I’m sure you’re quite sick of receiving e-mails and letters concerning Professor MacDonald. Like previous writers, I am not writing to defend him or most of his views. And unlike previous writers, this has nothing to do with freedom of speech. I merely believe that in one area of his views, he has a point.
In his article “Academic ‘left’ opposes free speech, academic freedom,” MacDonald writes that “Quite a few departments on this campus are devoted to strengthening the ethnic identity of non-whites and articulating their interests. But explicit expressions of white European-American identity and interests are condemned as indicating moral turpitude or even psychiatric impairment.” Our campus has an African Student Union, a Latino Student Union, as well as various Asian and other cultural groups. There is only one cultural group for a European country, that being Club Italia. I’m sure if a survey were taken, the vast majority of students would have no problem with this.
However, if I attempted to start a white or European Student Union, could you imagine the uproar and backlash I would receive? I would be labeled a racist, as well as many other terrible labels when in fact I am no such thing. I would simply be trying to identify with people of my ethnicity, just as any African American joining the African Student Union or any Latino joining the Latino Student Union or becoming involved in La Raza.
There is absolutely no difference, yet these groups are not accused of being racist. Again, this isn’t to defend other views of Professor MacDonald, but rather a call for some understanding of one his views that makes perfect sense. It is also to raise the question, why is it that when whites attempt to organize and do anything that advances the interests of whites, is it considered racist when others are not?
-Kris McConkie,
senior business management and marketing major