Recently, I committed a lot of my time focusing and contemplating on the nature of race on the college campus. Granted, for most students, these universities and colleges are on summer break; but, these thoughts have still “haunted” me for the past few weeks.
After witnessing many commencement ceremonies – especially for my fiancé who received her B.A. in Criminal Justice earlier this month – one concept that I have observed, given the wide diversity of people, is that the college campus is a Petri dish for insanity, extremism, suppression, and ignorance – for some of all sides on the political spectrum.
Most prominently, my thoughts focused on the relationship between Caucasian and African American students. For many, on both sides of this specific coin, there is a commonly held belief of “fight or flight.” Basically, they are exposed to new concepts, cultural structures, and other components outside of the self-centered (yes – whites, blacks, and all people, really) lives they live.
Regardless of skin color, both sides, in extreme cases, are now reverting to more of a segregated social construct on the campus because of the fear of differing mentality.
Essentially, it is the “I’m white” and “you’re black” concept, in my book. Disagree as you wish with this; however, hear me out.
This separation isn’t because of the races, at large, hating each other. In fact, it is the hate purported by a select few that, sadly, resembles the entire cross-section of the group they are supposedly a part of. Naturally, the most prominent examples (for whites) are the actual Catholic hating, Jew hating, Mexican hating, robe-wearing white supremacists (no, not the alt-right because they aren’t supremacists) and (for blacks) the actual, violent folks (that are politically empowered by the extremist flights of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Anti-Fascists).
With that said, this is a mentality that is merely a divide based on only rhetoric that is thrust by a victims’ mentality from the Left more so than the Right. Take Evergreen State College for example…
The students have “taken over” the campus, according to my friends at The College Fix. And when I say “taken over,” I am using the term to characterize roving squads of multicultural, multi-racial social justice warriors putting professors and the administration to the fire.
One of the major issues of the protests-turn-potential-riots at Evergreen is based solely on the administration not taking action to “fix” or “remove” a professor (a very liberal one at that) who objected to a campus holiday dedicated to showcasing an apparent racial apartheid. In fact, he was advised by the campus police force not come onto the campus to teach his classes because of potential violence. The professor’s name is Bret Weinstein and is a favorite among the social justice flights who want to have him removed for not recognizing the apparent constructs of black oppression that still exist. Applying my terminology, the “I’m White, You’re Black” mentality applies, just in reverse (I’m Black, You’re White) to serve as a tool to assert racial dominance.
No, I am not arguing that Whites or Blacks are racially superior. We are all humans… no one is superior. We all come from apes, or what have you.
The terming of the concept is based on the point of view that I am coming from as a white individual. But, the potential for the concept to be misconstrued – especially, in the case of the Evergreen State College narrative – is very high, I admit.
Though, back on topic, it is a natural human response to survive and fight for the protection of yourself, family, and culture. However, these aren’t racist or discriminatory instincts when they are natural. Adding terms like institutional racism and the wide-ranging body of political rhetoric to these natural instincts perverts the instinct to defend into an instinct to oppress.
Typically, civility is a heralded component of discourse in the public square. However, given the perversions of a multi-century long victims’ mentality that is purported by one part of a larger group, it is ultimately lost.
Going into cases where violence is promised by people who can’t take differing views so lightly is a precursor to tyranny. Sadly, this is the dominant thought on the campus.
I personally believe that each socio-economic class, age and location demographic, and race can produce a mixture of narratives that promote a marketplace of unhindered ideas and are unique.
But, when the extreme ideology envelopes others, people’s thoughts and words must be protected at all costs (i.e. “hate speech” being “free speech”). The only caveat though can be characterized by the phrase: “don’t tread on me.”
In fact, the narrative that being white instantly means you’re a racist is the purporting of the term “color blindness.” White is a color… Black is a color… So, why fight or, at a minimum, feel divided?
The United States of America has a scarred past. But, like many, we shouldn’t feel ashamed of it. We need to learn from our sins and resolve them – not repeat them.
It is safe to say that the United States is still the freest place in the world to be single-minded, regardless of ideology, and not be persecuted for it. Liberty abounds, still. Don’t ruin it for others, especially when they are entitled to it just as much as you are.
