To the Editor:
If the Dartmouth community wishes to talk about offensiveness, let it look no further than the comic by Paul Heintz '06's comic in The Dartmouth on Thursday. To portray Riner as a power-hungry zealot seeking to "rule the world and vanquish [the] infidel" is uncalled for and inaccurate. Further, to portray Jesus as a pot-smoking, swearing hippie is highly inappropriate. Neither should be tolerated in a public forum at Dartmouth.
I understand that some students may not enjoy hearing beliefs espoused at Convocation that conflict sharply with their own; and students have every right to raise respectful objections. But, especially in this atmosphere of tolerance and open-mindedness, Heintz's response was egregious. I dare say it was equally offensive to Christians, if not more so, than Riner's speech was to non-Christians.
When will we finally learn the lesson we claim we know so well: to treat the people and ideas with which we disagree with respect?
