In regards to Mr. Boeckmann’s column, “White male, white female: Keep it the way God intended” and the slew of letters denouncing it, I’m amazed at the number of people who didn’t take a moment to think about it. Satire, perhaps? I was also amazed that no one directly responded to the previous letters by the time of Monday’s paper, and correcting people in their thinking — it can only be for their good.

Granted, some argued that the piece should have had some sort of disclaimer and, without it, the article was in bad taste. Certainly, the Daily could have put in a comment similar to the one that was in the Northern Iowan, which also ran this piece, and cued readers into approaching the article as a satire.

But let’s think back to Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” for just a moment. Not because it’s such a popular piece of satire, but it’s usually taught in high schools — before college. I think there is a terrible misunderstanding that university students do not all have to be scholars. Maybe not literary scholars, but “well-read” enough to tackle concepts that used to be considered a part of being “cultured” and used to be as easy to identify as it would be to breathe.

The idea of satire should not be so far from people’s minds, anybody’s mind. But maybe I’m wrong? Maybe marriage and “baby-back” ribs have nothing in common.

Joshua Sauceda is a junior in English.