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'(Che (gamecock Letters Discrimination isn’t right in any situation To the Editor, All mankind is created equal, and no man has the right to try to take away or deny anyone the rights they have been bom with. The BGLA is heading an overdue movement to have sexual orientaion added to the university’s anti-discrimination clause. In Wednesday’s edition of The Gamecocll, Hamp Nettles tries to defend discrimination against bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgendered students. There is a difference between saying that everyone has a right to their own opinion and saying that everyone has a right to discriminate against those who are different. I personally believe in sexual orientation, not sexual preference, but either way, no one has the right to say it is OK to discriminate against others without being punished. I happen to be African American and believe that this is no different that people trying to deny civil rights to African-Americans over the years. I am disgusted by the the injustices that oc cured a mere 35-40 years ago that forced my mother and grandmother to march in order for me to have the rights I have today. Ignorance and hatred has not changed in the past 40 years. All it has done is found a whole new set of players. To continue with the comments about “sexual preferences” being free game for discrimination: even if it was a preference, so is religion, and we protect that in our anti-discrimination clause. Kenneth Morphy II Second-year student College of Liberal Arts Greeks shouldn’t stereotype, either To the Editor, There are a few things in the air that are more offensive than the smell of high school. While there are those who lump Greeks in to one category, the majority of us do not. Not all Greeks lack the charisma and strength of character necessary to make and keep friends without buying them. Not all are so devoid of individual thought that they fall into lock step with the rest of their economic community. But even among the Greeks, we have found an open mind or two and befriended them for free. Yes, I wear long hair. Yes, some of my friends choose to spike and color their hair. We do it in protest of being handed a meal ticket by society. Wfe remove ourselves from it so that we know what we have is ours alone. We also remove ourselves from it so that we owe neither our success nor allegiance to anyone or any group. It’s our efforts, and not the privlege stemming from club membership, that bolster our success. It is not members of Greek Life who we dislike, but those who perpetuate the myths of social stratification based on birth and privilege of money. In this nation, we pull our blue-haired asses up through hard work. Those who buy into it are pollutants. Those who believe it are polluted. Eric Wolf Third-year student College of liberal Arts Greek members care about others To the Editor, The Greek community at USC is one of the most ethnocentrically, socioeconomically, ideologically, intellectually, racially and religiously diverse groups on campus, yet despite this, it is also one of the most unified bodies on campus. To accuse an entire group of people of being shallow is a weak allegation at best, and perhaps you should consider that in ' doing so, your ignorance has beerr-made painfully obvious to everyone at the school, Greek or non-Greek. Mr. Hill, bigotry like yours is prejudice of the worst kind because it couples a little bit of information with a lot of subjective speculation. If I were to go along with your line of reasoning, I would have to believe that every person who is a friend to you or involved in any club to which you belong is just as ignorant as you. I do not knoVv you, and I will not presume to know, as some letters have done, what kind of clothes you wear, how you style your hair or what feelings of social ineptitude you might harbor. I can only speak for myself and countless other members of Greek Life who care about others and who are enrolled at this school to leam something about life, and hopefully, make the world a little better for the experiences and knowledge that we have procured from our time here. As for your closing remarks about prostitution and feminine wiles employed by sorority women, let me offer you a few words of my own. I have never used my breasts as a grade-enhancer, and I have never been mistaken for a prostitute or propositioned on the street because I was wearing Greek letters on any part of my body. Jessica Tzernun Second-year student College of Liberal Aits Kappa Delta sorority member Greek girl hypocritical To the Editor, I love the way Dana Shannon used insults and stereotypes about those “freaks” who “hang out in that open area by the GMP taking up too much of our space” in her letter to the editor on Wednesday. I thought the whole point of her letter was to say that fraternity and sorority stereotypes were ridiculous, but apparently other stereotypes are acceptable. Her letter was a perfect example of the very type of sentiment she was arguing against. So in reply to her letter, I just want to say thank you to yet another USC student who has taken the time to lash out at Mr. Eddie Hill with a slew of insults of her own. Denise Strickland Second-year student College of Science and Mathematics Gamecock shouldn’t