Two weeks ago, I spent 15 minutes creating and posting several flyers in my dorm parodying the poster of a fellow classmate who was running for a seat on the Tufts Community Union Senate. There was no malicious intent. I spoke with a resident assistant and agreed to remove the flyers in the morning. However, the flyer was taken out of Hill Hall and made its way around campus. Some were offended. I first apologized to the creator of the poster that I mocked, and then anonymously attended the Asian American Alliance's September Bubble Tea Chat; I was interested to hear the views of those that disagreed with what I had done. I did not anticipate the polarizing effect my flyer would have on campus. While it is true the poster was a statement of my views, I did not post the flyer with the presumptuous intent to send a message to the community or the ridiculous notion that I simply wanted to gain attention.
While I believe it is a non-issue, for the record, I am a Korean immigrant and I distinctly remember learning a new language, assimilating into an unfamiliar culture and weathering years of harassment and denigration. I understand why my fellow Asian Americans, as well as other minority groups on campus, are upset. Some, including the director of the Asian American Center at Tufts, have insinuated that I turned white inside, that I am a lost or confused Asian — that I am internalizing racism as a result of having lived in a community with a white majority. I take no offense to this understandable, although mistaken, reaction. I am not ashamed of where I came from, who I am or what I look like — and I respectfully disagree with anyone who says otherwise.
I consider my background a non-issue because the motives behind the flyer and the person posting the flyer should not matter. What difference does it make if a black person, a white person or a purple person posted my flyer? What difference does it make if the person who posted my flyer had squinty eyes, big lips or a large nose? The physical appearance, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity and race of an individual are irrelevant to being able to openly pronounce one's beliefs or values — regardless of their nature. While some see this as a controversy about the issue of political correctness or racism, I discern this as the ability to freely express one's thoughts without fear of ostracism or castigation.
Cultural groups have the right to send a dozen emails to the entire Tufts community denouncing me as a racist Asian dehumanizer. Administrators have the right to condemn my actions. Offended peers have the right to call me a "Twinkie," and the newspapers have the right to call me insensitive and foolish. I respect their views, and I encourage them to continue to express themselves however they wish, in whatever medium they choose, for as long as they want. They have that right. But I also have the right — along with everyone else on campus, so long as it remains within the law — to express whatever views I may hold at my discretion.
I am not here at Tufts to champion the issue of political correctness or foster discussions on race relations. I am here for a Tufts education. That being said, if I happen upon an opportunity to express or advocate for a personal or political principle that I feel strongly about, I will not hesitate to do so. I have always done so in the past, and I will continue to do so in the future. I call upon my peers to do the same.
As students in an institution of higher learning, we should not be discouraged from speaking our minds — regardless of the subject — for fear of repercussions from peers, disownment from cultural groups or punitive measures from the administration. It is my view that, as a society, we should develop a thicker skin for the greater good — to be able to laugh at ourselves and poke fun at others in good humor.
Similar to how pouring salt water on a wound hurts initially but helps the wound to scab over and heal faster, discussions about race, or any other sensitive issue, may sting one's ego or elicit caustic memories in the short term. However, over time, it is the only way to make progress, as the delicate issue at hand will not remain in stasis but be openly discussed in public discourse — educating the uneducated, informing the uninformed and leading the misled to a more tolerant and amicable society.
I encourage my peers to not get offended by things they know aren't true, and if they are true, to accept them as such. I ask that the faculty foster discussion without squelching or deterring any views they personally oppose. And finally, I call upon the student government and administration to allow students to work out their differences in a transparent forum without resorting to penal measures which amount to nothing more than temporary solutions to a larger communal matter of contention. We should never be afraid to engage in — and even prompt — frank discussion through words or actions some may see as offensive, controversial or even wrong.
At times we may disagree with what one of us has to say, but here as a community at Tufts, we must defend above all else the right to say it.
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In-Goo Kwak is a freshman majoring in international relations. He is a candidate running for the open seat on the Committee on Student Life.
