Editor:
I was appalled at the hidden messages sent by Jason Fierstein in his article "Memories of wacky road trip," Sept. 7. In his article he attacked a student in a very powerful and extremely emotional way. Not only was this individual a student, she was also a well-respected woman in our community. Mr. Fierstein attacked this individual , "who shall still remain nameless," in a very ignorant manner. He discusses this individual's "trite egocentricities and bombing ethnic jokes" and even makes reference to parts of her body. He even goes as far as to attack this individual, stating he had the "urge to bludgeon the girl with a blunt object." Mr. Fierstein does not feel as though the university has gotten a big enough laugh at the expense of this student's reputation and emotional well-being so he ends his article with another blow. He concludes with, "We dropped of 'Satana' at her house ... and knew that we'd have a blast reminiscing about her ass ..." Mr. Fierstein needs to be aware of the power and effects of his insensitive and unsympathetic comments. The Wildcat has a history of representing and/or creating an image of an individual, who shall remain nameless of course. I, myself, was falsely represented by the Wildcat in 1993 and was never approached or contacted to make a statement. On a university campus we all know it is easy to find out who the nameless individual is. Therefore, the Wildcat has a responsibility to make sure that the information that they publish about an individual has been verified and is correct.
This article was strong enough to stand alone without the destruction of a student and her character. There was no need to endorse such ignorance.
Mr. Fierstein, I suggest you go and research the struggles and triumphs of women in the United States. Women have come a long way and will continue to do so. Maybe you should voluntarily give up your insecurities and ignorance and learn from us! However, that is just a suggestion coming from another woman, which is probably not as interesting as reminiscing about my ass.
Wildcat, I strongly recommend that you reevaluate what your role at the university is. I suggest that in the future you concentrate on unifying and informing the student body rather than insulting it with such ignorance.
Kirsten Ingebretsen
College Advisory Council Representative
Undergraduate Senator