Comments on: College denies diversity?

By: kw237335

kw237335 — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:09:42 +0000

This post struck me as very interesting. I, too, am not used to seeing such blatant forms or racism because I have been so focused on picking up on cues of aversive racism. So this post shocked me at first. But it also reminded me that blatant racism still does exist. While I think that people may feel the same way as this letter suggest, I also think that people would also try to be outraged by the letter because people would claim that they disagree because they are not racist and they think everyone should be equal and should be allowed into the school.

By: Michela

Michela — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:49:21 +0000

I too have focused so much on all the implicit and “modern” forms of racism that I forget that overt racism still exists. I’ve come to realize that although overt racism is not as persistent as it has been in the past, it’s not entirely because of progress. However, I think the approach to racism has drastically changed. With overt racism no longer being “socially acceptable” I think it’s slowly started to morph into ways that are more acceptable. I think the most prevalent one is stereotype jokes. When I hear them, I automatically think about why the individual thinks it’s appropriate to say that and I’m always met with the answer: “it’s a joke. I wasn’t being serious; I’m not racist!” Although we can distinguish between the different types, I think when reflecting on the class there really is more of a connection between the types of racisms than we realize.

By: nashkrod

nashkrod — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:24:41 +0000

I wish there had been more media coverage of the Anne Spurzem letter. I think it certainly would’ve stirred up controversy, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. At the same time I don’t think it could lead to change without people taking the time to talk about the article and its implications.

I find it to be interesting that the link has since been removed from its place on the Smithsophian website, supposedly because of bandwidth restrictions. I had to find the letter other ways. A few of my friends and I have a joke that we’d much rather deal with a blatant racist than an aversive racist, because at least we know what we’re getting when we have a blatant racist. Sometimes even the aversive racist doesn’t know that they’re racist, but in the case of a blatant racist, everyone knows what to expect. As far as Anne Spurzem is concerned, I am not quite sure that she realizes what’s wrong with what she’s saying. I think she is holding on really tightly to the idea of meritocracy. She believes that these women of color, international students, and lesbians are taking spots away from White people who deserve them. She’s not unlike the many people who want to keep people out of color out of their neighborhoods and school districts. She alludes to the idea that having these underprivileged groups in college is a “noble social objective,” but she struggles with how that correlates with changing the demographics of her alma mater.

Does racism work on a spectrum? Can we have a moderate aversive racist with an occasional blatant racist tendency? Is it an either or situation?