Letters: Thursday, November 11, 1999

Prejudice is realPrejudice is realTo the Editor: Alex, do you know how lucky you are to never have felt the sting of racism? I grew up in a different era and once believed in everything you do. I just wish my own children will grow up to be spared the pain you have so gracefully avoided. It would be beautiful if our shared Asian heritage was never an issue in any facet of society. I am much older than you and will not pretend to know how your generation of Asian Americans is fairing. After all, we might as well be from different planets. When my folks moved to the Philadelphia region from Hong Kong in 1972, I was nine years old. Bruce Lee was a living legend and B-52 bombers were pounding Vietnamese citizens back to the Stone Age. I believe we are living in kinder, gentler times now. I just don't quite agree with you that our societal demons have been entirely exorcised. It is perfectly OK for people to disagree on how to go about creating a more fair and equitable society. Maybe even a place where all people are judged on merit alone. It is different and really quite dangerous to assume others like you have enjoyed the same comforts and privileges. Kenny Yueu College '86 Guns protect people To the Editor: We would like to respond to the anti-gun propaganda set forth by Mark Fiore, "Guns kill people, stupid" (DP, 11/10/99). A study from Florida State University found that for every life lost to a gun, 75 lives are saved through self-defense with a gun. And the Cato Institute reports that "fewer than one gun owner in 3,000 commits homicide." Anti-gun activists like to cite a study reporting that a gun in the home is more likely to kill a resident than an intruder. This is deceptive for two reasons. First, it is true that burglars are not often killed by guns. This is because widespread gun ownership deters burglary and it is almost always unnecessary to fire at an intruder. In over 94 percent of cases in which a gun is used for defense, the gun is merely brandished. Secondly, this statistic is severely skewed by the number of suicides in the home. There are approximately 7,000 suicides every year involving guns; this drastically inflates the statistic regarding the number of people killed in the home with guns. While everyone is horrified by recent events involving gun violence, the facts clearly show that gun ownership does more good than harm. Tom Eliaz Engineering '02 Sam Fetchero Wharton '03 The writers are members of the Penn Libertarians What about W. Squash? To the Editor: Eric Moskowitz's the assertion that women's soccer is the best Ivy League sport is debatable ("Ivy W. Soccer makes NCAA take notice," DP, 11/10/99). Certain less publicized sports -- such as my sport, squash -- may feel entitled to lay claim to the title. Since 1996, my teammates and I have finished the season ranked third in the nation, each year suffering losses to only Princeton and Harvard. This year a national title is a distinct possibility. The collegiate coaches' poll ranks Penn women's squash first in the nation, ahead of Princeton and Harvard. This past weekend, we lived up to our No. 1 ranking, defeating both Harvard and Princeton for the first time in our history. While squash may not offer the riveting physical contact of soccer or basketball, the level of skill, athleticism and competition are equal to that of other sports. Seven of the top eight women's collegiate squash teams are from Ivy universities and every national title has been won by an Ivy school. It is time to take notice of the teams that are less prominent on campus, especially those that may bring home a national title. Eliza Jacobs College '00 The writer is a member of the Penn women's squash team