Top College News Subscribe to the Newsletter

Letter: Hypocritical reaction to student’s ideas at forum

Published: Monday, November 9, 2009

Updated: Monday, November 9, 2009 00:11

On Thursday night, a young black male stood up for what he believed in. Literally, he was called upon by mediator Prof. Barnor Hesse, stood up, was handed a microphone and addressed the 700 or so people who attended Thursday night's community forum on blackface and racism. He tentatively proposed his progressive idea of living more "instantaneously" and perhaps not being offended by potentially painful historical references; however, his views were cut short by obscene amounts of booing and laughter. Even mediator Hesse mirrored the crowd by dismissing the student's ideas before he had finished. (Although Hesse did an amazing job at moderating such a delicate community discussion and inserted comic relief when needed, this is the one time he egregiously slipped up.) When the audience calmed down and was shifting its focus on the next speaker, the youth quietly picked up his bag and slipped out the back door.

My critique, however, is upon every single student, professor, faculty member and Evanston resident who, while tackling the issue of racial profiling, discrimination and offensive racial behavior, offensively discriminated against and shut down the student's opinion. The student's ideas weren't violent and certainly shouldn't have been unilaterally mocked and rejected. The irony of the situation is despicable. I truly hope those who attended the forum addressing racial acceptance and intended to undermine racial prejudices regret their counter-productive actions. Those who demand racial respect should be able to respect others' reasonable beliefs.

— Alexis Tubb
Weinberg sophomore
 

Recommended: Articles that may interest you

14 comments

Funlola Are
Tue Nov 10 2009 23:15
I too was disappointed that this guy's idea was shot down although I did not agree I do feel like he should have been given the chance to voice his opinion. I was also ashamed that the professor responded the way he did, he should have known better. Wouldn't exactly say he was discriminated against but I was upset about this and glad you wrote in about it.
Rebecca
Tue Nov 10 2009 23:03
i am a northwestern student and my comment got deleted so i am republishing it so that my freedom of speech cannot be stifled! i said:

maybe he was trying to say that we should just move on...there is REAL racism and prejudice going on in the world...lets ignore the occasional halloween costume and focus on real issues--gay marriage is largely illegal, atheists are considered immoral, and genocide happens every day

Funlola Are
Tue Nov 10 2009 22:56
I too was disappointed that this guy's idea was shot down although I did not agree I do feel like he should have been given the chance to voice his opinion. I was also ashamed that the professor responded the way he did, he should have known better. Would't exactly say he was discriminated against but I too was upset about this and glad you wrote in about it.
Your name
Tue Nov 10 2009 17:35
Thank you Mr. Tubb. I completely agree that what happened at the forum with the poor young man was just as bad as the incident itself. That shows how intolerant the forum community was to any ideas or thoughts outside of its own. And what a shame on Barno Hesse. An intolerable man he is.
dsahjkadjh
Tue Nov 10 2009 17:24
pathetic and predictable
Anon
Tue Nov 10 2009 14:50
It's hard enough to speak in front of 600-700 people when they agree. Very few professionals even have the ability to make it through booing and derision, so how could you expect a student to make it through? And if you entitle people to opinions, and if you really meant that instead of just saying "i respect others opinions", you wouldn't be so quick to dismiss and mock them. Of course, if you were honest and said "I entitle only people I agree with to their opinions, everyone else is ridiculous", you make a lot less friends and influence less people. Maybe he had a compelling argument for a new viable solution that none of us will never know now, thanks to the hypocrisy of this forum.
AM
Tue Nov 10 2009 10:49
You've got to be kidding me. The comment made no sense. People didn't laugh at him because he had a different view point. They laughed at him because he might as well have said, "Let's give up and go home." It doesn't make sense to consider something outside of its historical context. That strips the meaning away from everything. I'm not saying that the meeting wasn't a giant lovefest, with everyone patting everyone else on the back who agreed with them. I'm just saying that people need to quit trying to defend this particular comment. It wasn't as if he was saying that the incident wasn't important or a big deal, which actually would have constituted a difference of opinion. It basically sounded like he wanted to skip out of a history lesson, which would not have been productive at all.
I would have been curious to see what would have happened if someone said that they didn't see the incident as that remarkable or important. No one did so, so stop trying to argue that the forum was intended to shoot down people who weren't "enlightened".
And there were slight differences of opinion, such as the case of intent vs. impact, i.e. whether we should focus on the intent of the action or the impact that the action had. I'm not saying that this erupted into a huge debate, but there were subtle differences of opinion.
LAG
Tue Nov 10 2009 00:40
This first comment is a perfect illustration of the problem with having any discussion about race. He claims that everyone is entitled to an opinion but immediately says that the student essentially deserved to be laughed at. Even that people would tie his leaving with being ashamed of his "ridiculous" comment. That student who left isn't the one who should be feeling shame, it's everyone else. Everyone who laughed or mocked this student should be ashamed of themselves. These are all people who have no interest in discussion, but in establishing their own superiority because they are so enlightened. The student who left probably left because he realized that he had been lied to. That this wasn't an opportunity for an open discussion as billed, but an opportunity for "right thinking" students to congratulate themselves on being enlightened enough to see how racist and oppressive northwestern is. They are so much better and smarter than those insensitive clods, and they were going to show the world by having an open forum where everyone's opinion was welcomed (except of course for those who disagreed with them.)

The commentator even suggests everyone else should stop being so dramatic. Funny isn't it, how that's exactly what many people were saying about the original incident. People who said it wasn't racist, don't be so dramatic weren't listened to, they were laughed down and booed just like the student at the forum. Isn't it funny how those who are loudest demanding respect often have the least respect for others.

Jake
Mon Nov 9 2009 20:58
I thought the point of this forum was to hear all sides of the argument. That this student was booed and laughed at it is completely shameful and counterproductive. Way to drive the entire point of the forum backwards.
Rebecca
Mon Nov 9 2009 18:29
maybe he was trying to say that we should just move on...there is REAL racism and prejudice going on in the world...lets ignore the occasional halloween costume and focus on real issues--gay marriage is largely illegal, atheists are considered immoral, and genocide happens every day.
Miriam
Mon Nov 9 2009 16:12
My bad, I meant the first comment.
Miriam
Mon Nov 9 2009 16:12
@whoever posted the second comment--that's RIDICULOUS. even if you disagree with the person's comment, that does NOT mean it's acceptable to boo and laugh at him and prevent him from finishing what he wanted to say. that his comment was "ridiculous" is your OPINION, not a fact.
Your name
Mon Nov 9 2009 12:28
maybe Alexis used the wrong word in saying he was "being discriminated against." but judging by the crowd's reaction, and Hesse's reaction, his opinion was definitely shot down and not even considered even before he could finish his thought.

how was the forum supposed to be "open and honest" if it was so one-sided? the voices of those who are confused by the uproar and the reaction to this event will never be heard and addressed if we as racial activists always react like this. how do you suppose we will bring awareness and help change discrimination when we respond with offense and uproar to every opinion that is slightly different from ours?

what kind of an intolerant society do we live in? this is beyond pathetic.

Your name
Mon Nov 9 2009 01:49
oh please.
while everyone is entitled to their opinion, it is ridiculous to say that actions should not be considered in the light of their history.
he wasn't being discriminated against. don't be so dramatic.
and i saw him at the end of the forum, so he wasn't so ashamed of his ridiculous comment that he ran from the room...
and if he couldn't stand behind it he shouldnt have said it.






log out