Life should not be a drag
I thought the article “Life’s not a drag: Queens, kings strut their stuff in EMU fishbowl,” printed in the April 18 Emerald, was completely
inappropriate.
I usually just ignore and bite my lip at most of the things that I may find offensive and all the crap that I consider inappropriate behavior. But I find this article lacking in any morals or ethics, and it disregards all those who may still have some.
I do not care what kind of lifestyle someone may lead. But I am sick of this kind of crap being thrown at me in every direction and the funds being wasted on it.

John Kostick

EMU accountant/payroll administrator
 

I am more than Scottish
In response to John Muir O’Brien’s letter (“Many mascots are demeaning,” ODE 4/17), I am a lot of things besides my Scottish heritage. And unlike Mr. O’Brien’s view that the University and Notre Dame should change their mascots, I really can’t be bothered with being the center of the universe anymore. His pleas are frigid in the icy mountain of political correctness or cultural diversity or whatever the buzz phrase is this year.
I am not just a Scotsman. I am also an alcoholic and addict (recovering 19 years). I’m a veteran, native Eugenean, diabetic, cancer survivor, divorced, over 50, heterosexual male and frankly, O’Brien, I get a little irritated at the logo of a guy in a quilt playing a bagpipe.
I get irritated when television or real movies have to have a recovering alcoholic character as a “regular guy” and exploit the 12-step programs. We are not “regular guys.” I really get irritated at exploited tokenism. Every cancer patient, portrayed in a movie has to wear a puffy hat — more ignorant portrayals.
Should we change the names of some dog breeds? Like blue heeler? That insults physicians of color. As does black Lab insult our friends to the northeast and African Americans? And those male bastards at Sears — they should change the name on their signature tools to “Craftsperson.”
As for mascot name-changing, go Ducks! Kick the crap out of those Fighting Irish — with a bagpipe or something.

Colin Campbell

Eugene

Retail employees

deserve more
It could be a long, hot summer if the major Lane County retail grocers (Albertson’s, Fred Meyer and Safeway) continue down the path of their current demands.
They talk about the need of financial relief in the form of two-tier employment benefits and work conditions. They need to realize that the reality is they are already enjoying an unfair two-tier system.
The retail employees of Lane County are hard working, dedicated employees, providing superior customer service to the citizens of this community. The companies are extremely profitable. They owe their employees more than what they
are demanding.
They currently compensate their Lane County employees less than Portland, Vancouver, Longview and other major metropolitan areas. The health insurance is a lesser plan. But, the cost of living is higher in Lane County. So why?
No reason they can offer is credible. If so, then their management staff would also be on a lower tier.
Next time you shop at your union Lane County grocer, tell the staff that assists you that you do care and you’ll be there for them.

Gene Pronovost

UFCW Local 555 president
 

Mascot issue appeals

to crybabies
This is a response to the sensitive, non-violent, non-alcoholic, Irish guy who wrote, “Many mascots are demeaning” (ODE, 04/17).
In John Muir O’Brien’s letter, he states he has to “put up with the Notre Dame’s culturally insensitive ‘Fighting Irish’” and that he wants “the Athletic Department to take a stance for our Irish students by not playing Notre Dame.”
A mascot is a representation of a team. It doesn’t represent any other group of people and definitely not you as an individual. I would assume a logically thinking human being knows that a mascot does not represent an entire group of individuals.
You could say it is not the Irish people that are being represented, just the violent drunk Irish people. This technically could be considered the lower class, and how dare you be so insensitive to the underprivileged? They need representation and heroes, too.
O’Brien even wants the Duck mascot to be taken away because land developers and hunters systematically destroyed wetlands and duck populations. Does that have anything to do with us being Ducks? Maybe if we were the University Land Developers, I could sort of see his point.
This whole culturally sensitive issue has been blown out of proportion by a few supposedly sensitive people who in no way represent the entire population’s opinion. Thank God (or should I say ‘a higher power,’ just to be politically correct) only the strong survive, because these sensitive people make America sound like a nation of crybabies.

Kristina Crandell

sophomore

accounting