My reasons for picking up the Daily vary from one week to the next. Sometimes I want to know the latest events in the world, and since my primary source of news is the weekly periodical Newsweek, the Daily is a great supplement.

But the last couple weeks, I’ve been driven by an entirely different interest, and that is the ongoing news surrounding the “gyro guy” (as he has come to be called). I was astonished by Mr. Merchant’s actions with regard to his levying of ultimately hypocritical complaints about the gyro stand in a fairly obvious ploy to eliminate some competition. I was even more astonished by his failure to back-pedal when the all-too-predictable backlash of this attack nearly resulted in a campus-wide boycott of Jimmy John’s.

But then the dust settled as Matt [Goodman] made an arrangement with Kum ‘N Go, thereby dodging the wrath of the powers that be. I thought it was over, and I became complacent in my life once again.

But after reading the “gyro guy’s” column and feeling tingles go up and down my spine (and perhaps even a tear down my face), my fervor was reborn. Until I see a public apology in the Daily from Mr. Merchant regarding the complaints (levied by him) that led to the jeopardization of the gyro stand’s license, I am done giving them my business.

They are, as a good friend of mine might say, “on ban.” Even better, as a gesture of his humility following his error, I suggest Mr. Merchant reopen his bathrooms for the duration of the night, and invite gyro patrons to use his facilities in a show of Campustown camaraderie. He could even come in to clean them himself so he can better identify with Mr. Goodman’s position. Maybe then he can finally find himself the beneficiary of some positive vibes from the very people with which he is trying to do business.

In the meantime, I call upon all who love the gyro guy. If not for the gyros themselves, then for what he stands for alone. Find alternatives to this corporate bullying. Send a message. Wait for Mr. Merchant’s apology. Let him and Jimmy John’s lie in the bed he made. They make excellent subs, make no mistake, but nothing short of an apology can wash the bitterness from their taste.

Reed Robinson

Graduate Student

Psychology