Dayton Daily News from Dayton, Ohio • 153

"HOW COULD PEOPLE MY AGE OE SO CRUEL?" A while back, teenagers from a rural school in upstate New York "with little diversity" talked about the use of racial, religious and sexual slurs as all-purpose insults in the school hallways. They also discussed the controversy over their mascot, an "Indian chief. Here are excerpts from the responses: There is not much diversity at our small jviiuvi i iiiiLi mau iiiii.i iwhi i i i students, if we're lucky enough to count Vfrvtlv vii iihitf 'rA tian. One day, several students, though not Hfcfl Jewish, took offense at the comment made Christie as well, could say that there is no diversity at my school. We are about one-third white, one-third black and one-third other.

We're divided into six different majors theater, creative writing, visual arts, math science, dance and music. The music department itself is divided into seven instruments, and theater is divided into tech and performance. But at our school, there is only one kind of person: Accepted. You see, no diversity. Abby Lollar, 17, Birmingham, Ala.

Is there truly no diversity at that school? Two of the students expressed the assumption that everyone at their school is "just like us" white gentile heterosexuals. But perhaps in the social climate which they describe, people of Native American heritage, Jews and homosexuals are reluctant to present themselves as what they are. And so they melt into the background, trying to pass, often assuming the role of loner or class clown. This is too bad. Good for the girl who said that she interprets her "own kind" as humankind.

I wish I could shake her hand. How numerous must a people be before they are afforded a respectful ear? How many people must there be before their feelings matter? Dee Pinkney, 39, New Orleans, La. by a teacher that he "Jewed someone down." But when we brought it up to another teacher, she said that we "got too worked up over nothing." I feel that both of these teachers' comments were not appropriate. It is TEENAGERS: WHO IS THE MOST INTERESTING TEEN CHARACTER ON TV? WHY? Write Lynn Minton, Box 5103, Grand Central Station, New York, MY. 1O163-5103 Please include daytime phone number.

Personal replies regrettably are not possible. miiy saa wnen many oi me siuaents set a Lesley Being of Native American descent, I am annoyed at mascots like "Indians" or "Chiefs" or "Braves" and the mock war whoops and chanting that often accompany these names. And for a school with all white students, it is ludicrous to have a mascot of a race that is not represented there. Just think how it would sound if this school called themselves the "Blacks" or the It is perfectly commonplace to use an animal for a mascot, but I don't think a culture should be placed in the same category as animals. If political correctness is the "trendy" thing for the '90s, let it at least do some good.

I know you can't please everybody, but we can at least start at the basics, like not insulting someone's race. Elizabeth Gomdineoeoeu Osaog Hoover, 17. Knox, N.Y. After reading that interview, I felt like crying. How could people my age and older be so ignorant and cruel as the classmates they discussed? better example than the teachers themselves.

Christie Cay wood IS, Waurika, Ok la, I still can't believe that, in this day and age, we can accept ridiculous theories, vulgar behavior and immoral activities yet we cannot accept each other. We're all differ- Elizabeth ent. I don't understand why people have such a hard time with this concept. If we aren't strong enough and smart enough to come to terms with people's uniqueness, then we at least need to shut up! Lesley Baer, IS, Candia, N.H. Abby With A JHD JHHiM Rip-Top MTi0' 1 i DOCTORS TRUST OORTAID MOST..