COLUMN: I Don't Want to Hear It

From Jeffrey Han's "The Central Dogma," Fall '95 From Jeffrey Han's "The Central Dogma," Fall '95I spent the entirety of my younger years growing up in a hick town. Low income, 99 percent white, with even a few cows here and there. Such a place had its difficulties -- older students cracked jokes, stole my food and beat the shit out of me. My family was the occasional subject of strange gazes in restaurants and other public places. But hey, what do you expect? You don't see too many Chinese people in Butler, Pa.From Jeffrey Han's "The Central Dogma," Fall '95I spent the entirety of my younger years growing up in a hick town. Low income, 99 percent white, with even a few cows here and there. Such a place had its difficulties -- older students cracked jokes, stole my food and beat the shit out of me. My family was the occasional subject of strange gazes in restaurants and other public places. But hey, what do you expect? You don't see too many Chinese people in Butler, Pa. The funny thing is, this didn't, and doesn't, bother me much. Those people are living in a decadent, outdated style that if left alone will probably smother itself out. If they want to be ignorant, let them. They didn't cramp my style, and now that I'm gone, I won't cramp theirs.From Jeffrey Han's "The Central Dogma," Fall '95I spent the entirety of my younger years growing up in a hick town. Low income, 99 percent white, with even a few cows here and there. Such a place had its difficulties -- older students cracked jokes, stole my food and beat the shit out of me. My family was the occasional subject of strange gazes in restaurants and other public places. But hey, what do you expect? You don't see too many Chinese people in Butler, Pa. The funny thing is, this didn't, and doesn't, bother me much. Those people are living in a decadent, outdated style that if left alone will probably smother itself out. If they want to be ignorant, let them. They didn't cramp my style, and now that I'm gone, I won't cramp theirs. Racism is the belief that race is the determining factor of our abilities, and that one particular race is superior to another. I don't think that these kids believed I had fewer abilities than them, and because of that I can't logically reason that they believed that they were inherently superior to me. I think they just were not used to being around anyone unlike themselves. And that's not where it ends. We have affirmative action, minority scholarships, minority fraternities and protests for more representation in everything from the Cub Scouts to the White House. Now that's what I call racism --- in the reverse sense. And I'm sick of it. I know that just leaving things as they are will not eliminate racial tension. But what would happen? For example, what if affirmative action was completely eliminated? Do you think the administration at Penn would be moving to phase out minorities? Would I be shipped off to live in an "Asian" dormitory and be restricted to using "Asian" bathrooms? I doubt it. I fully believe that this country has passed that stage. Since I am quite sure that removing these ubiquitous guidelines would not appreciably change our world as we know it, I have to wonder why they are still hanging around. When I hear of a minority scholarship I have to wonder why this favor is being offered to minorities but not the majority. Why is this not considered discrimination? These attempts to correct past abuse simply create the same problem, but this time minorities are gaining the upperhand. I don't like the idea of legislated favors based on race, and I question any assertion that they provide a tangible benefit to modern society. These favors do not even address the issue of racism. Even if they do, I don't see racism as the huge problem it is hyped up to be. I know many people will disagree, but I think we've gotten excessively paranoid. Race has all too often become a crutch. If someone doesn't acknowledge you in the hallway, it's racism. If you don't get a job, it's racism. If someone gives you a funny look, its racism. I mean, what else could it be? The answer is?a lot of things. That is why I don't like to whine about oppression. Practically everyone has been oppressed in some sense. Everyone has limitations. Everyone has faced hurdles. You can either jump over them or sit down and cry about them. If someone looks at me differently, why should I be offended? I am different. It would be foolish for me to deny it, and even more foolish to expect other people to pretend that it isn't true. I guess what I'm trying to say is you can't legislate harmony. You might be able to tell people how they are allowed to act, talk and look, but you can never, ever, control how they feel. A bigot is a bigot and will always be a bigot. All the complaining and reciprocating in the world is not going to change that.