Letters: T-shirt disrespectful, Word on the Street answer inappropriate and more

Sorority T-shirt shows lack of respect

Dear Alpha Omicron Pi,
I’m disappointed. Recently I witnessed the following message on a T-shirt: “Rehab is the new grad school.” It was worn by numerous AOPII members downtown last week. While I not only find the message to be pathetic, it is also disrespectful to those struggling with addiction. I am especially saddened in light of the hazing of Carson Starkey earlier this year that resulted in his tragic death. Alcoholism is a disease and I do not find it humorous. The Cal Poly community deserves an apology for the lack of taste and insensitivity. Didn’t the Greek community learn that alcohol abuse isn’t a joke? As a sorority that “strives to achieve a character of dignity, loyalty, and scholarship,” I fail to see the dignity in mocking a disease.

Sarah Phillips
microbiology senior

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Word on the Street answer inappropriate for publication

Last Thursday’s “Word on the Street” asked who would win the NBA Finals, to which English senior Rocco Brown-Morris replied, “Magic in four because of Kobe Bryant’s legal troubles in Denver.”

Apart from the fact that the argument makes absolutely no sense, it upset me because people who hate the Lakers often refer to Kobe as a rapist, when those charges were dismissed and there was never a substantial enough case brought against him in court. Nonetheless, the idea of Kobe committing rape has not gone away, and is wrongfully sustained by comments like these.

It’s bad enough that people make these remarks, but the Mustang Daily should never have allowed such tasteless garbage to be printed and thereby spread even more. “Word on the Street” is one of the most-read articles in your newspaper; it would be great if it were used to get a sense of Cal Poly students’ opinions on interesting matters, and not to spit on the character of an innocent man.

I was the editor of my high school newspaper, and when I threw in racy things to interest readers, there was nothing I hated more than people getting offended. However, as someone who both cherishes the freedom of speech yet understands the detriment of slander, I feel strongly that the Mustang Daily had a duty to uphold its publication and moral standards. God knows there won’t be a picture of a naked woman in the next issue — I’d like to say the same about undue disparagement.

Jonathan Levy
business sophomore

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Capitalistic’s aren’t society’s humanitarians —society itself is

Over the last year, I have enjoyed reading Jeremy Hick’s articles if for nothing other than an opposing viewpoint. But this week, I was intrigued by Jeremy Hick’s article “Capitalists are society’s true humanitarians.” Given the increasing role humanitarian intervention has been playing in the international arena over the past few decades, and given the current financial crisis that has people reevaluating capitalism within the United States, the topic seemed especially timely and pertinent. The problem I found in reading the article was that Hicks did not extend his argument to its logical conclusion. Thus, I shall attempt to bear the burden of encapsulating the full extent of his argument.

Adam Smith himself noted that capitalism is akin to charity. Point taken. But to say that capitalists provide the factors of production that enable others to seek altruistic ideals is inadequate at best, for those who provide alms to the humanitarians are not just capitalists, but farmers, workers — even the unemployed whom capitalism seems to have left behind yet provide the necessary conditions for low inflation. Even Africa, which is most in need of aid, supported capitalism’s rapid growth during its colonial internment and provided the raw materials that invigorated European economies. Consequently, it does not appear the capitalists who are the true humanitarians, but those most in need of humanitarian aid who are the true humanitarians. I guess I should cross off the Peace Corps as a post-graduate endeavor given the fact that the impoverished already have all the humanitarian tools at their disposal since they are in fact the true humanitarians.

Jeremy Cutcher
political science junior