As a Dartmouth alumnus and a member of the pledge class that helped transform Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity from an unpopular house into the thriving house of today, I would like to offer my thoughts about the perceptions of our house as well as the issue of minority self-segregation.
To the Editor: I am writing with regards to the blatant, negative stereotypes that David Berenson uses in his daily cartoon strip, "Bear Bones." In the January 10, 1997 issue of The Dartmouth, the comic strip portrayed an androgynous Asian character with glasses as a nerdy, asexual student who is only concerned about his/her GPA. I also recall at least two other instances in the past where Berenson used similar geeky portrayals of Asians with glasses and "bowl-cuts" -- on one occasion calling a female Asian, "Kim Lee," and on another occasion calling a male Asian, "Lee Kim." The caricaturization of Asian people not only perpetuates negative stereotypes in an irresponsible way but also makes for poor, cliched humor.
In light of the racial incidents last winter as well as the issue of segregated housing in the past couple issues of the Dartmouth, I'd like to offer some thoughts about race relations from a minority's point of view.