LETTERS

Jackson’s act is selfish, does not serve
community Rev. Jesse Jackson has no idea what he’s
talking about (“Diversity of coaches must be
addressed,” Daily Bruin, Viewpoint, July 30). Jackson is on
the outside of politics now and is trying to do everything he can
to regain the spotlight that he lost due to his infidelity and as
an advisor to a President who did the same thing. What gives him
the authority, knowledge or anything else to dictate what happens
on any subject? He is nothing but an antagonizer trying to get back
in the limelight.

Tom and Lillian Vajda St. Augustine, Fla.

Casual sex OK, but AIDS should not be ignored
In many aspects I agree with Chez Shadman’s viewpoint on
casual sex (“Casual sex: it’s not just for
“˜sinners’ anymore,” Daily Bruin Viewpoint, Aug.
6) but I must disagree in one important area: sexually transmitted
diseases and in particular, AIDS. Shadman said that casual sex is
fine as long as your partner has been tested. But AIDS tests can
take over six months for a positive reading to show up. Also, if
your partner says they’ve been tested, they could be lying
““ and often are. This is something that shouldn’t be
ignored. I agree with Shadman that no woman should be negatively
stigmatized for her sex life or her sexual preferences. It is
important for both women and men to realize that there can be
serious consequences to sex ““ both casual and non-casual
““ especially in a college environment where casual sex runs
rampant.

Libby Stockstill Newport Beach

Sex shouldn’t be treated as casual I
believe Chez Shadman’s column (“Casual sex: It’s
not just for sinners anymore,” Daily Bruin, Viewpoint, Aug.
6) glorifying casual sex is completely irresponsible and
insensitive to the grave problems of our society. I do think,
however, that her column conveniently summarizes what the moral
standards of this country have become, where sex, drugs and
violence are becoming more socially acceptable simply because
“hey, it’s the 21st century.” Specifically by
stating that the benefits of casual sex are
“adventurous” and that casual sex “has its
merits” exemplifies Shadman’s irresponsibility. She
mentions that one should practice “safe sex,” but in
order to help children of the next generation grow up responsible
for their actions, one must preach a more mature role. The fact of
the matter is that religion teaches us that premarital sex is a sin
because the risks and hurts outweigh the benefits. This is not
because religion does not want us to have any fun, but perhaps
because, as we see today, more and more teenagers are getting
pregnant, raising children with no fathers and millions are
suffering from HIV. Furthermore, I think Shadman’s point
seems to be casual itself and too lighthearted when she talks about
“casual sex.” This is true because she fails to
understand that there is no such thing as casual sex. Sex is a
serious act that must not be taken lightly ““ as can be seen
from the United States’ current social problems. Describing
sex as casual and adventurous leads me to believe that her
understanding of the problems of American society ““ now even
spreading to the once “sheltered” upper class, just
like Westwood ““ is very dim. Morals are the emulsifier of
society. They hold us together so we do not fall apart. They have
been introduced to us by religion for the betterment of our society
and not just simply for an individual’s needs.

Samia Malik University of Chicago

Globalization hurts, not helps, nations I found
Mike Hansen’s column, “Globalization inspires worldwide
unification, diversity” (Daily Bruin, Viewpoint, Aug. 6), a
great example of the ignorant attitude middle-class America takes
in turning a blind eye to the immoral exploitation of foreign
economies. Globalization is a lot simpler than everyone seems to
make it: in order to maintain economic sovereignty in the post-war
international industrial boom, some influential Americans get
together and set up the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
This money is taken to developing countries all over the world,
promising them new economic growth and prosperity. Meanwhile, other
countries buy into this and change their economies to export driven
entities. U.S. corporations move in, hire people and eventually
exploit both the labor and the land. The standard of living in
these countries consequently decreases to conditions even worse
than what they started with. What is more, back in the U.S., as
most production gets moved to foreign lands, we see our own
economic structure change: jobs in the service sector greatly
increase. The amount of skill needed to perform these jobs is
greatly lowered, allowing salaries to go down as a consequence.
Eventually, we see enormous income gaps develop between the rich
and the poor, leading to higher social marginalization and
exacerbation of conditions in urban ghettos. It’s pretty
obvious: globalization is nothing but a realization of greedy
pursuits. When students were protesting in Genoa, they were trying
to educate the world about the hardships our capitalist pursuits
have put on the people of developing nations. It is unfortunate
that the violence committed by a few individuals undermined their
intentions. But to belittle their opinion, in claiming that
exploitation of land and labor is a form of cultural diversity and
communication, is nothing short of twisting the truth. As
Americans, we should be promoting a higher social conscience and
greater responsibility for our actions and their global impacts. We
must promote a more responsible form of capitalism that places the
needs of people before the need to make money. The truth of the
situation is that in these “diverse” cities where
globalization increases cultural understanding, as Hansen would
like you to believe, the economic disparity between social classes
is the greatest. It is very convenient to resort to such
shortsighted, comfortable explanations when trying to justify the
effects of exploitation on developing countries. Be assured, if
Hansen was forced to work in a U.S.-owned sweatshop for merely one
day, and he experienced first hand what globalization does to
people, he’d change his opinion in a heartbeat.

Reza Kermani Third-year Physiological
science