Thursday, November 20, 1997
Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
Pain of auction made its point
Thumbs up to an idea used in a history class at West High School
in Torrance, which depicted the cruelty of slavery through a mock
slave auction. The auction was meant to express the indignity of
slavery, and it apparently worked when a 15-year-old student was
brought to tears during the "role-playing exercise." Although the
student’s mother claimed the exercise was racially insensitive and
the teacher should drop the presentation, she seems to have missed
the point – that racism is powerful and painful.
FAA ‘profiles’ fit specific targets
Thumbs down to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for
unfairly targeting certain racial groups during terrorist
inspections. On July 10, Lawrence Boze, an African American
attorney and former president of the National Bar Association was
unexpectedly escorted away by security and detained by airline
representatives who told him that he "matched the profile" of a
suspected terrorist. The NAACP and the American Civil Liberties
Union charge that what happened to Boze has occurred on a regular
and increasingly frequent basis to African Americans and Arab
Americans. They argue that the FAA-mandated security checks
unfairly target certain ethnic groups. The FAA claims the checks
are a necessary part of fighting terrorism and the procedure is
random.
Way to make
a statement
Thumbs down to the Saybrook, Ill., chapter of the Lions Club,
which recently awarded a girl first prize for her costume of a Ku
Klux Klan member during Halloween festivities. Participants said
her outfit contained swastikas and patches that read "kill them
all" and "white power." Although the girl claimed that her costume
was meant to be a statement against racism, it was about as
effective as killing someone to make a statement against murder.
The club issued an apology after receiving criticism.
Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down represents a majority opinion of the Daily
Bruin Editorial Board. Send comments to [email protected].