What was meant to be a satirical, exaggerated sketch of Appleton’s Octoberfest and a Costa Rican pilgrimage has spurred numerous responses from members of the Appleton community on The Lawrentian Web site. To be honest, I was surprised that my ridiculous comparisons were taken so seriously. I would like to apologize to those whom I have offended.
It is true that Octoberfest does not represent Appleton as a whole and that people come from other cities to participate in the event. I did not intend to attack Appletonians, but rather highlight some of the strange quirks that Octoberfest offers each year.
Somewhere among the labyrinth of comments made on my article, the conversation turned to issues such as the recent homophobic vandalism in Lawrence dormitories and other respect issues.
As someone who lived in the GLOW house when it was plastered with papers comparing homosexuals to animals and even trees, I too am concerned with the lack of tolerance on the Lawrence campus. I obviously did not help Lawrence’s image by writing this article and have only perpetuated the stereotype that Lawrence students are conceited, rich and ignorant.
I spent three months this summer in Costa Rica as a volunteer, not vacationing. Since returning, I have been especially critical of the excessiveness of the American lifestyle. This criticism was taken too far in my article on Octoberfest, and once again I apologize to those who were insulted.
Apology
