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You know, I was hoping to pen a couple of jovial little numbers for my last couple of articles this semester, but for some reason, stupidity just won’t allow that to happen.
You see, with only a scant two weeks left in the semester, racism has again reared its ugly head in Cardinal land. As most know by now, an African American woman-after being confronted by two white female students-was booted out of the library a few weeks ago, and the NAACP is in a tizzy because of her callous treatment by the Department of Public Safety.
(And shame on The Cardinal for not presenting both sides of this story. It was purported the woman in question was sleeping in the study room in question, in fact not studying at all.)
First of all, let me make one thing clear, I am not going to choose sides in this mindless tiff. I won’t vilify one side and glorify the other. Assuming there is validity to both sides, both parties acted childishly and indignantly.
“Can’t we all just get along” is a hokey cliche, but doesn’t anyone else see the validity in such a simple statement?
Why can’t our society learn from its past mistakes, and move forward towards a more harmonious existence? No, that’s too much to ask. Everybody’s got to hate somebody.
Maybe I’m naive because I’m white, or maybe I’m naive because I’m blind, or maybe I’m naive because I choose not to allow myself to be dragged into trivial tomfoolery such as last month’s episode. Look, I’ll admit that I’m a whitey and I will certainly not pretend to see this from an African American’s point of view, but I do what I’m supposed to do on campus: attend classes, respect other people, and go home.
People of all races shouldn’t have to strive to embrace these basic principles. It should come naturally. Why do the majority of us who do adhere to these common rules have to be subjected to the ignorance and intolerance (by both whites and blacks) of such a small minority of students?
I don’t care what color a man or woman is; I’m going to respect everyone until they violate me or mine. Isn’t that one of the most rudimentary rules for peaceful coexistence?
But alas, look at the newspaper everyday and it becomes obvious that this problem is one that isn’t going to go away just because I wish it would. Innocent blood is shed everyday be people from all cultures and races.
Everybody hates somebody. I just wish mankind wasn’t so shortsighted to see that people of all races, regardless of their differences, have one thing in common: red blood.
And death knows no skin color when it comes to racial violence. The blood spilled by people of any skin color is always red.
Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico offered some sage advice over three centuries ago when he said, “Common sense is judgment without reflection, shared by an entire class, an entire nation, or the entire human race.”
His message today obviously falls on the entire human race’s deaf ears. Common sense doesn’t exist when it comes to racially harmony. And that is sad.
Sad, indeed.
Eric Groves is a junior English major and columnist for The Cardinal. Contact:
eric_groves@
louisvillecardinal.com
