October 20, 1998
E-mail a Response
Beyond Black and White
Opinion
Left against right. Black against white. Joe Sabia versus Jason Macias. A "dialogue," led by a few individual groups that truly care about this cause or that, amidst the vast majority of the student body that couldn't care less. Why the apathy?
A dozen reasons come to mind, from our workloads to our predominantly suburban upraising. And yet much of our indifference is a gift from the campus activists themselves.
It's a shame, but here at Cornell, the contribution of some of our most prolific political groups is diminished not by their message, but by the inflammatory way they present it.
The most controversial topic of the year is the Ethnic Studies debate. Our campus, which is mainly moderate, could go either way on this issue. Yet if you look at the rhetoric that's being fed to the student body from the protestors themselves, you have to wonder which way these activists are trying to push them.
A student quoted in a Sun article last month: "Ethnic studies scares the administration not only because it teaches us who we are, but because it teaches us who they are." With comments like this, the average (white) Cornellian feels assaulted by a confrontational message.
Even if we once felt akin to the cause, the Us and Them mentality draws a line in the sand, and most of us find ourselves thrust onto the other team. While the comment might be true, any ideas presented afterward fall on closed ears.
A Letter to the Editor in The Sun, published earlier this month: "Ethnic studies makes the bold statement that 'No we don't believe in the American system if the system works to subjugate us.'" "Broader-context" statements like this only serve to delineate Ethnic Studies from Americanism.
The United States does not pose a direct threat to the program, and slipping in an attack on it only alienates the zealous patriots that clearly exist at Cornell. On these sensitive issues, you can't just go firing a loose cannon Ñ people will throw up the defenses and declare war on you.
I believe the protestors have a legitimate reason to be upset. Exclusionary tactics, however, do not help the cause. Play up the goal for a legitimate academic department and you have something that everyone can relate to. But shift the focus to Us against Them, even if it is realistic, and you cast your boat off the mainland into a turbulent sea devoid of support.
This alienation does not emanate solely from the left side of our Ithaca island. The campus's flagship of conservatism, The Cornell Review, is no better, and as a result their readership is fractionalized by their downright hostile tone.
A common practice of The Review editors is to ridicule their opponents. They'll run a front page article mocking an activist holding a misspelled sign. They'll stereotype for the sake of humor (androgenous vegans, inbred townies) supposedly making the paper more enjoyable to read.
It's not a brilliant strategy, however, if it's the very thing that prevents people from picking it up in the first place.
The Review furthers its notoriety in bursts of negative publicity that it brings upon itself. Last year's cartoon on African-American abortions hurt the paper's circulation when hundreds of issues were set on fire, making them more difficult to read.
The Review consistently shoots itself in the foot in the name of its right to do so. As a result, while there is eloquent writing and some really novel ideas nestled among the overt loathing, most people will never see them.
There is a recurring theme that extends to many campus activists. The truth will not prevail if you give it a bad name. Animal rights advocates feel very emotional about their cause, but being loud and obnoxious at a Procter and Gamble information session turns people off. This isn't a call to censor any groups, it's just a plea for them to think about their own self-interest.
You can say these groups have no obligation to educate students, that they should focus on winning their causes. But remember, these movements extend beyond our four little years in this tiny town. Watch as Cornell students are filtered into positions of power, just to turn a deaf ear to your cause because you, the only ambassador that had a shot at reaching them, took the opportunity to insult or alienate them instead.
It is the responsibility of the students to extract the gems of meaning that lie behind the estranging rhetoric. Read The Review cover to cover. Go to the L.S.P. protests. It is critical that everyone understand how the millions of people that these groups represent think. And our beliefs will never evolve without fair exposure to the other side.
I see the active groups on campus as our teachers, as they have ideas that most of us have never encountered.
Yet good teachers communicate their message with their students in mind, making the effort to reach out to them. Sadly, the major political groups at Cornell are so overcome by their enthusiasm for their causes that they close the minds of the people they could reach.
This campus has a rare combination of intelligence and passion. Let's start communicating.
Nathan Wilson is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The North Façade appears every Monday.
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