This is in response to Rachel Steinle's letter to the editor ("Weight insults cause self-image problems," April 12). I think Ms. Steinle is right on with her comments -- many people don't tend to realize the consequences of their words and actions and a comment as seemingly innocuous as calling someone "fat" or "ugly" really can give someone a terrible complex and send them into a downward spiral of self-doubt, self-destruction, and perhaps even retribution and revenge.

If you think about it, is there really any point in name-calling? It's not like you're telling these people anything they haven't heard before, so give up and go do something original for a change. There's been a lot of discussion here at Penn State regarding hate and intolerance -- I would conjecture that insulting someone based on their physical appearance is a crime of hate on par with insulting people based on their race, religion or sexual orientation. Isn't Penn State supposed to be full of smart, enlightened people? Isn't this supposed to be the "Happy" Valley? I suggest this: the next time your instinct is to say "Hey fat girl!" and ruin a total stranger's day, you could just keep your comments to yourself, or you could go one better and instead say "Hello" or "Good morning" and totally make that person's day.

For well-educated, smart, and enlightened people like the student body here at Penn State is supposed to be, this really isn't that hard to do, and you'll feel much better about yourself in the end. Have a great day, everyone!