I wish to make note of the blatant racism shown in Loren Williams’ “The Survival of the Fittest for Dummies” article (Daily Nexus, March 30) published in Tuesday’s issue. His expressed belief that the United States needs fewer Caucasians is a clear example of the double standards that exist with racism in society today.
While the national media often speaks of the crimes committed against any of the various non-white ethnic groups, statistics from an FBI report and numerous other sources indicate that 90 percent of the victims of interracial crimes are white. Recall any of the times that you watched a television news program or read a local or national newspaper. Were any of these crimes reported? Of course not. The media would rather ignore these cases and instead focus on the white man in the role of “evil-doer” and “minority abuser.” Michael Moore’s Stupid White Men became the top-selling nonfiction book of 2002, was on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year and has been translated into 24 different languages and transferred to audio cassettes. Clearly, the notion that the white population is harmful to the well-being of non-whites is something many people agree with. Let’s imagine someone writing a book entitled “Stupid Hispanics.” The Left media would fiercely call it racist, and they’d be absolutely correct. So why isn’t a book about the stupidity of American Caucasians similarly considered racist?
The comparatively low success rate among some non-white groups as a whole is accounted for by societal oppression and an unwelcoming environment created by the dominant Caucasian population. They call it “institutional racism.” When the education-oriented systems and big businesses look for students and employees, the media and top political voices say that they prefer a white applicant. In the spirit of the pro-white supremacy that these voices claim exists, they willingly established Affirmative Action and diversity programs that all forward the success of struggling non-whites. To be a resident assistant in the student housing system at any given university dormitory, one must undergo intense interrogations to prove his or her ability to understand the ethnic minority mind, regardless of the applicant’s race. Do they not care to understand the Caucasian mind?
As a result of the Civil Rights Movement of the mid-20th century that sought to tear down the remnants of social segregation, the historically white universities began to desperately recruit students of other ethnicities, while the 107 historically black colleges are, to this day, preserved in the name of “diversity.” In 1987, the Affirmative Action officer of the State Insurance Fund of New York issued a company pamphlet, similar to those of many large companies, in which she explained that all whites are racist and that only whites can be. Fortune, a national magazine that publishes rankings of top corporations, often takes into consideration the percentages of non-white employees when deciding how high they score. After even the slightest logical consideration of these and numerous other examples, it’s clear that the non-whites are right: Institutional racism does exist. However, the powers that be, in clear reality, discriminate against the Caucasian race that non-whites claim is dominating the American nation.
I grew up thinking racism and segregation was a dead issue. I’ve come to realize, through the ardent suggestions of the non-white forces, that it’s one of the most lively and unfortunate issues pertaining to modern American society. Recall Williams’ comment that the nation needs fewer Caucasians. Racism like this is unfortunately common and perfectly unacceptable. This isn’t to say the Rodney Kings and other non-white victims of ethnicity-based crimes aren’t valid complaints against the truly racist Caucasians. I don’t wish to dismiss the disgusting prejudice that did and does occur against many of the non-white ethnic groups. I only want to point out that it’s a two-way road. Considering all the wrongs similarly done to all the factions of our diverse nation and our respective struggles, perhaps we should see that we’re all much more similar than we already think.
Patrick Callahan is a sophomore political science major.