I congratulate John Scrudato for taking a bold stand against bigotry and hatred on our beautiful campus (“To avoid discrimination,” Feb. 23). Too long have the putrid tentacles of prejudice poisoned this environment of life and learning, and I wholeheartedly agree that it is time to put an end to overtly racist freshmen events and any attempt to use racial or gender stereotypes as the basis for humor in campus publications.

Although I laud his reasoning, I was saddened and dismayed to discover that his proposed solution is My Little Pony. In his words, “any campus event which insults or offends more than one person [should] be disbanded or rebranded with an acceptable worldview.” As I am prepared to show, My Little Pony is as insensitive and heinous a theme as any that have been protested in recent years.

First of all, the toy collection flies in the face of modern feminism by blatantly upholding the image of little girls obsessed with the pretty, the pink and the superficial. By the same token, it is a reminder that any little boy who chose to play with My Little Pony instead of G.I. Joe instantly became an object of scorn and ridicule among his peers. These stereotyped gender roles are antiquated and should be brought to an end.

Speaking of gender roles, Scrudato ends his article by asking, “Who doesn’t like rainbow-colored ponies?” This ignorant rhetorical question completely invalidates the worldview of all those who oppose flagrant displays of homosexuality. We may be forced to tolerate homosexual individuals on this campus, but promoting their global agenda with rainbow-themed events is morally repugnant.

On an unrelated point, the cheaply made, overpriced plastic toys are a symbol of America’s frivolous consumerist culture. Buying large quantities of useless petroleum products for our children increases our dependence on foreign oil and encourages the very behavior that has landed us in the current economic crisis. Any patriot American would be shocked and appalled at the suggestion that we endorse these practices with such a vile theme.

Finally, the publicity surrounding My Little Pony rudely ignores the needs of a very downtrodden group in our society. Scrudato tells us that Hasbro says the ponies represent “a world of surprises and spontaneity, sunshine and silliness,” but their bias has blinded them to the existence of those with speech impediments, for whom this seemingly saccharine slogan is a Sisyphean struggle.

Again, I thank Scrudato for expressing the just concerns of the many outraged people who struggle through tears of injustice and fury on a daily basis, but I would kindly ask that he refrain from suggesting such patently offensive ideas in the future.

Julian Prokopetz

Feb. 24

The writer is a senior in Ezra Stiles College.