This letter is in response to Casey Toner’s column printed in Thursday’s Weekender. Unable to grasp what angered me most about Toner’s simplistic evaluation of the College Democrats, all I could visualize was the “stench” rising from the (admittedly) overcrowded first College Democrats meeting of the semester. Yes, it was quite warm in the classroom. Yes, there were students who weren’t dressed business-professional. But, no, there was no excess of foul odor. I find it appalling an argument would be rooted in the physical appearance of one’s opponent. Significant differences between the left and right have nothing to do with clothes!

Further, the stereotype of a “lefty” being lethargic and inattentive is flawed. The precursors to the hippies were clean-cut, all-American students who were deeply disappointed with their government after having paid close attention to current events. The hippie philosophy that stemmed from the 1960s prides itself on being inclusive. It can be criticized like any philosophy, but there’s no reason to label the student Democrats as “hippies” (which is generally untrue) and as if it’s a bad thing. I speak for many students when I say that more is expected from the Northern Star.

Meghan Morgavan

Junior, political science and journalism