on my way to the geisel this afternoon, there was a crowd of people on library walk getting pumped and ready to march on the chancellor's complex. if it hasn't been picked up by the media enough, there has been a lot of commotion over the past few days about the event "compton cookout" put on by bored college students in honor of "black history month."
it makes me sick to know that there is still people like this, and my first impression was that this is the reality. it's the same as knowing that there are starving kids in the world, there is war and conflict, and there is hate and violence. it only hits home when it is close to home.
i've had waivering opinions about this whole things yes, i do agree that such a thing should not go unnoticed, however, it should not be a cause for unrealistic demands and cries for such dramatic action. among many of the demands made by groups banding together over this outrage, i find several to be a little "ridiculous" --- for lack of a better word. above it all, i feel the demands call for special treatment to minorities here, and not necessarily because of how they have all been treated as a whole by the university but because of what some immature college students think they can do while hiding behind the blanketed security of "freedom of speech."
let me explain. they demand a 'safe space' on campus while an african-american resource center is built ... i'm not necessarily opposed to such a center being constructed, but i feel that while there is a demand for an 'african-american resource center' --- why not one for asians? for latinos? for native americans? why don't we all just segregate these resource centers for their respective races and ethnicities? and even then, it would be constructed from this whole event, which many view as being blown way out of proportion ... i anticipate a little negativity or tarnished view of it. see, if this resource center was erected WITHOUT this incident, then it would be a great feat towards diversity here ... for multicultural purposes ... not solely for african-americans.
let me explain. they demand a 'safe space' on campus while an african-american resource center is built ... i'm not necessarily opposed to such a center being constructed, but i feel that while there is a demand for an 'african-american resource center' --- why not one for asians? for latinos? for native americans? why don't we all just segregate these resource centers for their respective races and ethnicities? and even then, it would be constructed from this whole event, which many view as being blown way out of proportion ... i anticipate a little negativity or tarnished view of it. see, if this resource center was erected WITHOUT this incident, then it would be a great feat towards diversity here ... for multicultural purposes ... not solely for african-americans.
they also demand free tutors for african-americans, as well as a stipend for volunteer work. is it just me, or does this seem not only IMPROBABLE but outside of reason? there ARE places on campus to get tutoring --- one simply has to be resourceful enough to go and seek the aid of these services. and many do --- why the special treatment? and volunteer work is not volunteer work if it is PAID --- by definition, volunteering, or the verb volunteer is to willing give one's service without pay. otherwise, couldn't every campus job could be seen as volunteer work? or that the students who volunteer their time as part of clubs or in hospitals and labs, couldn't they be paid as well? why should a certain group get paid for "volunteer work" and not others? it is essentially a job, then, are they demanding money for volunteer work or more jobs available to only african americans?
the last comment i want to make on the demands is that of the financial education and counseling for students who are from low-income, underpriviledged communities ... i'm sorry, but the university is NOT your mommy. resources can be made available in the form of articles, tips, and information on how to manage these things, but to demand special counseling for these students? it's not that i think it's a completely bad idea, but i don't think that the university should be accountable for something like this. this is COLLEGE, not a playground. there aren't yard duty supervisors watching you while you play around. some kids take this seriously and some don't. college is an EXPERIENCE, it's a PRIVILEGE. of course there will be those who will always have an advantage over others, but who cares? you make do with what you have --- it's character building. you fuck up, and then you pay, but you learn. and if you don't learn, you will continue to fuck up until you learn, if you do. and quite honestly, i don't think 'financial education and counseling' is necessary. those who seek, will find. the same people who apply to scholarships, take on campus jobs, budget their money and plan their courses/future accordingly will succeed. those who expect or demand services to be available to them lose the desire to be proactive about what they want and how to move towards appropriate measures to get to them.
i feel like i am preaching to the choir! there are demands that i would love to be instituted here .. like the designed art spaces, and etc. to me, many of these demands seem to highlight shortcomings of a minority that expect the university to make up for. i don't believe in special treatment to those who are fully capable of getting what they want out of their college experience. to me, it represents even a better challenge to overcome even the smallest amount of negativity or stereotypical perspectives. it may be a passionate view, and i will admit now and will always admit that i cannot fully understand how those targeted feel.
it just seems to me that being a minority is almost seen as a DISABILITY! STOP DOING THIS! being a minority means no such thing! i have not seen resources and services here being preferentially provided to people of caucausian decent or asian decent over the smaller minorities. i have not once felt like the university/campus as a whole was a threatening place to be.
i'm asian, and the university happens to have a good majority of asian college students, but before coming here i was at a high school where asians were the great minority. if ever i achieved success, it was attributed to my "asianness" and not by personal merit. i began to justify doing well in school and being goal-oriented to my "asianness" and began to see myself just "as asian" instead of just me. could we avoid these stereotypes? there's nothing wrong with embracing one's race and cultural background, but it seems that demanding special treatment implies that you are ... special. but in this situation, the special means something entirely different than unique.
there is also that question about why it's almost acceptable that races and minorities are seemingly 'allowed' to make fun of others, but that others cannot make fun of them. the argument is about the existence of a double standard ... well, how about we NOT do it at all? are we mature college students or not? seriously.
i do hope some good will come out of this situation.
i feel like i am preaching to the choir! there are demands that i would love to be instituted here .. like the designed art spaces, and etc. to me, many of these demands seem to highlight shortcomings of a minority that expect the university to make up for. i don't believe in special treatment to those who are fully capable of getting what they want out of their college experience. to me, it represents even a better challenge to overcome even the smallest amount of negativity or stereotypical perspectives. it may be a passionate view, and i will admit now and will always admit that i cannot fully understand how those targeted feel.
it just seems to me that being a minority is almost seen as a DISABILITY! STOP DOING THIS! being a minority means no such thing! i have not seen resources and services here being preferentially provided to people of caucausian decent or asian decent over the smaller minorities. i have not once felt like the university/campus as a whole was a threatening place to be.
i'm asian, and the university happens to have a good majority of asian college students, but before coming here i was at a high school where asians were the great minority. if ever i achieved success, it was attributed to my "asianness" and not by personal merit. i began to justify doing well in school and being goal-oriented to my "asianness" and began to see myself just "as asian" instead of just me. could we avoid these stereotypes? there's nothing wrong with embracing one's race and cultural background, but it seems that demanding special treatment implies that you are ... special. but in this situation, the special means something entirely different than unique.
there is also that question about why it's almost acceptable that races and minorities are seemingly 'allowed' to make fun of others, but that others cannot make fun of them. the argument is about the existence of a double standard ... well, how about we NOT do it at all? are we mature college students or not? seriously.
i do hope some good will come out of this situation.
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