Letters to the Editor

Send your letters to editor@themanitoban.com or drop them off at 105 University Centre

Revenge of the nerds

I have been playing DnD for nearly a decade and yes, I’ll admit I am a nerd.

Maybe I am a new-age nerd since I have varied interests, have friends and significant others like your article stated (not to mention that I passed your Litmus Test).

I agree that DnD is more sociable then a lot of other hobbies someone can have (such as certain Internet games, etc.).

But my real point is that you don’t need to be a nerd to fight in the Dungeons of Yore.

Yes, I’m nerd, and so are half the others that play with me, but in my time, I’ve had rugby players, yoga instructors, commerce students, and pimps

play with me (all of whom would totally fail your Litmus Test).

Hell yes it took them a lot of convincing to come on over, but they all found fun in throwing Alchemist’s Fire at wagons during a high-speed chase through a city at night or batting a sentient pig over a chasm with a caber into an evil priest with a floating head.

Did I mention that we usually get a fair amount drinking done and girls play with us?

So sure, most of the people who play DnD are nerds (new-age or still smelly) but it’s capable of drawing people from all walks of life, heck, just go see the last episode of Freaks & Geeks.

Mike Madziar, closet nerd
4th year science student

Size Discrimination

I’m writing in response to Jacques Marcoux’s article, “You Are What You Eat”. Having read many of your articles, Mr. Marcoux, I normally find your writing to be both persuasive and informed.

However, reading your latest article, I was shocked by its ignorance. You may have had some valid points, but they were completely mired by your insulting tone and gross generalities.

In your article you stated that plus-sized celebrities who tell women to “Love your body at any size” are glorifying obesity. I can only assume from this comment that you are completely unaware of the pressure that the media puts on young women to be thin, and of the growing prevalence of eating disorders in North America.

According to the the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC), Eating Disorders are now the third most common chronic illness in adolescents, with 76% of women dieting for cosmetic rather than health reasons.

I have friends who have spent their whole lives classified as obese. Some of them are the healthiest people I know. These women who get regular exercise and eat properly do not deserve your abuse.

What right do you have to call them pathetic or accuse them of making bad decisions? Are you really ready to join the millions of people who think its ok to make assumptions about someone because of their size? People like you and articles like this perpetrate the stereotype that fat is bad, and that anyone who has more than you’d like is lazy and a drain on our healthcare system.

But then again, according to you, since I’m offended by your article, I must be obese, and therefore my opinion doesn’t matter much anyways.

Sincerely,
Shawna Finnegan

Ignoring the real causes of obesity

Reply to “You are what you eat” by Jacques Marcoux

As part of the 77% of Canadians not currently overweight, I would like to say that you have your head up your ass. You don’t need to be one of the 23% of Canadians to find this article offensive. The author of this article has clearly chosen to ignore any alternative explanations for the rise in obesity besides the one stated in the article. Lifestyle choices are a result of societal influences. Canadians are heavier today than 50 years ago because things have changed since the 1950s. People live more sedentary lifestyles – it is no longer necessary for most people to be as physically active. Even in the last 20 years, with the creation of the internet, individuals are engaged in less day-to-day activity. Add to this the increased pressure to work longer hours and have multiple wage earners, it’s no wonder that most families, most people, rely on quicker and less nutritious meals. We are a product of our environments, and only someone completely self-involved would be so narrow as to generalize a multi-layered problem into a single issue. There is something called the fundamental attribution error, which claims that individuals have a tendency to simply the failings of others, attributing their actions to internal faults, rather than external influences. In this case, you are ignoring any possible external causes for obesity and only focusing on the internal causes.

