I would like to address everyone who is angry about the vandalism on Durham and the Student Services Building. Shut up! Now, before you get ready to burn me at the stake, listen to what I have to say.

I live in a house with a bunch of people who scream at each other about everything. Of course, this accomplishes nothing and makes things more uncomfortable for everyone. The reason that nothing ever gets resolved is because once we get into a verbal exchange, one party or the other stomps off screaming, “What the #$*&!” or “Shut the #$*! up!” They then proceed to bitch to everyone else in the house how the offending party is a jackass. This gets a lot done.

What I am getting at is that we need to stop complaining about people that may hate us for our sex/race/creed/orientation and actually try to understand where they might be coming from. I think too many times people or groups who are persecuted frequently for their beliefs, lifestyles, or whatever take the same path those persecuting them do.

Creating laws to stop this type of hate does no good. You can enact all the hate legislation you want, but laws don’t always (very rarely, actually) stop crimes.

Stop for two seconds and try to see something in the other person’s shoes. Understanding where the hate and anger comes from is the root of the solution. I suggest the movie “12 Angry Men” to anyone who wants a great example of stopping and trying to understand why someone may believe what they do.

Also, by getting upset, you are just doing what the vandal wants you to do, and that is getting all worked up over some crooked letters on a building. Maybe instead of crying about this, try to educate the students/faculty/

everyone what being a homosexual is. I encourage the members of the gay community in Ames, not just ISU, to write in letters to the Daily with constructive opinions, not “You all hate us” letters.

I will say that students here at ISU are either supportive of the LGBTAA or don’t really care one way or the other that someone is gay, as long as they don’t bogart the last slice of pizza.

Dan Erusha

Senior

Accounting