2008 Woodie Awards
Letter to the editor 2
Issue date: 3/5/08 Section: Opinion
In response to the "College Rules" comic strip in the March 3rd edition of the Western Courier, I feel that Ryan Budds is using prejudice and discrimination as a means of humor. His comic strip portrays a person being turned down an application at Old Navy because he is straight. He is implying that gay people tend to shop and work at Old Navy, and also that the company would discriminate towards someone who did not fit this lifestyle.
In comparison, would the same comic strip end up in the paper if there was a Hispanic person working at Taco Bell and a Caucasian person asked for an application and was turned down? Additionally, what if the comic strip portrayed a Jewish person turning down a Christian person at a law firm? All of these comparisons I personally find as offensive as the original one that was printed in the paper. Even though these examples deal with race and ethnicity, sexual orientation is just as important when it comes to protecting a person's rights. Stereotypes are never good for any race, gender, ethnicity, or sexual preference.
The problem lies in associating a minority to a specific brand that is used by everyone. I recall last week a letter to the editor that was written because of an e-mail sent out by an organization on campus that discriminated against French people. I also remember a different organization's flier displayed last semester using a racially charged image which was greatly offensive to many students. I feel the school's organizations, including the Western Courier, need to do a better job of stopping prejudice against minorities on campus, especially in campus wide communications.
-Bryan Thorsen
In comparison, would the same comic strip end up in the paper if there was a Hispanic person working at Taco Bell and a Caucasian person asked for an application and was turned down? Additionally, what if the comic strip portrayed a Jewish person turning down a Christian person at a law firm? All of these comparisons I personally find as offensive as the original one that was printed in the paper. Even though these examples deal with race and ethnicity, sexual orientation is just as important when it comes to protecting a person's rights. Stereotypes are never good for any race, gender, ethnicity, or sexual preference.
The problem lies in associating a minority to a specific brand that is used by everyone. I recall last week a letter to the editor that was written because of an e-mail sent out by an organization on campus that discriminated against French people. I also remember a different organization's flier displayed last semester using a racially charged image which was greatly offensive to many students. I feel the school's organizations, including the Western Courier, need to do a better job of stopping prejudice against minorities on campus, especially in campus wide communications.
-Bryan Thorsen
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