To the Editor:
Yesterday's article "Swastika scars Rocky couch" reported damage to one of the seats that flank the south side of Rockefeller Hall. Occasional incidents of theft and vandalism have occurred, but never something as hateful as the swastika cut into the upholstery. Although the brutal geometry of the figure hides now under duct tape, its presence still troubles the atmosphere at Rocky.
The swastika represents a vicious ignorance that is the antithesis of the Center's mission. Rocky aims to provide an open and challenging environment that will foster public discussion and greater understanding of important policy questions. Sometimes invited guests are controversial, but the airing of competing views is a necessary part of our educational mission. Clearly, these values of tolerance and respect are a threat to people who choose cowardly destruction of property over honest debate.
The glorification of violence inherent in the swastika injures disparate groups that gather here. Many types of students frequent the Center -- snoozers on the now-defaced bench, groups collaborating on projects, late-night paper writers, spirited debaters and participants in the numerous evening discussion groups. Faculty members and visiting scholars gather for research seminars and workshops. Residents of the Upper Valley attend lectures and ILEAD classes ... the list goes on and on. These vibrant communities offer no shelter to a closet Nazi, so they, too, have become a target.
The most troubling aftermath of the swastika's discovery has been the need to balance condemnation of the event with the desire to protect people who have painful connections to the Holocaust. Someone who spent a lifetime battling hate once said that the swastika symbol is akin to a "death threat" to people with memories of the Nazis and their atrocities.
On the one hand, publicizing the vandal's action could create apprehension at Dartmouth or encourage further hostile behavior. On the other hand, silence could imply that swastikas are no different from other kinds of vandalism. In the end, public condemnation seemed the better course in the hope of inspiring shame in the perpetrator.
The Rocky staff ordered new upholstery. We will repair the damage, although we cannot erase the offense to the Center's values. We will remember. The concealed threat of the swastika demands vigilance.
