Warning: Reading can be hazardous to your stupidity.

Mark Kachhi’s opinion piece (“Let the Light Shine Through,” Daily Nexus, May 12) was a classic — a true testament to ignorance. After admitting that he “refused” to visit the website for months, Mark finally broke down and visited thedarksideofucsb.com. One is compelled, after reading his piece, to opine that his sole reason for visiting the site was to find fault. After he read a few hundred words (about 1 percent of the total content), Mark stated, “… I laughed and closed the window on my browser because I then realized that this comparison was a waste of my time.” In other words, he merely stopped reading because in his world, he already knew the answers. Why read what someone writes when you can decide in advance that they are wrong?

The Dark Side has never said that UCSB is not a great school or that the I.V. scene is not a fun place. It merely states that they could become better and safer.

In Mark’s world, are there no problems with UCSB or I.V.? Mark, you are alone in your evaluation if you believe this — read the Clery Reports, read the police reports. There is not a single responsible person in the UCSB administration that would claim that there is not a dark side to the area. I doubt that the hundreds of women who have been sexually assaulted over the past few years would support your position. Perhaps you should poll the 15 or 20 parents whose children were killed while partying in the “tropical paradise created by the Regents” to determine their feelings about the dark side of UCSB/I.V.

However, Mark’s comments were instructive when he admitted, “We also hope to achieve minors in kegstands, bong rips, table dancing and beer pong.” What a great endorsement for UCSB – Mark’s comments will surely elevate the school’s image.

A recent New York Times article quoted a bubbled-headed UCSB tour guide’s pronouncement, “Yeah, we have a reputation for setting fire to sofas and then putting out the fire by peeing on the flames.” Seeing the look on some parents’ faces, she qualified her remarks: “It doesn’t happen that often, but when it does, it’s pretty funny.” Let us hope that the tour guide and Mark do not hook up and start a website to promote UCSB — the school would be irreparably damaged by their “positive” approach.

Perhaps Mark’s type of attitude is part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

James Baron is the parent of a former UCSB student.