Question of race remains
Chelsea Eakin
Issue date: 4/22/09 Section: News
In a post titled "The Race Issue" Jarad Doyon '11 wrote on April 20 that when he watched the video, it never occurred to him that the two students arrested were of color. "Is it racist of me not to see them as students of color? Or would it be racist of me to see them as two students of color and see them as being different from me?" he wrote, going on to say to say that the issue confuses him because he believes that "not being racists is seeing everyone as just a person, with nothing special about them."
"But when something such as these events happen, there always seems to be someone bringing up the race issue," he wrote.
In response to questions Doyon posed, Shirmila Cooray '09 said to the Echo, "Color-blindness towards racial issues is a small aggression of unconscious racism because it's impossible to be color-blind with the socialization, history and institutional facts of race in America. It is as unrealistic to say we don't see color as it is to say we don't see a nose or a person's height or weight."
"It is destructive, hurtful, and demeaning to say that students of color are 'pulling the race card' to get more attention for this issue. In this end, the reality of the incident remains. Two students of color were subjected to violence by Colby security. It was excessive use of force that has never happened to white students in the same circumstances before."
Professor Tappan believes that the campus' reaction to the events last weekend reflect trends that are common in dynamics between dominant groups and subordinate groups. Applying this theory to conversations on campus, Tappan noted that while some students in the white community view the April 12 incident as an isolated event, many students of color and people involved in discussions about race see this as another example of the racial divide that exist on campus.
"Any time there's a dominant group and subordinate group, the dominant group tends to…focus on individual intent or outcome, while the subordinate group sees patterns, an ongoing history," he said.
"But when something such as these events happen, there always seems to be someone bringing up the race issue," he wrote.
In response to questions Doyon posed, Shirmila Cooray '09 said to the Echo, "Color-blindness towards racial issues is a small aggression of unconscious racism because it's impossible to be color-blind with the socialization, history and institutional facts of race in America. It is as unrealistic to say we don't see color as it is to say we don't see a nose or a person's height or weight."
"It is destructive, hurtful, and demeaning to say that students of color are 'pulling the race card' to get more attention for this issue. In this end, the reality of the incident remains. Two students of color were subjected to violence by Colby security. It was excessive use of force that has never happened to white students in the same circumstances before."
Professor Tappan believes that the campus' reaction to the events last weekend reflect trends that are common in dynamics between dominant groups and subordinate groups. Applying this theory to conversations on campus, Tappan noted that while some students in the white community view the April 12 incident as an isolated event, many students of color and people involved in discussions about race see this as another example of the racial divide that exist on campus.
"Any time there's a dominant group and subordinate group, the dominant group tends to…focus on individual intent or outcome, while the subordinate group sees patterns, an ongoing history," he said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Robert Ryan
posted 4/23/09 @ 12:51 PM EST
"It doesn't matter what the actual facts were" Yes, Professor Tappan, let's not let the facts get in the way. So long as the race card is in the deck, someone has to play it, don't they? We've hired a politically correct investigator (who from what I have reviewed is extrordinarily well qualifed and should do a great job) but has that quality of being acceptable to thouse who percieve every event through a racial prism. (Continued…)
John Gray
posted 4/27/09 @ 11:39 PM EST
As someone who has served in public service for over 30 years at the local, state,and Federal levels I believe Ralph Martin as a human being, attorney and prosecutor will sort through this situation and make intelligent recommendations. (Continued…)
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