Epstein is a third-year communications student.
By Adam Epstein
An expansive, largely populated university such as UCLA gives
students many hands-on opportunities to hone social skills ““
life skills that one cannot learn in the classroom or off a sheet
of lecture notes. One such skill, the ability to analyze and make
conscientious judgments of a situation or chance meeting, is of the
utmost importance.
It appears, though, that some people take this skill to a
zealous extreme. “Warning! You are now entering the
Over-Analyzed Zone. Be aware that anything you say, do, think,
infer, promote, eat or wear could be taken to be offensive, whether
you mean it or not. Sure, we know that there was no malice behind
anything you were trying to do, but we don’t care!”
This trend of itchy-trigger-fingered whistle-blowing could not
be more eloquently displayed than in Brighid Dwyer’s
passionate article chastising current USAC President Elizabeth
Houston (“USAC
president shows bias in event promotion,” Daily Bruin, Feb.
22).
According to Dwyer, Houston’s act of inviting an African
American male to participate in a scholarship-raising basketball
tournament showed not only a “lack of experience and
understanding,” but gave Dwyer a deep and profound insight
into Houston’s personality and moral fiber, showing “a
part of who Houston really is.”
Dwyer goes on to discuss how Houston further incriminated
herself by not offering the women in Dwyer’s group the same
invitation to participate in the tournament, displaying
“another bias ““ this one against a woman’s
ability to play basketball.”
According to Dwyer, Houston’s actions show she is a leader
deeply out of touch with the student body as well as important
issues of diversity as a whole. Give me a break.
Is it possible that all Houston was doing by passing out the
flyer was just that ““ passing out a flyer ““ and nothing
more? I too am strongly opposed to racial stereotyping and social
typecasting. I would wager that President Houston would agree with
my sentiments. However, this is not the issue at hand.
It is a sad fact that stereotyping persists, even at such
prestigious institutions as UCLA. It is equally unfortunate that
trivial incidents and actions that occurred with no hidden agenda
nor deep-set unconscious motives are over-analyzed to the point of
absurdity
God forbid that Houston walks “clear across Bruin
Walk” to offer an African American man a flyer to participate
in a fundraising tournament. How dare she take initiative to get
people involved!
I participated in the USAC-sponsored 3-on-3 tournament that
Houston promoted. If Dwyer had gotten over her initial shock and
dismay and ventured to take a look at the tournament, she would
have seen players of all races, colors, and levels of athletic
skills in full force, engaging in the type of diversity and
intercultural mingling that is vitally needed at UCLA. Jewish
players wearing yarmulkes were playing against African American
opponents, who had just finished playing in other games composed of
Asian Americans, Latinos, whites and Middle Eastern students.
I imagine that at some point, Houston or another member of her
promotional staff had approached each and every one of these
individuals and asked if they wanted to play in the tournament.
This had nothing to do with typecasting, it had nothing to do with
insensitivity, and it most certainly had nothing to do with our
student body president’s ability as a leader.
Just as it is time to put long-held prejudices behind us, it is
likewise the time to stop nit-picking people’s actions,
finding offensive undertones and insensitive motives in minor,
inconsequential behaviors. There is no need to view all
interactions under a microscope, to over-analyze situations ad
nauseam. This scrutiny leads to less understanding between people,
along with more tension.
If I ask an Asian American friend to help me with my math
homework, it is not because he or she is Asian American. I’m
just asking because I need somebody to help me with my homework. If
I ask a Latino friend to show me how to make a margarita, it not
because he is Latino. It’s only because I want to make a
margarita. Sometimes (shock) there are no hidden motives!
Dwyer herself typecasts in her article. How can one incident
paint a picture of a person, or even a part of their personality?
Isn’t that the essence of stereotyping? Isn’t this what
Dwyer claims to be against in the first place?
There is a saying among those who have studied Sigmund Freud,
quite possibly the all-time master of over-analyzing (in a sexual
context): “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.” Well
maybe, just maybe, sometimes a flyer is just a flyer.