The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 10, 1991, Page 3, Image 3
Hate
University engulfed in new wave
of intolerance, harsh criticism
Over the past few weeks, The Gamecock has run many, many
letters on animal research and homosexual rights. Some of these
letters are well written and constructive; some are not. It is no
secret that the readership is getting annoyed.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion; that is what the Let
ters to the Editor are all about. Unfortunately, some people's letters
do not illuminate, but only insult. It is easy to use words like
"stupid" and "ignorant" to describe another's opinion. Calling
someone a "bigot" or a "racist" is just as simple, but doesn't accomplish
anything.
The United States, and especially an institute of higher learning
like USC, should encourage intelligent, reasonable debate on all
issues facing the country. It is pretty hard, however, to categorically
argue that something as subjective as one's lifestyle is
wrong. No one has a monopoly on truth, as much as we would
like to think otherwise.
It is too bad that we don't have more balanced commentary, but
as stated in a previous column, the Viewpoint Editor has little
choice in what letters run. Some readers are sick of the seemingly
endless debate on the merits of homosexuality; they are not alone.
However, don't blame the messenger for the message. We just
work here.
The only wav the content of the Letters section will chanee for
the better is if the students decide to change it. Not to sound
preachy, but that is the way it works. If this editorial makes people
mad, that is all for the better. Write us and tell us how bad we are.
We value reader comments, believe it or not.
"TERRIBLE ABOUT ALL THAT FUEL
BEIN6 BURNEp JN KUWAIT * ^
IGAMECOCKJ
News: 777-7726 Advertising: 777-4249
Kathy Blackwell robyn Thompson
Editor in Chief Managing Editor
Chris Silvestri David Bowden
Copy Desk Chief Viewpoint Editor
Lucy Soto Kathy Heberger
News Editor Carolina Life Editor
Steve Johnson Renee Meyer
Sports Editor Photography Editor
Aaron Sheinin Tige Watts
Assistant News Editor Assistant News Editor
Octavia Wright Patrick Villegas
Assistant Carolina Life Editor Assistant Sports Editor
jennifer jablonski julie bouchillon
Assistant Copy Desk Chief Assistant Photography Editor
Eric Glenn Wayne Williams
Darkroom Lab Technician Comics Editor
Ed Bonza Erik Collins
Director of Student Media Faculty Adviser
Laura S. Day Ray Burgos
Production Manager Assistant Production Manager
renee Gibson Kyle Berry
Advertising Manager Assistant Advertising Manager
Carolyn Griffin
Business Manager
Letters Policy: The Gamecock will try to print all letters received. Letters should
be, at maximum, 250 to 300 words long. The writer must include full name, professional
title if a USC employee or South Carolina resident, or year and major if
a student. An address and phone number are required with all letters sent. The
Gamecock reserves the right to edit letters for style, possible libel or in case of
space limitations. The newspaper will not withhold names under any
circumstance.
I
Christians si
A couple of days ago, when I was swai
by a whale, I started thinking about the Bi
I started thinking about all of the mi
redundancies and vague quotes. And
started to think about how people man;
the "good book" to back up their argumen
Unless you've been living on Pluto or ]
tKn Dor! C an frvr tKa rvoot HirA moolrc Ol/i
UIV/ i\SAl JUl 1UI U1V pool IWU W\A/IWO, W
has seen the great homophobic wave
use.
Since Gay Awareness Week, letters cc
ing the gay society have flooded The 1
cock. I was not really sure what the big c
was over so I asked my favorite rel
buddy, Hip O. Crite, a few of questions.
"Let's get to the point, Hip. Why don
gious people accept gay people for wh
are?" I asked.
"Because God doesn't want people to
way. He preaches against homosexuality
Bible," Crite said.
"Well, what about the Bible. Wasn't il
so scholars that rewrote the Bible foi
James?" I asked.
"Yes, he (King James) wanted to c
with the good book, Cnte replied.
"Didn't James issue the production
Bible because he was required to have a <
he was to be the head of the Church," I ai
"Yes."
"Well then, wouldn't James also have <
of who put what in the book and wh
JL/tt# 1 I H/IVo I *
Man must put
humans first S
Th?
