“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” This quote by Mahatma Gandhi is pretty self explanatory: practice what you preach.

In reference to the letter to the editor by Mike James, before you criticize one for being a racist or ignorant, take a look at your own actions. I looked up your Facebook profile and found it littered with the very language you criticize. Using racial slurs like “nigga” are not only disrespectful to the people who fought against that, it makes you look more ignorant than the person you wrote your letter to the editor about. How would Rosa Parks feel about that?

In regards to your “there’s no ‘if’, you just said it” argument, there IS an ‘if.’ This makes it a hypothetical situation as you stated. An educated person should be able to recognize this situation as an extreme example towards the argument at hand: that stereotypes are ignorant. Had the sentence been, “I told him that I think all black people are worthless piles of crap who do nothing but commit crime,” you would have been justified in your argument.

As for writing professionally, next time you want to seem credible in your letter to the editor, don’t include a personal ad. Being educated, intelligent, tall, dark and handsome has nothing to do with your argument.

Moving on to Vivian Obasi’s letter to the editor. She has a false analogies argument, in which she states that racism has nothing to do with making fun of where someone grew up. This can be answered in one sentence: “We don’t tolerate racism, so why is OK to make fun of South Dakotans?” Here is where the previous examples in the article tie in. It’s not about race, as most people have viewed it. Rather, it is about prejudice. In case you don’t know, prejudice is the unjustified bias against someone based on his or her race, culture or region.

As for the editors of the Collegian, apparently you hadn’t found the comment derogatory until someone else made a fit about it. If you are going to print a column, you should stand by the author of that article. The words not only reflect on the author, but on your own opinions as the editors. I feel that your spineless actions have not only sided with the Roxy-bashing, but have also made you look as if Roxy is a little kid who cursed and you have to apologize for it because she doesn’t know any better. Why do you feel that you would have to explain the situation when Roxy has already addressed it with a follow up column? By apologizing, you make it appear that you have something to apologize about– which you don’t. If anyone had actually read the article and taken it for the message it was trying to convey, nobody would have any reason to be mad … except for maybe that guy from Seattle.

Dan Rezac Manufacturing Engineering Technology Sophomore