Re: "Shut down strip club, students to tell city," Friday, Jan. 18

The campaign against the Paramount Gentlemen's Club in New Westminster by a Social Justice 12 class is especially upsetting to me - a former student of the course - not just because of the barrage of reasons widely cited by others, but also because it represents the precise opposite of what the course is all about.

If nothing else, the course is designed to impart on students the need for tolerance and respect of all manner of lifestyles, races, religions, classes, and so forth.

It's designed to develop in students a capacity to think critically about conflict, injustice, and ignorance; help students understand from what contexts such thoughts arise from and how to A) Identify such prejudiced views within oneself and, B) Propose solutions to create a more just, peaceful society in general.

Publicly harassing the operator of a law-abiding, well-regarded establishment and denigrating both the patrons and providers of a form of entertainment just because you happen to find it distasteful is therefore the very antithesis of the message which this course is intended to expose students to. Religious fundamentalists who try to enforce their doctrines and personal belief systems onto society are rightly ridiculed. Just because a doctrine happens to be of a secular nature does not mean that it is any less inappropriate to attempt to force it onto others

Sebastian Zein Port Coquitlam