COLUMN: "Standards and Practices"

From Nathaniel Cade's "The Sheriff of Ridge Rock," Fall '92 In Germany, right-wing neo-Nazis have decided that all of their problems can be blamed on foreigners and immigrants. No good German citizen would cause problems for these outwardly non-conformist youths. In their opinion, the foreigners don't belong. In Los Angeles, a "jury of peers" decided in their infinite wisdom that Rodney King must have been resisting arrest and thus deserved his beating -- which wasn't a "beating," but rather standard police procedure to subdue a suspect. Rodney supposedly didn't belong in the neighborhood in which he was apprehended. In the former Yugoslav republics, Serbs, Croatians and Moslems are all killing each other in a bloodbath reminiscent of the Khmer Rouge's "killing fields," because they believe that the opposing minorities don't belong in their territory. Lastly, in India, Hindu fundamentalists destroyed a mosque because they believe that the mosque -- and the Muslim population -- don't belong. Am I the only one that sees this reoccurring theme? One group, usually the dominant or larger one, feels that the other group doesn't belong. Thus, they must resort to violence to assert their power and invalid claim of superiority. But wait, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Before you start to condemn others for their racism, don't forget to include yourself in this wicked game. Every nationality and race has individuals who feel that they are the vanguard of their nationality or cultural identity. And since Penn is supposedly a microcosm of the world, prejudice -- and racism to a lesser extent -- is definitely here. If you don't believe me, I'll give you a few examples. Some Jewish students in "Group A" look down on other Jewish students in "Group B" because Group A feels that the people in Group B are not either "good" Jews or true Jews. Group A has decided that they will determine the standard which all others, including Group B, must uphold. To belong to Group A, Group B must conform. Who gave the Group A all of the power? If memory and personal knowledge serve me correctly, there are three ways to be Jewish; either through lineage, one's practice of faith, or via a conversion to Judaism. But someone will argue that I am wrong, instead of admitting that it is a personal decision on how to be labeled. The same holds true for other groups. Some African-Americans feel that they may be more black than other African-Americans. Or they may consider others not black enough, simply because they feel that they are the benchmark or standard to which all other African-Americans must measure up. How was this standard determined? Legally, in the United States, if you are 1/16 black by blood, then you are considered black. But is being black a measure of blood or cultural identity? And at what point is the majority -- or rather, the people who feel they set the standard -- satisfied that you have crossed this magical threshold? A final example I want to mention is the gay community here at Penn. The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Alliance is considered to be the major gay group on campus. But Queers Invading Penn says that the LGBA isn't radical enough for their tastes. In effect, they are purporting that they aren't gay enough. If you can't be more pregnant or more dead, then how can you be more gay? One group has decided to assert themselves and define a standard to which others must measure up to. I realize that I may be wrong in calling these and other incidents like it prejudicial, but what else can you call it? A friend of mine in the Law School says that the reason we have politically correct language is because minorities and women are tired of the white majority labeling us. We therefore want to define ourselves, whether it be as African-Americans, Chinese-Americans or anything else, rather than allow the majority to do so. Why is it then permissible for elements in specific groups to define others within those groups? It's not. Every group has a commonalty which should unite them, not tear them down. Instead of praising and celebrating the differences within whatever group we identify ourselves, we concentrate on the differences. Until we can start respecting ourselves and our differences, we can't expect others to do the same. When I look back on my collegiate career, I will undoubtedly be saddened by all of the wasted, negative energy that was spent perpetuating these petty standards and differences. It definitely could have been put to better use. Malcolm X was man enough to admit he made mistakes in his life. Are you? Nathaniel Cade is a senior Economics and Political Science major from Detroit, Michigan. "The Sheriff of Ridge Rock" appeared alternate Thursdays.