To the editor: ^ur
I have a question for every
animal-rights activist out there. It's or
strictly hypothetical. If your house ma
was about to explode, and you *
were running out of time to escape .
the explosion, so that you had to w
make a choice between saving
your dog or saving your baby, 1101
which would you choose? no*
I certainly hope this would not
be a hard choice. I guess I'm just 1101
trying to find out where your SPC
priorities are. It seems to me that str
many of you seem to insist human
lives are no more valuable than a 0U1
dog's. For that matter, it seems to ^
me that you believe all animal life
carries the equal value of human on<
lives. wh
I would also like to bring up
another point. You people might y01
not realize this, but if it were physically
possible and it was important
to their survival, any one of wj
these animals you are defending \'
would eat you. That's just nature's
way. All the various life forms on V|
this planet live off one another.
Even photosynthetic and che- To
mosynthetic organisms in some /
way rely on heterotrophic organ- sm(
isms. Maybe I'm just trying to tell daii
you animals use each other, and Aai
we are only animals. (3-(
Why don't you people stand up abo
for plant rights? Are these not liv- i
ing things as well? Have you ever disj
eaten a carrot? It was a growing, the
living thing, digging its roots into woi
the soil an<T spreading its leaves wri
toward the sky. Then someone leai
came along, yanked it out of the of t
earth, chopped off its leaves and 1
subjected it to any means of dis- mai
memberment and disfigurement, dig
including its being chopped into hig!
pieces and boiled, possibly even woi
while its cells yet lived. Who will you
stop this senseless plant slaughter? fou
As far as animal rights go, I sin]
think people shouldn't kick their stir
1/\11
1UUIUII I 1 I
llowed
ible.
racles, TIGE
then I
ipulate
its.
carting
eryone put," I asked,
engulf "I guess so."
"So, therefore, could
ndern- preaching against homos
Game- "No, not at all."
lispute "Why?"
igious "Just because that's tl
Crite said.
't reli- That's the way God
o they that reason, please.
Does God really wan
be that responsibility of judging
in the sexual preference? What
ture that says only God
t 47 or cast their fate?
' King What's happened is t
people on this campus
:onsult people casting opinions
jamming their beliefs
of the throat even though thei
copy if preaches against casting
sked. We have a pack of hy
here.
control Just like the sign tha
at they you," I'm saying I don'
3 THE EDITC
s around. In other words, if
1're going to own an animal,
1 should treat it well. Research
mals, however, are not pets,
ey are a means for furthering
nan knowledge. Many of them
uld not even exist if it were not
mankind (or womankind or hunkind
or whatever you prefer),
rike the carrot, they were
med for human use. When a
d animal is used for research,
must be sure the wild populan,
and the overall ecology, is
threatened by its removal from
environment We certainly do
have the right to wipe another
:cies off the planet and in deoying
the environment we
mid of course be destroying
selves.
t suppose I've tiraded enough,
?ugh I could go on. I just hope
z person out there understood
iat I was trying to say. If you
thered with reading this, I thank
11. s
Sam Johnson
Biology sophomore
Writer abuses
is freedoms
the editor:
is a senior citizen and part-time
lent on campus, I read with dis_
.1 f "?I:. m i
n uie piuiane cununai oy
on Sheinin in The Gamecock
5-91) referring to his feelings
ut James Holderman.
Tie childish antics proposed, the
justing choice of words, shows
immaturity of the writer. I
iild suggest that as an editorial
ter by now he would have
Tied what the words "Freedom
he Press" mean.
Tiis so-called "freedom" deads
responsibility, lawfulness,
nity, the right to inspire to
her aims ? not throwing nasty
rds, crude adjectives (where is
it vocabulary as a writer?) and
1 feelings. One does not have to
Ic in the mud-holes in order to
up and bring truth out.
ely on dubi
belief.
lI/.TTO if you li
WATTS business. B
people live
The Bib
list of hyp
sense peop
to writft mf
Let me j
In't it be King James claims Go
exuality," I asked. cleanses us
days and 41
If he's s
le way God wanted it," hell did he
cept for N<
wanted it. Remember power.
I guess b
t people to assume the Gee, thai
; people based on their People,
; happened to the scrip- God did no
can judge people and under the f
ish version.
hat we have a pack of went in it.
playing God. We have Therefor
about people and then Bible, then
down everyone else's defined by
r sole source of belief Believe
judgments. longer part
pocrites going to school swallowed
If people
it says, "We don't like King James
t like your hypocritical don't have i
)R
How much more mature he
would have appeared if he had
been able to express the despair of
the situation in a rational way
rather than becoming so sordid in
his choice of words.
