Visiting my daughter this weekend at Hamilton College, I happened to pick up a copy of her school newspaper, The Spectator. One article immediately caught my attention, probably because of the picture at the bottom, "Frat Party Protest" by Patrick Hodgens, production editor and student of this year's graduating class. Mr. Hodgens writes about the boycott being planned against Delta Phi's "Mexican Night", scheduled to take place this past Saturday. The reason for the clamor is all about the invitation. A fake Mexican-U.S. border is pictured with a camouflaged guard standing next to a very tall fence. He is looking up at a giant pinata, against which a ladder is propped. Not pictured in The Spectator, but printed on the actual invitation are the words, "proper documents required". According to Mr. Hodgens, a number of campus groups label this invitation discriminating and offensive.
Is this controversy an example of politcal correctness run amuck? When are we going to stop flinching at every word or phrase said about anyone of a different ethnic background if it doesn't fit into our White picture of what "they" want to hear or what "they" want to be called? As far as fraternities go, my daughter and her room mate seem to think the Delta Phi guys would never hurt anyone and that they're just being funny. What worries me is that we have become so attuned to watching our language, we are stifling conversation about ethnic and race relations. Eric Holder called us a country of "cowards". I won't judge the Attorney General for his choice of words, but I agree that the average person seems afraid or at least reluctant to talk about other races. On those rare occasions when I find myself in a conversation about race, I notice my conversational partner lowering his voice or almost looking over his shoulder to make sure no one else is listening. Why? In my opinion, because he's afraid he might say "the wrong thing" or use a word that is not in vogue for the day.
The hubbub over Mexican Night shows we have raised our children into believing that just about every cultural reference that deviates a bit from the standard thinking of what is appropriate and what is not is somehow discrimatory. At the same time, however, I applaud the students organizing the boycott for speaking out against what they perceive is wrong.
Perhaps the truth in what Attorney General Holder was saying is not that Americans are "cowards" but that we are afraid to make a mistake in language. Because of that we are therefore reluctant to discuss racial issues. This is a travesty because talking about our differences and similarities will help bring us together, whereas being afraid to do so and holding back merely broadens the gap.
As far as the party goes, Wally Greene, President of Delta Phi was quoted in The Spectator as saying, "'It's a party . . . it's not meant to be offensive . . . We apologize if we've offended anyone, this is all meant to be in fun.'" I think my daughter and her room mate know the score.
Hamilton College News - The Spectator, April 2, 2009, "Frat Party Protest" by Patrick Hodgens, '09, p.3
http://my.hamilton.edu/Spectator/040209/News/Frat_Party_Protest.html
Monday, April 6, 2009
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2 comments:
There's more to college than book-learnin'. Good students know instinctively that these teapot tempests are really little life-lessons. You step back. You look at the controversy from both sides. You draw conclusions -- not conclusions about who was right or wrong, but conclusions about human nature.
Several lessons come to mind: The importance of choosing words carefully. The pitfalls of humor. The tendency of some people to use slight provocation to call attention to themselves, or claim victimhood. The impossibility of being everyone's friend.
It's a microcosm of the real world.
Princeton GOP,
You need to find a conversational partner who is not easily intimidated. I, for one, was not shy to say the that the presidential election had strong racial overtones. Perhaps if we meet each other at the 4/14 event, we can discuss this.
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