Aaron Foley's column in Wednesday's The State News entitled "Hackers create headaches, celebrity break-ins" (2/23) was the most hateful piece of juvenile trash I have ever read in The State News. The broad generalizations made about so-called "nerds" -as opposed to what Foley calls "regular people," more than once - are more offensive than any statement that could be printed about a minority group.

The worst part of it is, "greasy-faced Funyuns-eating nerds" don't have a caucus to march on the dean's office. We won't be protesting in full force tomorrow. Foley won't be harassed or even know how much he has offended people unless this letter sees print. "Nerds" are just going to have to lie down and take it. Just because "nerds" comprise all races and creeds does not mean that printing hateful stereotypes about them is not offensive.

The State News does not print racist editorials; why is prejudice of other kinds allowed? Referring to people intelligent enough to use computers to manipulate others' technology as the "underbelly of society" was quite the stretch. Comparing the guys who send spam e-mails to rapists and pedophiles isn't exactly a fair comparison, as I am sure you will all agree.

And Foley's way of trying to both insult those who he considers "geeks" and lump himself in with Paris Hilton was pathetic, to say the least.

If it weren't for "nerds," such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobbs, there would be no BlackBerries or e-mail boxes to get spam in. I wonder if Foley has even seen "Revenge of the Nerds." It is doubtful - if he had, he wouldn't be insulting people who will, in all probability, be his employers in a few years.

Jason Alt
chemistry junior