Nadine Yaver, Criminal Justice Major, Senior, [email protected] “Spare some Rage” Racist and Offensive
After reading the highly offensive “Spare some Rage” article, I was saddened and angered by Justin’s and the News’ ignorance when it comes to human struggle and poverty. As a privileged white person, Justin, probably having his mommy and daddy pay or take out loans for NU’s high tuition and housing costs, it is easy for him to look down on someone else because they are poor and thus, possibly dangerous from Justin’s point of view. It is easy for the News staff and editor to publish something as offensive and think it’s funny because they come from the same privileged background. Hurricane Katrina taught us that the powers that be, the government consisting of mostly rich, white men like Justin, failed to view those in poverty as humans worth saving. These humans viewed as not worth saving were, not surprisingly, poor and black. I hope that the Office of Student Conduct takes the author’s threat to kill the panhandlers as a serious threat of violence. Justin assumes that the panhandlers wouldn’t be missed if dead, but he is again making assumptions that may not exist. Any human life taken is missed.
If Justin had done his research, I bet he would find that the violence that occurred in front of symphony market was not committed by the panhandlers. Also, the “Indian place that no one goes to,” better titled as Kashmir, is frequented by many college students. I bet that Justin if he abandoned his own stereotypes and fears, he would find the food excellent, as well as the service. Furthermore, comparing touching of a jacket to a stabbing is just a malicious way to get students to fear panhandlers and thus, fear black men. Instead of being disgusted or fearful of panhandlers, we should be disgusted and upset at that fact that we live in a society that allows homelessness. Laughing at people who already had to sacrifice their dignity to beg is no laughing matter, period. You know what has me frustrated? The editors of NU News staff and journalists like Justin will one day probably be running a news room due to their privileged backgrounds. They will embrace their privilege as individual success, persuading the middle class to fear poor Black and Latino men by writing high drama crime stories. As a white male, Justin does not have to place himself in someone else’s shoes, he can exist happily in his cushioned white-washed world because he doesn’t say the “N” word, and therefore he can say proudly that he is not a racist. By the way Justin, being generous to the plight of the poor is not just donating money to some big name charity, or saying you help the poor. Our true views on race, class and those we consider worth giving humanity are represented in our attitudes, actions, what we write, and consequently what we publish – not if we say the “N” word or not.
I’d like to see SGA complain to the Office of Affirmative Action on this matter. But then again, the News is their friend, or at least they would like to keep them on their good side. SGA, a white dominated organization, is so ready to call out reverse racism, because their kind is excluded. I’m wondering if they have investigated other forms of exclusion, specifically relating to people of color – such as the lack of diverse professorship, or the state of our ethnic studies on campus. I challenge the whole four senators of color on SGA to speak out if they haven’t, even if it will not change much voting wise. By waiting for acceptance or more numbers, you will be failing your constituency – the students of color like me who need, at the very least, your voice.
