TO THE EDITOR:
The recent contributions by Jaslina Paintal represent this newspaper very poorly and do a disservice to the ideologies and positions that she supports.
In her column, Paintal makes no effort to support her claims empirically or theoretically. Nor does she make any effort to treat those with whom she disagrees with anything resembling charity or respect. This is perhaps most jarring when it is applied to feminists, who share many of the same goals and ideals that Paintal values so highly.
If one compares Paintal’s work to the other coverage that issues of race, gender and oppression have received in The Daily Tar Heel, the difference is striking. Compare the work of Chiraayu Gosrani, who points out racism and racist institutions using evidence; the testimony of those who have experienced it; and honest, sober rhetoric.
Make no mistake — The Daily Tar Heel needs writers who are critical of capitalism, systemic racism and misogyny. But on a campus such as ours, radical writers are ambassadors for their ideologies.
I believe that the ideas Ms. Paintal represents deserve an ambassador who is capable of putting them forward clearly and convincingly. I believe that The Daily Tar Heel deserves a writer who is capable of treating opposing viewpoints with the respect they deserve rather than demonizing even progressives who disagree. I believe, ultimately, that Ms. Paintal’s column is not good for racial equality, it is not good for feminism and it does not belong in this newspaper.
David Hawisher
Class of ’15