It is extremely presumptuous to assume that individuals deemed “obese” have choosen that lifestyle. Binge eating is a psychiatric eating disorder just the same as anorexia and bulimia. Would you accuse people suffering from anorexia of creating their own disease? That is not to say all obesity is caused by a psychiatric disorder, just some. However, whether or not your obesity is a result of psychiatric or social influences, there is still a vast difference between being overweight and being unhealthy, a distinction you obviously do not care to make. I think “plus-sized” celebrities are a source of support for people constantly harassed for falling outside the “normal” weight, rather than a glorification for obesity. Articles like yours only serve to further shame people who deserve our support and acceptance, and make people like you look like even bigger assholes.

Jocelyn Fischer

Canada’s primary export

Dear Sports Editor:

In his “Part Two: A Culture of Apathy” (Mar. 19) Agitpaul Mangat deplored the sorry state of the Canadian heritage in the National Hockey League. Much of what he wrote is true. However, he incorrectly stated that “the numbers of Canadian players [has] decreased dramatically”.

Today there are about 450 Canadians in the NHL. In 1966, before expansion, there were about 150. To be sure, the number of teams has increased from 6 to 30. However, in the last 40 years Canada’s population has increased by only 160% (from 20 million to 32 million) while the number of Canadians in the NHL has increased by 300% (from 150 to 450). We have, in fact, almost doubled our impact on the league based upon our available human resources.

Canadian content in the NHL is disproportionately high compared to our population growth.

I did not see Mr. Mangat’s “Part One”, but I hope he writes a story on why Canadian university students show so much apathy towards CIS hockey. Their attendance is uniformly abysmal.

C. Hugh Arklie

Shock, outrage, etc.

I assume my anguish is distressing to you. I will accept the following repentence: that you edit my article down to a less-offensive sliver, in which I appear to be only respectfully idignant, and publish it in your letters section.

I also accept your profound apologies.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Former Fan Of Your Publication

Send your letters to us!

The Manitoban welcomes letters to the editor at letters@themanitoban.com. All letters are printed exactly as received. If a headline is not provided, we will provide one. The Manitoban editorial board reserves the right to not publish letters, particularly those it deems libellous or discriminatory. Letters longer than 400 words will not be published.





Volume 95 Issue 25	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	March 26, 2008

Home About Us Advertising Rates Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Volunteer Online Classifieds St. Vincent's Academy Diaries	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly Letters to the Editor Send your letters to editor@themanitoban.com or drop them off at 105 University Centre Revenge of the nerds I have been playing DnD for nearly a decade and yes, I’ll admit I am a nerd. Maybe I am a new-age nerd since I have varied interests, have friends and significant others like your article stated (not to mention that I passed your Litmus Test). I agree that DnD is more sociable then a lot of other hobbies someone can have (such as certain Internet games, etc.). But my real point is that you don’t need to be a nerd to fight in the Dungeons of Yore. Yes, I’m nerd, and so are half the others that play with me, but in my time, I’ve had rugby players, yoga instructors, commerce students, and pimps play with me (all of whom would totally fail your Litmus Test). Hell yes it took them a lot of convincing to come on over, but they all found fun in throwing Alchemist’s Fire at wagons during a high-speed chase through a city at night or batting a sentient pig over a chasm with a caber into an evil priest with a floating head. Did I mention that we usually get a fair amount drinking done and girls play with us? So sure, most of the people who play DnD are nerds (new-age or still smelly) but it’s capable of drawing people from all walks of life, heck, just go see the last episode of Freaks & Geeks. Mike Madziar, closet nerd 4th year science student Size Discrimination I’m writing in response to Jacques Marcoux’s article, “You Are What You Eat”. Having read many of your articles, Mr. Marcoux, I normally find your writing to be both persuasive and informed. However, reading your latest article, I was shocked by its ignorance. You may have had some valid points, but they were completely mired by your insulting tone and gross generalities. In your article you stated that plus-sized celebrities who tell women to “Love your body at any size” are glorifying obesity. I can only assume from this comment that you are completely unaware of the pressure that the media puts on young women to be thin, and of the growing prevalence of eating disorders in North America. According to the the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC), Eating Disorders are now the third most common chronic illness in adolescents, with 76% of women dieting for cosmetic rather than health reasons. I have friends who have spent their whole lives classified as obese. Some of them are the healthiest people I know. These women who get regular exercise and eat properly do not deserve your abuse. What right do you have to call them pathetic or accuse them of making bad decisions? Are you really ready to join the millions of people who think its ok to make assumptions about someone because of their size? People like you and articles like this perpetrate the stereotype that fat is bad, and that anyone who has more than you’d like is lazy and a drain on our healthcare system. But then again, according to you, since I’m offended by your article, I must be obese, and therefore my opinion doesn’t matter much anyways. Sincerely, Shawna Finnegan Ignoring the real causes of obesity Reply to “You are what you eat” by Jacques Marcoux As part of the 77% of Canadians not currently overweight, I would like to say that you have your head up your ass. You don’t need to be one of the 23% of Canadians to find this article offensive. The author of this article has clearly chosen to ignore any alternative explanations for the rise in obesity besides the one stated in the article. Lifestyle choices are a result of societal influences. Canadians are heavier today than 50 years ago because things have changed since the 1950s. People live more sedentary lifestyles – it is no longer necessary for most people to be as physically active. Even in the last 20 years, with the creation of the internet, individuals are engaged in less day-to-day activity. Add to this the increased pressure to work longer hours and have multiple wage earners, it’s no wonder that most families, most people, rely on quicker and less nutritious meals. We are a product of our environments, and only someone completely self-involved would be so narrow as to generalize a multi-layered problem into a single issue. There is something called the fundamental attribution error, which claims that individuals have a tendency to simply the failings of others, attributing their actions to internal faults, rather than external influences. In this case, you are ignoring any possible external causes for obesity and only focusing on the internal causes. It is extremely presumptuous to assume that individuals deemed “obese” have choosen that lifestyle. Binge eating is a psychiatric eating disorder just the same as anorexia and bulimia. Would you accuse people suffering from anorexia of creating their own disease? That is not to say all obesity is caused by a psychiatric disorder, just some. However, whether or not your obesity is a result of psychiatric or social influences, there is still a vast difference between being overweight and being unhealthy, a distinction you obviously do not care to make. I think “plus-sized” celebrities are a source of support for people constantly harassed for falling outside the “normal” weight, rather than a glorification for obesity. Articles like yours only serve to further shame people who deserve our support and acceptance, and make people like you look like even bigger assholes. Jocelyn Fischer Canada’s primary export Dear Sports Editor: In his “Part Two: A Culture of Apathy” (Mar. 19) Agitpaul Mangat deplored the sorry state of the Canadian heritage in the National Hockey League. Much of what he wrote is true. However, he incorrectly stated that “the numbers of Canadian players [has] decreased dramatically”. Today there are about 450 Canadians in the NHL. In 1966, before expansion, there were about 150. To be sure, the number of teams has increased from 6 to 30. However, in the last 40 years Canada’s population has increased by only 160% (from 20 million to 32 million) while the number of Canadians in the NHL has increased by 300% (from 150 to 450). We have, in fact, almost doubled our impact on the league based upon our available human resources. Canadian content in the NHL is disproportionately high compared to our population growth. I did not see Mr. Mangat’s “Part One”, but I hope he writes a story on why Canadian university students show so much apathy towards CIS hockey. Their attendance is uniformly abysmal. C. Hugh Arklie Shock, outrage, etc. I assume my anguish is distressing to you. I will accept the following repentence: that you edit my article down to a less-offensive sliver, in which I appear to be only respectfully idignant, and publish it in your letters section. I also accept your profound apologies. Sincerely, A Concerned Former Fan Of Your Publication Send your letters to us! The Manitoban welcomes letters to the editor at letters@themanitoban.com. All letters are printed exactly as received. If a headline is not provided, we will provide one. The Manitoban editorial board reserves the right to not publish letters, particularly those it deems libellous or discriminatory. Letters longer than 400 words will not be published.


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