knowledge students will
receive."
I do not claim all my instructors were perfect, or even good;
but lecture hours are not the appropriate setting for criticism.
That is what end-of-semester evaluations (and word-of-mouth) are
for.
Michael Helperin
1987 alumnus
Equality, peace are all we ask for
It’s no wonder why the Voice of Citizens Together (VCT) ("U.S.
bilingual education hastens mexican conquest of Southwest,"
Registration Issue 1997) is considered an offspring of the Neo
Nazis. The VCT is nothing but another right-wing group trying to
portray itself as an average citizen’s group. Your blatantly
anti-Hispanic ideas are what tear this country apart.
The last time I checked, this country was a republic with
democratic principles. This land you so dearly call home was stolen
from Mexico. We don’t want to reconquer anything. We just want to
live in peace and have the same rights and privileges guaranteed
under the constitution that your immigrant ancestors received when
they crossed the ocean to get here. And they were not all legal
either.
You can go to any major city and find enclaves of ethnic
Italians, Germans, etc. … speaking their language and following
their traditions. I see you don’t mention any other ethnic group
besides Hispanics when it comes to the issue of dual citizenship.
Your true colors are showing! Hispanics have been and always will
be a part of the Southwest; it is our homeland, and it is in our
blood.
Mark A. Lizcano
1996 alumnus
Cal State Sacramento
Columnist speaks for the freaks
I was just writing to let you know I was very pleased with
Vanessa VanderZanden’s article ("Let’s make our campus safe from
undesirables," Oct. 6) on conformity. The point of view she mocks
is very much real. The conformists described are the same people
who look down on the "community college element" for being
different and for promoting an alternate point of view. Community
College Rage salutes VanderZanden for taking a stand against "the
oppressors" and supporting the "undesirable freaks," many of which
are transfer students, and for doing it in an amusing and
entertaining manner. Viva la revolucion!
Seth Roma
Chairman and co-founder
Community College Rage