eklhad@ihnet.UUCP (K. A. Dahlke) (02/02/86)
Recently, several people have said (or implied) the protesters at Reed college opposing SA economic involvement are hypocritical, Since the college in question is predominantly white. I reproduce one particularly offensive comment, representing many others. > From: thill@ssc-bee.UUCP (Tom Hill) > [ a lot of garbage deleted for your convenience ] > All those rich white kids protesting at an almost all white school... > > Why that is mighty white of you. There are many fallacies here. 1. The two issues (ending SA oppression vs. attaining racial educational and economic equality in the United States) are not comparable. In fact, they are virtually unrelated. Don't lump complex problems together just because they share a few superficial characteristics. 2. Attaining equality is a *much* harder problem to solve. There are clear and definite actions Reed college could take to ease the suffering in SA (long term). The same cannot be said for U.S. inequality. As an employee of AT&T, I know our staff and management does not have the ideal black/white ratio, but there are only a handful of things we can do about it. When I interview candidates, it is painfully clear that black students are not, statistically, obtaining BS and MS degrees in relevant (to AT&T) fields. You cannot blame a company for this! Similarly, black students are not, statistically, getting the same high school education. There are only a handful of things a college can do about this. Furthermore, many colleges acquire their students locally, causing the student population to reflect the local population. What do you thing the Reed college protesters should complain about? Be specific here; what policy should Reed college adopt or change that will make the difference? If you are concerned about U.S. racial equality, better talk to your representative. Some government program (not the current AA program please) is needed, and it should be aimed at children. After 18 years there is very little a company or a college can do. 3. You make it sound like the protesters are responsible for the student profile at Reed college. This is insulting to say the least. Ever heard of "innocent until proven guilty"? It isn't even plausible!!! 4. Being rich is no crime. 5. If problems A and B are both important, and a group of people is working on problem A, and they are not the cause of either problem, you dare not attack them because they are not solving problem B. By this reasoning, I could post a flame myself: "Forget SA support, what about SDI?!?" Nobody can solve every problem! We all select a few issues, depending on personal values, areas of expertise, areas of responsibility and authority, etc. I oppose AT&T's involvement in government SDI contracts, while Reed students protest SA economic support. Fine! I don't want to see any more flames against the Reed college protesters because they are not solving problem X (fill in an issue you feel strongly about). Those actively trying to change things for the better are in the minority. They deserve encouragement (at least), not sarcasm. As the title indicates, apologies are in order. -- Why don't we do it in the road? Karl Dahlke ihnp4!ihnet!eklhad