I have never been sadder to be a Tufts student than when I read Ariana Flores's Viewpoint published yesterday. Titled, "The Truth," she made me ashamed that I ever told people Tufts was a place where intelligence and compassion existed, let alone prospered.
Ms. Flores contends that "the motivation behind this amendment is blatantly fueled by prejudice against gays and people of color." I don't care if she supports or opposes the culture rep amendment, for there are valid points on both sides, and I can respect any informed person on either side of the issue. But for Ms. Flores to pronounce that the motivations behind the amendment, and therefore the individuals who conceived it, are prejudiced and racist is a tragic pronouncement of the fear and hatred that has exploded on this campus.
And even more tragic is if one person makes such a statement, it only leaves to reason how many people must be thinking it.
Beyond a breakdown of intelligent dialogue at Tufts, these hateful words cut deep into the soul of every Tufts student. I know the authors and backers of this amendment personally, as does Ms. Flores, and to state as fact that these honest, dedicated people are motivated by unadulterated hate is unacceptable.
The Viewpoint's blanket accusations of "homophobia" and "racism" are an attempt to bring the issue into abstraction and to cause one to think that the proposed amendment is institutional racism at work. But this is not about an institution, it's about people: a small group of people, who you and I see on a daily basis around campus.
If you're involved in any campus organization, there's a good chance you know some of the amendment's supporters personally. The Viewpoint's vicious personal attacks against these valued community members are not only an affront to their character but also an insult to our intelligence. Any student on campus need only speak to someone behind the "motivation" of the amendment to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he or she is motivated by social justice, not prejudice.
At worst, even if you hate this amendment, you would surely realize that the divide boils down to a philosophical question of perspectives on democracy. Neither end of that spectrum deserves the despicable language used in the Viewpoint.
My lament to students is how did we let this happen? Where are all the thinking members of our community, of all ethnicities and religions? While there is racism and intolerance in our world, as well as in our daily lives, we must not be so caught up in our fight that we look our adversaries in the face but do not see them - rather only seeing some appearance of opposition. People with hate and fear boiling out of their hearts and bodies have taken that appearance and twisted and manipulated into an evil they think they can convince students is fitting of the label of racist.
To all reasonable students, I implore you to remember that regardless of which side of this divide that you stand on, those on the other side are not hateful extremists. They are your fellow Tufts students, and just like you they deserve respect and fairness. My hope is that both individuals who support and oppose Amendment III will stand up and denounce bigoted statements as exactly that.
Matthew Kane is a junior majoring in economics.
