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Volume CXXXIII, Number 17 |
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Ineffective forum advertising
To the Editors:
Early in the week, a set of fliers appeared on the tables in Thorne Hall advertising a forum on Wednesday night where students could share their "HONEST opinions" about race relations at Bowdoin. This student-run forum, the fliers suggested, wouldn't be like "the diversity discussions that we all hate going to," and would allow students to get past the political correctness that often inhibits honest discussion and debate.
The idea of a forum in which students can speak openly about race at Bowdoin sounds like a fine idea in principle. Yet even the advertisements for this forum illustrate the near-impossibility of such an event ever taking place. The headline on the flyers argues in bold letters that "THE PUB INCIDENT ISN'T ISOLATED," and the body of one features three vague, non-contextual quotes that are apparently intended to illustrate the fundamental racial insensitivity of the student body.
An alternative flyer shows a cartoon taken from an independent humor paper at Columbia University-misguided and offensive, but very clearly intended as a satirical commentary on white ignorance of African-Americans-and implies that the fact that such a cartoon was published illustrates that the United States isn't progressing on issues of race. "Are you comfortable with race relations at Bowdoin?" the fliers ask. "Well, you shouldn't."
Advertising like this may get you a big turnout of like-minded people, but it won't lead to an honest and open discussion. Everybody who attends an event of this nature already knows exactly what the agenda of the organizers is and which ideas will be deemed acceptable for discussion. Woe be to the person who dares to voice an alternative opinion.
If that isn't political correctness, I don't know what is.
Sincerely,
Taylor Washburn '04
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