SWAT II

To the Editors of the Crimson:

When I tried to hand a student a flyer at the SWAT rally two weeks ago and he refused to take it, I did call him "fashionably apathetic." I wish to apologize for my remark.

However, the student's complaint that SWAT chanted and marched while he expressed his views on sexual discrimination is unfair, It was, after all, a rally. The student, Louis M. Green '91 could have drawn me aside and talked to me, but it is presumptuous of him to demand that the entire group stop to listen to his personal views. Surely this does not constitute "arrogance, condescension" or elitism'"!

In the same way, I think Green is misguided in his sympathy for the oh-so sorely-persecuted final clubs. First of all, the demonstration is a protest against the sexism and the elitism of the clubs, not an assortment of legal claims at a court hearing. While we understand that it is legally impracticable to abolish the final clubs, this does not de-legitimize our opposition to them; degeneration can remove them just as effectively, and that degeneration can be brought about by awareness among students.

We singled out the Fly not out of random maliciousness but because our resources and energies are both limited. Also please note that it is rather difficult to design a group name that denotes the effective demolition of creatures ranging from a boar (the Porcellian) to a fly. What can I say? Slogans will be slogans.

Our whole purpose is to heighten awareness among our peers, and I believe we are succeeding. After all, no one can call Green "apathetic" now. I am very happy to see that the incident has compelled him to think out and defend his position to the student community at large. Diversity of opinions and tolerance for them can only eliminate prejudice--that's what our demonstration was all about. Louisa Hueh-Na Chiang '90