Berkeleyan

Letter to the editor

17 March 2004

Dear Editor:

It seems to me you abandoned all attempts at any objectivity in your coverage of the gay marriages in San Francisco (“Making history, two ‘I do’s at a time,” March 4). Your gushing was almost audible! This makes me wonder whether the intent of the Berkeleyan is to provide news about campus, or to present political/social views, lightly (and unsuccessfully) masked as “news.”

In a place like Berkeley, where I have worked for more than 20 years, there is significant uniformity of thought, leading to a kind of group-think: All of the enlightened people think like me and I think like them, so anyone holding to a contrary viewpoint must be some sort of troglodyte or relic from ancient eras. Less and less thought is being given to what makes an action right or wrong. It is difficult to do the work of thinking this issue through — even though, as human beings, we are compelled every single day to make moral and ethical choices — and so people seem instead to slide comfortably into thoughts that are in alignment with what people around them think.

If the Berkeleyan gains the appearance of being used to promote specific agendas, there should be no surprise if elements in the populace object to this, who may then seek to limit its funding through their elected officials.

Kevin Peet
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory