Monday, October 19, 1998
OK, go ahead, blame the white man
RACE: Columnist’s ideas about responsibility hide truth
underlying problem
By Eric Giovanola
I feel that I must respond to Daniel Inlender’s article, ‘Don’t
blame the white man for your troubles’ (Viewpoint, Oct. 14). He
begins under the guise that it is an article about coming together
to fight the injustices in this world. It becomes clear, however,
that he is supporting conservative viewpoints that also happen to
be held by many of the same people who are to blame for these
injustices.
He begins with an ‘I told you so’ attitude toward women and
feminism, saying that women are failing in the use of their
(relatively) newfound freedom. I got flashbacks of Dan Quayle
criticizing ‘Murphy Brown’ for portraying single mothers. How did
women ‘fall desperately short’? The self-reliance and determination
it takes to raise a family and have a career is admirable, in both
women and men  and women did not fall short at all.
Inlender next discusses the AIDS epidemic, saying, ‘Some claim
that Silence = Death, as if verbalizing our thoughts and discussing
issues pertaining to ‘safe sex’ is actually going to prevent the
spread of this deadly disease.’ He insinuates that repression and
abstinence are the paths to take. This is ridiculous.
We need more discussion, not less. We need to educate people
about the risks involved with sex and about the truth to diseases
such as AIDS. The fact that people still think you can ‘catch’ AIDS
if an infected person breathes on you only proves my point.
Abstinence is the safest route, but it is also an idealistic
one. We cannot expect everyone to stop having sex. We can, however,
educate people so that they engage in responsible sex. It seems
hypocritical that a country that publicizes its president’s sexual
escapades is so touchy about passing out condoms in schools.
Promiscuous sex is only a problem because it is performed unsafely,
regardless of moral issues.
Inlender’s opinion of welfare and affirmative action is a
classic example of conservative thinking by those who oppose these
institutions.
It’s like he plagiarized the Republican handbook or
something.
Welfare is not perfect, and people do abuse it, but this is true
of most things; welfare is necessary in our society. A lot of
people seem to think that people who are on welfare enjoy it and do
everything they can to stay on it. They don’t realize that welfare
pays very little, and that it is a very humbling existence. The
majority of people on welfare would much rather be in steady jobs,
supporting themselves rather than relying on others. Sometimes,
however, this is just not possible, and we can and should be
helping these people out.
In attacking affirmative action, Inlender fails to see the
complexity of the issue. He can deny the ‘white man’s’
responsibility all he wants, but the fact remains that the United
States is largely controlled by white males.
To paraphrase an article I recently read, whites in general (and
white males more specifically) enjoy certain privileges simply by
virtue of being white. For instance, when white people are hired
for a job, they are not immediately suspected of having been hired
simply because of their race. Ideally, we would all enjoy the same
benefits, but that situation does not exist yet. Although
affirmative action may not be the ideal way to operate, and hurts
both sides in certain ways, it is too easy to simply dismiss it and
say it is not the fault of white people.
Daniel Inlender has written a misleading and narrow-minded
article. By beginning and ending with cries of, ‘We’re all in it
together!’ he has veiled the fact that he is simply diverting
blame. He says, ‘It is time for individuals … to take
responsibility for their own actions and not make scapegoats out of
their fellow human beings.’
If Inlender is so against blaming people, what is he doing
blaming feminists, the promiscuous, welfare recipients and
minorities for society’s ills?
He hypocritically refuses to do what he asks of others: take
responsibility. White folks have a lot of responsibility in this
society, and must accept it along with their privileges.
Minority? No. I am white male also.
Giovanola is a second-year design student.
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