Recent events at the University of Texas at Austin have prompted many students, faculty and citizens to call for action in the name of improving race relations. Three incidents in particular are cited to convince people that something is needed to change the "unfriendly atmosphere" on campus. A few weeks ago some unknown person tossed eggs at the statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a couple of other buildings on campus. The Daily Texan reported that certain students attending off campus fraternity parties wore "racist" attire. Also, the paper reported the claims of student Kevin Curry, who said that he was harassed by a police officer in the Texas Union because he is black. Curry was asked to show identification, and as he began to appear to move away from the officer, he was given a more thorough check.
Many student leaders have demanded that the University do something to deal with its "historically racist" atmosphere. Courtney Morris, a member of African Americans for Radical Organizing, wrote that "Promises of diversity have a hollow ring when student leaders and potential UT students are confronted with the reality of the University’s systemic racism." President Larry Faulkner recently held a meeting in which he listened to their complaints and offered suggestions for improving the situation. Still, some students argue that much more must be done to make the campus inviting for minority students. All of this seems intriguing in light of the fact that the Supreme Court is about to rule on the use of Affirmative Action in college admissions.
Although there is a possibility that these incidents are actually due to racist feelings among some students, many in the UT community worry that this could all be a manufactured plot to create a racial crisis on campus. Some argue that events such as these have not been in the campus news at all until very recently. Austin Kinghorn, chairman of the Young Conservatives of Texas, reminded students that "Not to long ago an Arab student actually inflicted injuries on himself and claimed he was beaten by white students. He later admitted to doing this, in order to gain support for hate crimes laws." Kinghorn stated that he felt the recent incidents might be intended to draw attention to race issues in America, and to create support for affirmative action.
Other members of the university community stated that they felt racism existed among all ethnic groups, and pointed to the discrimination faced by the Irish, Jews and Chinese in this country. They also argued that the Japanese regime under Emperor Hirohito was notorious not only for its war crimes in Manchuria, but also for its overtly racist views. One further example given was the racism of Islamofascist groups such as al Qaeda, which profess vitriolic hatred for Jews and Americans. Many other students rejected the idea of affirmative action because they felt it was unconstitutional under the fourteenth amendment guaranteeing equal protection under the law. Others noted that the 1964 Civil Rights Act prevents all forms of discrimination based on race or ethnicity.
A few students challenged Curry and other student leaders to provide evidence of racial discrimination. Many felt that since students of all ethnicities had been stopped and asked for their identification, claims of racial profiling were unfounded. Statements such as these were met with name-calling and personal attacks. Bringing up an argument such as this has caused a few students who expressed their opinions in The Daily Texan to be labeled "racists" and "bigots."
Many students see this as an attempt to stifle meaningful discussion and debate about a very serious issue. They say that when engaging in debate with radical students who resort to name calling, they refrain from asking tough questions about the real reasons behind small numbers of minority UT students. One student said that he recently asked a black student to explain the sub par academic performance of blacks as compared to the exemplary performance of Asian-Americans. Immediately the black student threw out the epithet, "racist", and walked out of the room. The same thing occurred to a student that suggested that society cannot afford a diverse workforce if it means sub par performance in fields involving life and death. He gave an example of the health care industry, arguing that if some medical students were allowed to get into medical school with lower standards, then it could be very dangerous for their future patients. This student was met with the same label as the first, and left the room discouraged by the discussion.
Until a real discussion can be had between proponents and opponents of affirmative action, a solution to the complex problem will not be determined. Fear of making important arguments that may be misconstrued as racist stifles positive discussion on this matter. Americans will only be able to solve real problems afflicting our society when we are able to allow all opinions to be examined with equal scrutiny. Dr. King would probably be appalled at the behavior of those who use the stifling weapon of "political correctness" to limit acceptable arguments in an academic debate about racial issues.