My taxes help pay for this paper
indirectly, and I, for one, am offended
that the newspaper staff
and faculty cannot appreciate and
use wisely this newspaper to uplift.
What was gained by all the tirade
of objectionable statements? Has
journalism changed that much thru
(sic) the years?
I want to read good newspaper
articles and editorials which inspire
one to correct mistakes ?
not just destroy.
Francese Larsen
USC student
Biblical quotes
are subjective
To the editor:
Like many passages of the
Bible, Jon Noetzel's letter contradicts
itself. I believe the Bible contradicts
itself to show there are
many ways to view a single issue,
and each of them can be right It is
then up to our judgment to choose
how we will decide among our op
tions after we have seen all we are
able to see of the issue.
For instance, the story in which
Jesus prevents the stoning of an
adulterous woman by saying, "Let
he who is without sin cast the first
stone," clearly contradicts the
Lord's commandment "Thou shall
not commit adultery." Just as Jon
Noetzel claims to be in judgment
of the act, not the individual, so
did those men claim to be in judgment
of adultery, not the adulterer.
But Christ would not permit
them this trespass upon the right of
judgment, which God alone possesses.
It simply did not matter
what aspect of the situation the
men felt that they could justifiably
condemn or condone ? thev could
ilmlr*
ous book
I
ve your life by the Bible, that's your
lut when you start insisting that other
by your beliefs, that's hypocrisy,
le has become nothing more than a
?ocrisy and contradiction. Uh, oh, I
ie rustling around getting their pens
j hate mail.
ustify the last statement Christianity
a as a Kina ana genue Deing who
; of our sins. Now, remember the 40
3 nights of rain?
K) kind and gentle, then why in the;
flood the earth and kill everyone ex-'
?ah because they did not respect his
iecause that's the way God wanted it.
;'s so kind of him.
the Bible is not authoritative rule. ;
it write the Bible. Forty-seven people
ire of an angry king wrote the EnglHe
had complete control over what
e, if you insist people live by the
you're insisting people live the path
a 17th century king,
it or not, times change. People no ;
the Red Sea nor live after being
by a whale.
> want to be gay, let them. But for
:' sake, don't crucify them when you
the authority to do so.
.
" ' 1 ;?
not, for they were each guilty of \
some type of sin. In the eyes of ^
God, a sin is a sin, and the idea of >
a "degree" of sin is not valid.
Therefore, the liar is as much a :
sinner as the murderer. So, unless
Jon Noetzel is completely free of
sin, he is violating Christ's example
when he judges the ho- ^
mosexual individual or even the 0
act of homosexuality (or any other
Kn tvircAnol Ixr c?1\ V"-,
uvi iiv |A/ijv/iicixij fuimuud dimuiy.
It is worth mentioning that the
term "homosexual" came into existence
long after the Bible was
transcribed.
Therefore, since my Bible does
not contain that word, I see only
two explanations for how Jon
Noetzel managed to find quotes !
with this word in them: a) his
Bible differs from mine ? proving !
the Bible may be interpreted differently
and voiding his sarcastic
plea with Shane Miller to spare V
him Shane's commonly held opinion
on that, or b) he knowingly >
misquoted the Bible ? i.e., he said '
the Bible stated something which it
j* J - ? ? -
aiu noi, wnicn constitutes an outright
lie, making him a sinner and ^
unjustified in judging anyone or
their "sin."
v
%
Which is not to say that if Jon ;
considers homosexuality sinful, he >
should flee from it For, 'if he feels it
sinful, it is his right for him to
turn away from engaging in that ?
behavior. But, if he must turn >
away from it, he should do so peacefully,
passing no judgment (and
it is judgment to call the ac- .*
ceptance of homosexuality a ?
"looseness of morality").
I will leave you with a quote 'j
from Noetzel, "Let's be reasonable >
about this. Most homosexuals are
happy where they are and wouldn't *
change." Maybe it sounds harsh to
you, Mr. Noetzel, but being a true
Christian is certainly no easy calling.
Jess Stahl
Premed/psychology major