Letter to the editor: Name calling is also not classy or dignified
September 4, 2000
On Thursday August 31, April Young, friend to decency, enemy to fashion, protector of the heat-stricken and high mistress of the anti-expressionists decided to enlighten our student body about how their student bodies look. Ms. Young makes two arguments on her point: First, that loose fitting clothes help physically by keeping the wearer cool. Second, that nobody cares what you look like at college. Oh yeah, she called about 1/2 of the students at Iowa state whores, too. As to the first point, yes. Yes, loose, light-colored clothes do help the wearer stay cool. But, if that is really your concern then why not advocate wearing those nifty water-cooled jumpsuits they make racecar drivers wear? Those are expensive, so why not go naked until the first frost hits? That would certainly help our students to feel the breeze. If either of these answers are unacceptable to our own Ms. Manners, April Young, I suggest it’s because her first reason is a smokescreen for the second. Now, as to the second reason. First, Ms. Young tells us that no one is looking. Now, as a man, I can definately tell you that men are looking. You too, April are looking, or you wouldn’t have written to the Daily in the first place. In the end, she chalks everything up to “a matter of dignity and class.” Let me tell you, April, something else that is a matter of dignity and class: name-calling. It really shows me that you have dignity and class when you, based on a quick, superficial look at another woman declare her a whore. Really, it’s not as if there aren’t more dignified synonyms for whore. Adultress, advoutress, courtesan, prostitute, strumpet, harlot, punk, fille de joie; woman, woman of the town; streetwalker, Cyprian, miss, piece; frail sisterhood; demirep, wench, trollop, trull, baggage, hussy, drab, bitch, jade, skit, rig, quean, mopsy, slut, minx, harridan; unfortunate, unfortunate female, unfortunate woman; woman of easy virtue (unchaste) [more]; wanton, fornicatress; Jezebel, Messalina, Delilah, Thais, Phryne, Aspasia, Lais, lorette, cocotte, petite dame, grisette; demimonde; chippy [U.S.]; sapphist; spiritual wife; white slave. (Roget’s Thesaurus, online at www.thesaurus.com) Want to know a sad commentary on society? Look closely at the list of synonyms. “Woman” is a synonym for “whore.” The only cause I can see for this is that some people feel the need to go around calling women who care what they look like names. Keith Twombley
Junior
Computer science and philosophy