LETTER: Sensible Women

There are so many things screwed up in Bill Madison's column "Willis and Arnold Don't Live Here" (DP 3/3/92) that I can't possibly address them all in one letter. Assuming that the sorority women's experiences with blacks have been limited to the "salutation of a domestic" is not just an insult to these women, but also to the black community. Even assuming that the women come from families wealthy enough to have a domestic, assuming that those families are not at all acquainted with any blacks who are higher in society than a domestic, is ridiculous. Such an assumption insults the extensive achievements of blacks all over this country. As to the motives of the women -- what does being cautious about walking home at night have to do with volunteering in West Philadelphia? Why gamble with your life? I think that it just proves that they are responsible people. They have the sense to acknowledge that things aren't perfect and are willing to spend time in activities designed to help ameliorate the problems. Madison says that he has "argued with people who don't see the rationale behind affirmative action" and then says that those people "are willing to drag some black child down the Walk." This implies that those women are among those whom Madison has argued with, which I sincerely doubt is the case. He has passed judgment on them with no knowledge of their attitudes and beliefs about volunteering. Comparing those children to animals in a petting zoo is disgusting and nothing more need be said on that topic. CARLA MAYO College '92