LETTERS: Punishment for Sled's killers

To the Editor: I will not now attempt to discuss the many and subtle issues of the capital punishment debate. I write in response to Mamoun's argument, and indeed to any argument or philosophical system that presumes to judge the "quality" of other human beings. After Mamoun refers to the perpetrators of the horrific attack as "scum and garbage," he goes on to mention that these men "probably did not count Ph.D.-holders or even high school graduates among their numbers." He repeatedly praises "the educated members of American society," implying that education endows individuals such as Sled with "greater value as a human being." Mamoun exploits readers' feelings of shock and rage at Sled's death to perpetrate a hateful, smug and self-centered attack on more than half the human race. In doing so, Mamoun mocks Sled's memory, using Sled's brutal slaying to spread his own bigotry. I cannot, in this space, begin to explain all that is tragically wrong with Mamoun's attack upon the uneducated. It will be sufficient if we take this moment to remember the horrors that have occurred in history as a result of theories about the respective superiority and inferiority of various groups within human society. Daniel Pitt Stoller College '99 u To the Editor: I was astounded to read John Mamoun's sophomoric opinion regarding the punishment of Vladimir Sled's murderers ("Execute Sled's murderers," DP, 11/14/96). His idea of accounting for the criminal's and the victim's relative value to society when meting out penalties strikes me as representative of a fundamental ignorance of justice. Furthermore, Mamoun's notion that such value should be measured on the basis of the educational degree one possesses sounds dangerously similar to the rantings of too many lunatics in the history of humankind. Who is this kid to claim to understand enough about truth, equity, law, sociology, America, constitutionality? To be able to judge the "disparity in personal value between victim and slayers?" Who is any person to decide such a thing? As far as I understand, the personification of justice is blindfolded. Obviously, this sophomore's education hasn't yet taught him much beyond how to write ill-informed tirades. Has this education then increased his "aggregate value" to society? Should we now feel less inclined to execute him? Amishi Joshi Geology Graduate Student u To the Editor: We were shocked, like the rest of the Penn community, by Vladimir Sled's murder. His death was a tragedy, and those who killed him must be held accountable. John Mamoun's guest column ("Execute Sled's murderers," DP, 11/14/96) can be understood as an angry reaction to this senseless event, but it presented some deeply disturbing ideas that must be challenged. Mamoun suggested that some people have greater "value" to society, and that one's so-called "value" should determine punishment for a crime. He recommends a "hasty state execution" for Sled's killers to "make up the disparity in personal value between victim and slayers." Suppose we adopted Mamoun's ideas. How would we define the social utility of a person, and who would have the final say when we disagreed? Mamoun wasn't so sure what to do when one "high quality" person kills another "high quality" person, and we ask what should happen when a "high quality" person kills a "low quality" person. By his logic, it would be open season on those seen as not contributing much to society. Ideas about difference in "value" were used to justify slavery, the Holocaust and Communist persecution. At its best, the American tradition emphasizes the rights of the individual, and states in the Declaration of Independence that all are created equal. Regardless of social position, before the law we are the same. Mamoun also arrogantly asserted that "only the educated members of American society ? are capable of solving pressing societal problems." Although education and science do often provide useful tools, they do not guarantee concern for others or effective solutions. Highly educated people have embezzled millions of dollars, developed the atomic bomb and run concentration camps. And many people without much formal education have been significant parts of creative solutions and have often had to call the educated to account for their involvement in societal problems. Eric Widmer Sociology Post-Doctoral Fellow Scott Stoner-Eby Graduate Student Demography and Sociology Better race relations To the Editor: I read with interest your series "A house of a different color" (DP, 11/11/96 and 11/12/96). I have been at the University since 1954, and I have served on numerous committees concerned with minority admissions (including the Admsissions Comnittee), African American studies, overseas African programs, etc. I have seen a gradual improvement in the recruitment and admission of African American students -- improvement that required continuous prodding from faculty, students and the community. Simultaneously, there has been almost no progress attracting African American graduate students, not much more in overall admissions to professional schools and equally little progress in adding African American faculty. In essence, and in no way unique, Penn remains a segregated white citadel. Whether History Professor Alan Kors likes it or not, when a black student arrives at Penn, he or she has to deal not only with the general culture shock of being a freshman (or woman) but also that of being an African American in a deep sea of mostly racist white students. Whether superficially friendly or not, these students are not the equivalent of brothers and sisters such as any newcomer seeks to feel confortable, wanted and at home. The very existence of W.E.B. DuBois House is a beacon of this extended family, offering care, compassion, support and concrete evidence that there is a place for African Americans at Penn. It is unbelievable naivete to suggest that African American students will find acceptance and real bonds of friendship simply by trying to blend into a mass of indifferent, often hostile white students. The student scene is in many ways no different than that encountered by black faculty, particularly young faculty. They are lonely and excluded, relieved only by support role of family in the form of their own organizations, developed for many of the same reasons as DuBois. Robert Rutman Emeritus Professor Biochemistry/Molecular Biology u To the Editor: It is always disturbing for me to read about the faults of students of color, as perceived by know-all DP columnists. The most recent was Lee Bailey's "How to foster racial harmony" (DP, 11/15/96). Bailey insists Penn is a mirror of "Spike Lee's ridiculous Higher Learning," a film directed by John Singleton, by the way. What makes Bailey such an expert on racial harmony? What gives him the right to tell me, as a student at Penn and as a student of color, how to live my life and who I should live with while here? I do live in High Rise South, not "High Rise South Korea," as Bailey contends -- because I chose to live here, because I get along well with my roommates. Is there something wrong because we are all Korean? What if I were a white fraternity brother living on the Walk with mostly white males? Would there be fault with this? I certainly don't think so, and I don't think Bailey has the right to tell anyone there is. If Bailey wants to learn more about other cultures, he is more than free to live in one of the programs geared toward cultural education or take an ethnic studies course. But he has absolutely no right to try to make me feel bad because I am a student of color and don't hang out with the "mainstream" population. I refuse to apologize for living with Korean roommates and attending a Korean church. I respect other people on campus, regardless of race, as long as they respect me. Bailey contends randomized housing is the answer. I have to sound a strong no to this. Students of color definitely face common issues, but that doesn't mean every freshman of color should have to educate and explain them to his or her hallmates, who might not even want to hear. If students are really sincere about racial harmony, they can and will make efforts. The Greenfield Intercultural Center, African American Resource Center, Programs for Awareness in Cultural Education and numerous ethnic studies courses exist to help in these efforts. I wonder when Bailey last took advantage of these resources? And we wonder why there isn't racial harmony at Penn. Susie Lee, Chairperson United Minorities Council College '97