:the clemson forum:

Clemson University’s Progressive News and Opinion Source

1. Scott Hines 02.03.07 / 10pm

   Commenting on the Gangsta Party held off campus in Clemson. This thing is way over blown. A few black students get angry and all of a sudden it is world news. Come on. This is nothing important. I didn’t see any outrage when the movie “White Chicks” was produced and, directed by black guys. Can you imagine the outrage if white americans produced and directed a movie about “Black Chicks”. Black comedians joke about white stereotypes all the time. There is never any outrage. If a White American makes any comment what so ever about a black person, all hell breaks loose. Shame on the president of Clemson University for apolygizing for a party attended by college students. He certainly wasn’t in attendance so he had nothing to ask forgiveness for. The plans to require students attend classes on Black Awareness is offensive and should be forgotten policy before even being initiated. If a class is required for incoming students, it should deal with accepting one’s self. Teach students it is ok to be yourself. It seems Black Americans need to be reminded that it is ok to be black. White Americans do not need to walk on egg shells when it comes to race issues. Equality has been achieved among the races. Enough is enough. Martin Luther King had a dream. It is now reality. Lets move on. MLK day is a black holiday but White Americans are forced to acknowledge it every year, even though his dream did nothing positive for White Americans. In other words, 70 percent of our population is forced to celebrate a holiday that has nothing to do with us.

   Maybe the gangsta party was just a way for the students to cope with a holiday that holds no meaning for them or their families. It is apparent that black students are able to control the college by merely mentioning Racism. Black Americans need to accept their blackness. We already have.

   Scott Hines
2. D. Aaron Wells 02.03.07 / 10pm

   Since the inception of your publication, you have become my favorite campus newspaper, mostly because of the admission from the beginning that you do not claim to be unbiased. To the contrary, your bias was clearly stated, and I respect that acknowledgement. I can better evaluate your arguments when they are written as perspectives, not a claim to unvarnished truth.

   What I simply cannot abide, however, is what I read in your January publication. There were four articles in the issue that directly referenced Christians, and, save for Todd May’s article, I found them all to be utterly inaccurate and insulting to me as a Christian. Because of the breadth of discussion on the matter of our “ignorant” faith – every time Bryan Cockfield mentioned Christians, our name was preceded by that word – it is impossible for me to do what I first intended: answer each in terms of its specific content. But I feel it is more to the heart of the matter, in any case, to simply express the outrage I feel at having my Lord’s Name blasphemed and my brothers in Christ denigrated in the press. If nothing else, you simply must know that we have read your words and abhor them.

   What a wonder that you allow your writers to draft articles concerning Christianity when none of the ones who have done so thus far seem to know a thing about Jesus Christ – that goes for you, too, Michael Schnibben. One would think that, since there is apparently such a vast interest in the Truth that you all would start asking more questions instead of handing down your anti-dogma; if you want to know what Christianity really is, you might open your ears wider and stop running your mouths.

   Of course, the obvious question in your minds is: What if we just laugh you off as the fanatic that you are, Christian?

   If you were expecting threats, you will find none here. Nor do I wish to abridge your freedoms in the press. What possible good would that do? And, of course, I know we will certainly not get a letter from President Barker expressing disappointment at the “activities [of a local newspaper] that appeared to mock and disparage [Christians].” No, for all to be put to right, we do not long for a temporal recompense, but for the Judgment of the earth to come. Meanwhile, I would ask, though the penalty may, in this age, be only my own fierce indignation, and though that result may merely amuse you, that you leave us out of your musings and tirades until you have come to believe.
   Other than that, this is a great newspaper.

   D. Aaron Wells
3. Alex Bushroe 02.06.07 / 7pm

   Mr. Hines,
   African-Americans have certainly accepted their “blackness”. However, the word “blackness” is a reference ONLY to the color of one’s skin and not to the racial stereotypes engendered by many Americans and particularly Southerners and South Carolinians whose actions frequently exhibit their lack of understanding of the simple fact that we are all PEOPLE.
   The party, titled “Living the Dream”, seemingly a blatantly demeaning and disrespectful reference to Dr. King’s ideas about then-necessary social progress, is a prime example of why we have NOT achieved racial equity. This party was not a jovial way to poke fun at meaningless stereotypes, much like “White Chicks”. It was, on the surface, a blatant act of racial prejudice. If you knew your history, you’d understand why blackface is particularly offensive. I think that people like Dave Chappelle and Carlos Mencia, much of whose programs and humor are racially-charged (though rarely stink of the outright racism of this particular event), have given many Americans a comfort zone when it comes to racial issues. Where’s the line drawn? Clearly, these students crossed the line.

   Not only that, but you don’t even know your facts. “A few black students got angry”? A whole hell of a lot of black students got angry, and not only that, the University had to listen while upset prospective students and their parents announced that their children wouldn’t be attending Clemson. The community had to watch while people around the nation rolled their eyes at South Carolina. In an area of the country where racial prejudice is so prevalent, the last thing that Clemson needed was for this to happen. White people don’t need to walk on eggshells when it comes to race relations, but many of them need to learn to show some respect and dignity.
   And…
   Martin Luther King, Jr.’s holiday is not a “black holiday”. Dr. King was an American hero, not a “black hero”. He was a champion of social progress and racial equity, something that, while clearly not all whites appreciate, everyone should.

   Your comments are indicative of your ignorance, and it’s people like you, who deny the existence of racism, that perpetuate it.

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