Wed 26 Mar 2008
Some WSO comments are brilliantly concise and well-written. Like this one from Eric Maier about Willy E. N-word:
Is anyone out there saying there isn’t a problem? This is a problem. The question is how to DEAL with the problem, i.e. what the response should be. It’s not about ‘waiting around for something bad to happen’ versus ‘taking action’; this is a simplistic viewpoint. Instead, it’s about asking WHAT we want to do. There’s a difference between indifference and tact, and those of us who feel like, in this situation, the megaphone/rally vibe makes things worse rather than better shouldn’t have to feel like we’re the enemy. I don’t want to implicitly support racism by not taking action, but I also don’t want to take myself so seriously that nobody listens to me. The best way to convince people that race is something they should be thinking about is not to act like this is the Yalta Conference.
Instead of posting 600 mission statements across campus in a tone that suggests that people who haven’t seen the light are stupid, how about 600 stories, or even jokes, that subtlety and gently push people in the right direction? This tongue-in-cheek approach seems to me to be a much more practical way to reach the people whose minds you want to change; otherwise you’re just preaching to the choir, and at that point the whole thing becomes rather self-congratulatory.
What mission statements were plastered all over campus? Who did the photocopying? Who paid? Who put them up? Did anyone take pictures?
And, yes, if I were clever I would have photoshopped the Yalta picture in some fashion. Left as an exercise for our readers.
March 26th, 2008 at 9:03 am
More importantly, what is the net environmental effect of these flyers? Can anti-racism be made carbon-neutral?
March 26th, 2008 at 9:55 am
Winston is thinking that none of these goddam, barbaric, deceitful, cruel Russkys could or can be trusted ever or under any circumstances and that when he returns to 10 Downing Street, he is going to tell the world about it.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:32 am
As far as things that are full of over-sincere pomposity, wouldn’t it be better to compare it to the Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907, or maybe a meeting of the UN General Assembly? Say what you will about Yalta, at least there was no shortage of cold-blooded realism there.
March 26th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Instead of posting 600 mission statements [that suggest people are stupid], how about 600 stories, or even jokes, that subtlety and gently push people in the right direction? This tongue-in-cheek approach seems to me to be a much more practical way to reach the people whose minds you want to change; otherwise you’re just preaching to the choir, and at that point the whole thing becomes rather self-congratulatory.
A decade ago I’d have agreed with the original post, but experience has shown this approach does not always work well with the Williams college crowd. I still think it’s a great approach for life, it just may not work at Williams under present conditions.
That being said, I heartily support anyone who wants to go for it; satire is always better than pomposity, even if some of the people who most need to get it won’t.
March 31st, 2008 at 1:26 am
For the record:
All the statements were hand written on big white sheets by a small but dedicated team, who also ran around campus putting them up (Especially in Hopkins Hall).