Last week, a gunman walked into a college building and opened fire on students, killing 32 at Virginia Tech. College students around the country showed their solidarity to support fellow students because we all feel a little less secure. Though I knew no one involved in the shooting, I felt some degree of their pain. They are a part of a larger community of which I am a member.
This kind of solidarity is extremely rare when people in our society - a relative few - are attacked and humiliated. Perhaps this is a far-flung analogy; after all, verbal assaults are not nearly equal to mass murder. Nor am I likening the blitz that was sent out by Sustainable Dartmouth to physical assault. However, a similar principle can be applied: it, or any other communication or action that is offensive, could have happened to anyone, anywhere. It could have been us, and even if it couldn't happen here, we are still hurt by it. When anyone is attacked, it hurts all of us.
Everyone in the country is in some kind of community, not just traditionally underrepresented minorities. There's absolutely no way of categorizing people into distinct groups void of other identities. Even "white" people have their separate identities. Is it fair to say that because someone writes an editorial in The Dartmouth that his or her voice represents the entire community he or she is supposedly representing? Does Christian Kiely '09 represent all white men ("An Unsustainable Apology," April 18)? Of course not.
Political correctness is about respect. It is about recognizing the separate identities of all and being inclusive because we want them all in the picture. I am very proud, as a member of this community, of the letter that Sustainable Dartmouth sent out in reaction to criticisms the group received for its previous advertising e-mail. It shows concern for the sympathies of the few regardless of the ignorance of the many.
Yes, there are some that are especially aware of problems particularly salient to Native American students and who are ready to point that out to campus. It is also true that there are just as many people on this campus that are sensitive to intolerant acts or language with regards to gender, sexuality, race, immigration status, weight, height, age, ethnicity, nationality, looks, political party and others that I am surely forgetting. Are these people minorities? Probably not.
Concerned people are certainly in the majority, and I want to hear them speak out. Why is it always up to these so-called minorities to speak out against offensive or hurtful language? We in the majority should use our power to help make this campus a safe and respectful place for all.
Insensitive language, no matter who it immediately impacts, hurts all of us. No one needs to prove why it is hurtful. If a friend of mine is attacked or offended, I too am offended. That is not the community of which I want to be a part. I try to respect the diverse identities and views of others, and the more I learn and talk to people with identities separate from my own, the more capable I am of navigating through a diverse nation. It makes me a stronger, more intelligent person. Diversity, inclusion and political correctness benefit all of us.
