Letter to the editor: We must be sensitive to differences
Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: Letters to the Editor
I agree very much with a recent article entitled "Skeptics find accepting forum at UMD." I think it is great that our university allows so many diverse groups, such as atheists, agnostics and theists, and everything else. In the article I am referring to, it was stated that many posters for the skeptics group were torn down. It was not noted in the article last week that these posters showed the classic evolutionary depiction of apes evolving slowly into men. These posters were different in what they showed at the end stage. Usually the final stage depicts a human, but in its place was a new stage consisting of an ape with a necklace hanging from his mouth that had a cross attached to it.
Ripping down any posters around school is something I've never done and don't condone because of the great blessing of freedom of speech we have. When I first saw this poster described above, I was not deeply offended, even though I'm a Christian. Days later though, I saw the same poster-or half of what remained of it in the same spot-apparently someone was offended. My mother told me I was insensitive for speaking to people the way I did. I never understood it because I never thought I'd be offended if someone said to me what I said to others.
I now understand people are different, and it's important to be sensitive to each person's feelings and different levels of sensitivity. It's great to put up signs inviting others to join groups, but I feel that there's no reason that one should put anything that might offend another for their religious beliefs. Depicting a religious group as stupid or less than human (an ape) for their religious beliefs is intolerant and divisive for people.
Jim Kunz
Education/Human Services
kunzx037@d.umn.edu
Ripping down any posters around school is something I've never done and don't condone because of the great blessing of freedom of speech we have. When I first saw this poster described above, I was not deeply offended, even though I'm a Christian. Days later though, I saw the same poster-or half of what remained of it in the same spot-apparently someone was offended. My mother told me I was insensitive for speaking to people the way I did. I never understood it because I never thought I'd be offended if someone said to me what I said to others.
I now understand people are different, and it's important to be sensitive to each person's feelings and different levels of sensitivity. It's great to put up signs inviting others to join groups, but I feel that there's no reason that one should put anything that might offend another for their religious beliefs. Depicting a religious group as stupid or less than human (an ape) for their religious beliefs is intolerant and divisive for people.
Jim Kunz
Education/Human Services
kunzx037@d.umn.edu
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