One of the most important lessons to learn at college is that asshats will always exist, and no amount of lobbying, legislating, or demanding retribution will ever change that:
Recently, at my alma mater [Penn State], a student shouted racist and homophobic comments from a dorm window. Predictably, the Lesbian and Gay Alliance and the Black Caucus reacted with outrage, as if we need people to remind us that racists are morons.You know, I spent four and a half years in State College. People also shouted that the Steelers sucked balls and that all women were sluts, among other things. Strangely, the Steelers did not hold a press confrence to demand everyone be educated about how great they were...
Yet, when some idiot decides to shout out something racist or homophobic, their respective advocacy groups demand that the University take ridiculous steps to ensure that it never happens again! Yes, I guess Spanier should just wave his magic no-more-racism wand, because apparently all racists need to change their minds is to read some flyers.
The Penn State Black Caucus's demands have pretty much nothing to do with the actual incident, nor would satisfying the demands stop asshats from existing. It looks like they've just taken the opportunity to squeeze more money and concessions out of the Penn administration, in ways that would probably inflame other students, and the Penn State Collegian is right to point this out.
The Captain approves as well:
Finally, someone has the courage to say it. No matter how many "sensitivity" programs activist groups want to shove down our collective throats, racism will always exist. And so will people being assholes in general.
Update: Those "homophobic" Penn students should be glad they don't go to Harvard, where innocent statements by celebrities espousing traditional values are taken as the most egregious of insults.
Posted by kswygert at March 4, 2005 10:23 AM