2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Opinion
Polyamorists should respect monogamy
After reading the article "How many's a crowd?" (March 26), I found myself both bewildered and appalled by some of the statements made. Not wanting to be immediately thrown into the stereotype being a "closed-minded student," I do completely acknowledge that polyamory may be a very valid relationship alternative for some college students; this is not where my problem lies. What truly baffled me was that some of the statements made in the article do not promote polyamory, but instead take a critical stab at those of us who find a monogamous relationship completely satisfying.
Marly Davidson, an event organizer for a local polyamory network, is quoted as saying, "The whole idea of one person meeting all of their needs for the rest of their lives is very silly. It's not realistic." I personally found this assumption to be very silly and unrealistic, as it ultimately considers all people in a monogamous relationship to be secretly unhappy or in denial of their unfulfilled needs.
Also, Davidson claims that jealousy is often a symptom of a poorly-functioning relationship. As a human being sometimes prone to less-than-pleasant emotions, jealousy is an innate emotion that anyone who truly cares about someone else is bound to feel at certain points in a relationship. To me, saying that polyamorous people are relieved of this problem is just further promoting the thought that these relationships do not involve a lot of investment and love, but rather, indifference and convenience. I do not want to make any assumptions about polyamory, as I have no basis to do so as someone in a happy, monogamous relationship. I believe that in future articles people who want this relationship alternative to be more widely accepted should be careful of their statements about other relationships. I could only venture to say they are victims of the same problems as those of us who choose otherwise.
Andrea Dragan
Sophomore
American studies and history
Womens' lacrosse deserves better coverage
I would like to address the very obvious discrimination against female athletes that continues to be a reality at this newspaper. The university has an incredible women's lacrosse team, but its success is unfairly hidden in the inner pages of The Diamondback. I understand that the football and men's basketball teams both bring in massive amounts of money to the university, but is it really necessary to give them front-page coverage when they're not in season? The women's lacrosse team is 9-1, and boasts players who are setting national records every week. For them to consistently get such little coverage is a major disgrace. The men are not the only athletes who are making noise on the field. The women deserve fair coverage.
Neisha Taylor
Junior
Communication
Air Your Views
The Diamondback welcomes your comments. Address your letters or guest columns to the Opinion Desk at opinion@dbk.umd.edu. All letters and guest columns must be signed. Include your full name, year, major and day- and night-time phone numbers. Please limit letters to 300 words. Please limit guest columns to between 550 and 700 words.
Submission of a letter or guest column constitutes an exclusive, worldwide, transferable license to The Diamondback of the copyright in the material in any media. The Diamondback retains the right to edit submissions for content and length.
Letters can also be submitted online here.
After reading the article "How many's a crowd?" (March 26), I found myself both bewildered and appalled by some of the statements made. Not wanting to be immediately thrown into the stereotype being a "closed-minded student," I do completely acknowledge that polyamory may be a very valid relationship alternative for some college students; this is not where my problem lies. What truly baffled me was that some of the statements made in the article do not promote polyamory, but instead take a critical stab at those of us who find a monogamous relationship completely satisfying.
Marly Davidson, an event organizer for a local polyamory network, is quoted as saying, "The whole idea of one person meeting all of their needs for the rest of their lives is very silly. It's not realistic." I personally found this assumption to be very silly and unrealistic, as it ultimately considers all people in a monogamous relationship to be secretly unhappy or in denial of their unfulfilled needs.
Also, Davidson claims that jealousy is often a symptom of a poorly-functioning relationship. As a human being sometimes prone to less-than-pleasant emotions, jealousy is an innate emotion that anyone who truly cares about someone else is bound to feel at certain points in a relationship. To me, saying that polyamorous people are relieved of this problem is just further promoting the thought that these relationships do not involve a lot of investment and love, but rather, indifference and convenience. I do not want to make any assumptions about polyamory, as I have no basis to do so as someone in a happy, monogamous relationship. I believe that in future articles people who want this relationship alternative to be more widely accepted should be careful of their statements about other relationships. I could only venture to say they are victims of the same problems as those of us who choose otherwise.
Andrea Dragan
Sophomore
American studies and history
Womens' lacrosse deserves better coverage
I would like to address the very obvious discrimination against female athletes that continues to be a reality at this newspaper. The university has an incredible women's lacrosse team, but its success is unfairly hidden in the inner pages of The Diamondback. I understand that the football and men's basketball teams both bring in massive amounts of money to the university, but is it really necessary to give them front-page coverage when they're not in season? The women's lacrosse team is 9-1, and boasts players who are setting national records every week. For them to consistently get such little coverage is a major disgrace. The men are not the only athletes who are making noise on the field. The women deserve fair coverage.
Neisha Taylor
Junior
Communication
Air Your Views
The Diamondback welcomes your comments. Address your letters or guest columns to the Opinion Desk at opinion@dbk.umd.edu. All letters and guest columns must be signed. Include your full name, year, major and day- and night-time phone numbers. Please limit letters to 300 words. Please limit guest columns to between 550 and 700 words.
Submission of a letter or guest column constitutes an exclusive, worldwide, transferable license to The Diamondback of the copyright in the material in any media. The Diamondback retains the right to edit submissions for content and length.
Letters can also be submitted online here.
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