Dievendorf is strange counterpart to Runge
Since my retirement from the University, my tangible contact with student activities has been as a volunteer with the Cultural Forum. Though I do not know the circumstances surrounding the departure of Linda Dievendorf from her Cultural Forum supervisory position, I have interacted with Dievendorf enough to recognize her positive influence on student-University relations.
It seems ironic that the forced departure of Jody Runge as women’s basketball coach, with a “severance” arrangement of $500,000, ostensibly is because students complained about her personal interaction with them.
By contrast, Linda departs without ceremony nor significant compensation, even though she has virtually unanimous support from students who object to the University’s role in her leaving.
George Beres
Eugene
A ‘coon’s age’ continues on
Regarding “coon’s age,” let’s examine some phrases from James Patterson’s book, “1st to Die.”
From page 7, “There might be a luckier man somewhere on the planet, David Brandt thought as he wrapped his arms around Melanie, his new bride. Somewhere in Yemen — some Allah-praising farmer with a second goat. But certainly not in all of San Francisco.”
He’s sensitive to Arabs who might have different values. Of what use is a decadent American wife? He’s better off with a second goat. If I knew an Arab bachelor in America, exercising self-control in a land of free women, I’d insult him more by asking, “How’s the wife and kids?” than “How’s your camel?” At any rate, the camel is an animal, just as a coon is sometimes a raccoon.
From page 45, “I didn’t like leaving my partner behind, dumb-ass wisecracks and all.”
A teller of dumb-ass jokes. That’s not very flattering. Neither is calling an African-American a coon. But this is a different usage than the earlier one; owning an ass is different from being one.
From page 72, “This is not like popping aspirin for a headache. I’m afraid we’re in this for the long haul.”
The long haul refers to a duration of time. Sure, an ass is used to haul loads a long way, but that doesn’t mean the good doctor thinks his patient is an ass, only that it could take a coon’s age to effect a cure.
Earl Gosnell
Eugene
