Künt experiences censorship

By Anthony Artibello

Editor, the Gauntlet,

It has come to my attention that a decision has been made which prevents the sale of Künt Hard-Wear merchandise on the University of Calgary premises. It has also come to my attention that this decision is the end result of a single complaint regarding our company logo.

That the University of Calgary has decided to censor on the basis of one person’s sensibilities is completely outrageous. This is not a high school where such censorship must exist and be responsibly employed out of a moral responsibility toward our youth. The University of Calgary is a post-secondary educational institution for adults and a clear distinction must be made between that form of censorship coinciding with our ethical responsibilities toward teenagers, and that pernicious form which exists in the adult arena and is commonly borne out of personal offence and intolerance.

Künt is, in fact, not only a common German last name, but also a Dutch word that translates into English as the present form of "to do, or to act." It is, in all respects, totally and completely innocuous.

Although I can appreciate the fact that some people may indeed project their own preconceived meanings onto this word because of its similarities to another many deem offensive, I believe it is completely inappropriate for an institution of higher learning to use one person’s sensibilities as well as said person’s inability to spell or recognize an umlaut as a barometer for censorship.

I do urge you to reconsider your decision and allow Künt Hard-Wear to be sold at the University of Calgary. As a small business we did very well on our first day and feel that, as students are our best demographic, this is an ideal forum to market and sell our line.