Chaucer

Daily Bruin, May 15, 1992

Editor:

The Bruin has been irresponsible in its election coverage. A prime candidate for USAC president, Geoffrey Chaucer, was left unmentioned despite the fact that he received 16 votes, defeating Bart Simpson's 1990 turnout by 60 percent. Of course, Chaucer is older; then again, he's also dead. But that doesn't make him any less of a man, dammit!

This lack of journalistic integrity is appalling, especially considering we are speaking of the greatest English poet of the 14th century. Chaucer's platform, to make Middle English UCLA's official language, was completely overlooked.

Until The Bruin prints a formal apology to Chaucer, this student can only conclude that the paper panders to a Modern-English speaking, alive majority which dominates our government and press and oppresses dead English poets of the Middle English persuasion. This is biocentrism and linguistic racism, pure and simple.

Any candidate, dead or living, should be given equal attention. Society will never be democratic until the press treats all candidates with equal attention, regardless of their disaffiliation, version of the language and state of health.

David Tazartes
Freshman
Physics/Economics

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