print offensive letter To the Editor, It is unbelievable that The Gamecock, self-titled the “Student Newspaper of the University of South Carolina,” would print a letter like the one Eddie Hill wrote about Greeks on Monday. By printing this letter, The Gamecock’s editorial staff showed its lack of judgment and professionalism. The letter was distasteful and disrespectful — and added nothing to the editorial content of the newspaper. While 1 understand The Gamecock’s position of printing everyone’s opinions, I don’t think that this letter would have been printed about any other group on campus. The opinions expressed were obviously unfounded and stereotypical — even the snobbiest sorority girl wouldn’t be caught dead saying “I’m so happy I’m rich.” I think The Gamecock should exercise better judgement when deciding which letters to print and choose letters that have some benefit to the campus, rather than further proving their stupidity. Crist Goodwin Third-year student College of Journalism and Mass Communications Letter is straw that breaks Greek’s back To the Editor, I have sat back for my college years and let uninformed students bash Greek Life. Now that the ultimate anti-Greek, Eddie Hill, has insulted my sorority and my figure, I decided enough was enough. Most of my friends know that sometimes I myself make fun of sorority-girl and fraternity-boy stereotypes. Sure, all the black pants and silver jewelry at a fraternity party would be enough to start another shopping mall, but you have to be able to make fun of yourself a little bit, right? The point of being in a sorority or fraternity is not to stand around and talk about how pretty and rich one is. Students go Greek for different reasons. Students rush to meet people, to have fun, to build their resume or because their mom or dad recommended it. Is that much different from club sports or an honor society or Student Government? Absolutely not. As for all sorority girls having tiny breasts, begging for grades and talking about our beauty and money all the time — ha! That is where Eddie needs to actually meet a Greek. I do not ever recall using my mosquito bites to increase my GPA. And I have been late on dues many times. I am forever calling my sorority treasurer with money problems. However, I have never considered it paying for friends. While sororities and fraternities are sources of sisterhood and brotherhood, they are also businesses. Just as with anything else, functions, equipment, and supplies do not grow on trees. Millions of people pay dues, not just Greeks, but union members, PTA members, all professional and honor societies and even the Girl Scouts. Leigh-Anne Travels Fourth-year student Daria Moore School of Business Hill should mind his own business To the Editor, I read Eddie Hill’s letter to the editor entitled “All Greeks Suck” on Monday. It left me literally speechless. I didn’t realize that a person could have so much pent-up rage toward a harmless campus organization such as Greek Life. Yes, I am in a fraternity, so I guess I’m slightly biased, but I just don’t realize what’s so bad about the offenses cited by this Eddie Hill character. He speaks of his hatred at standing in line around Greeks because he hates having to listen to “the most absurd conversations ever.” When I myself find myself standing in line behind someone having an “absurd conversation,” I try my best to mind my own business and not eavesdrop. Mr. Hill, however, has to calm the impulse to “kick the stupid fiat bastard right in the head.” Maybe I’m wrong here, but other peoples’ conversations around me that have nothing to do with me, as a general rule, don’t make me want to resort to violence based sheerly on the participants’ extracurricular activities. Mr. Hill goes on to cite how much he hates watching sorority girls “butter up” to professors by thrusting their “mosquito-bite titties” in their faces to increase their GPAs, which he has cleverly coined, “Grinding Professor Averages.” I’ve found that all of my professors are more than willing to discuss my performance in class with me, but if one of them appeared to be spending more one-on-one time with another student, I don’t think I’d resort to insulting their physical features. Unfortunately, we can’t all be as attractive as I’m sure you are, Eddie. Kevin Dulaney First-year student College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management Greek lowers herself to Hill’s standard To the Editor, This letter is in response to Dana Shannon’s letter on Valentine’s Day. I missed Eddie Hill’s letter, but appently it was an attack on Greek Life. While Eddie Hill’s remarks were probably uncalled for and fed on stereotypes, Shannon’s letter does e the same thing. When Shannon assumes Hill is “one of those freaks with multi colored spiked hair, baggy pants, and one of those silver chains that dangle from your pants,” she is lowering herself to Hill’s level. I’m not one of those kids that “hang out in that open space by the the GMP,” but I am open-minded enough to where I would never judge those people without knowing them. Actually, I do know some of those “freaks,” and they’re nice, intelligent and open-minded. Please recognize your own flaws in stereotyping before you point out the same flaw in Eddie Hill. 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