Editor:

To Mr. Cecil Smart Jr.:

In your piece (letter to the editor, April 8) you stated, "If a spekaer continuously uses these words to differentiate people who are on the same plane, it says something about the way that person thinks." Yes, I agree with you. I can see that you are as misguided in your interpretation of "white America" as that little boy in the bank is about requirements for basketball players. There are people of every race, ethnicity, gender and socio-economic class that have misconceptions about others. Sometimes, I am seen as stupid because I am blonde. Sometimes, I can sense that established men in the business world don't take my ideas or opinions seriously because they are coming from a 19-year-old female. And sometimes, because I am "of no color," I am lumped into the vague and derogatory class of "white America."

Please don't complicate and add to the situation by assuming that all individuals that make up a trait-defined group think, act and feel one way. By doing this, in effect, you are just as racist and narrow-minded as those you refer to as "white America." Realize that there are problems with human perceptions and work to reduce these stereotypes that anyone is potentially capable of fostering.

Kirsten Muetzel

Accounting and Finance Sophomore Read Next Article