Scott is a political science student.
By Sarah Scott
What I read the other day was a particularly disturbing piece by
Ben Shapiro (“Diversity classes carry bias, fail to promote
awareness,” Daily Bruin, Viewpoint, Sept. 24). The column is
so bad that it borders on comedic but in the end, his misguided and
presumptuous beliefs were not funny, but offensive.
Ben, let’s talk this one out. You’re going to have
to drop the idea that diversity is only a platform for the
propagation of leftist ideals. No one expects you to march in
pro-choice rallies.
Diversity in the education curriculum is an opportunity to
promote human awareness ““ more specifically, awareness of
those humans, cultures and individuals that have been typically
left out of mainstream education.
Now if you came to UCLA wanting to learn nothing more than what
you came with, then I welcome you to step on out. The point of
promoting diversity in education is to expand the minds of each and
every individual, whether they be an engineering, philosophy or
women’s studies student.
If you came to UCLA wanting to learn nothing more than what you
came with … step on out.
You should be careful who you speak for. I’m sure there
are gay engineering students in this school who would feel relieved
and excited about taking a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
studies course. And there may be a Chinese-American biology student
who would be thrilled to learn more about their ancestry and
culture.
Diversity in the GE curriculum could be a welcome avenue for
many students to explore an area they are personally interested in
learning more about.
You should take a minority studies course before you judge the
focus and objectives of the professors teaching these courses. Not
all African-American studies courses will promote, or even discuss
reparations or affirmative action. And if they did, I would imagine
an opinionated person would welcome the opportunity to hear this
new viewpoint and determine for himself whether he should take
notes or protest the class.
If you aren’t bold enough to challenge or engage the
professor and the material, does that mean the rest of us
shouldn’t have the opportunity to do so either? That is your
conclusion when you claim that it’s a great thing we
don’t have a diversity component in the GE curriculum.
And, it is “women’s studies,” not
“feminist education.” As a woman, I can take a course
on the history of women in the United States and not be a feminist.
So can you.
I can take that course out of interest, to understand the role
of women in the making of our country. I do not have to burn my bra
or blame every man that dares enter the room for the hardships
endured by women of the past.
Give me a break. You obviously have not bothered to take a
women’s studies course either. You assume males will be
uncomfortable and you assume that there is an agenda behind
women’s studies other than education, which means you
don’t respect women’s studies or take it seriously.
Any serious thinker would know that your comment, “many
feminist ideals are blatantly anti-male” is completely wrong
and uneducated. It is that kind of close-minded thinking that made
it so hard for women and minorities to earn their rightful places
in textbooks, universities and history.
Your lack of understanding and assumptions about diversity
education are exactly why every student should take at least one
course that requires critical analysis and thinking about a
subject, group, culture or truth of history that they are
unfamiliar with.
“All the sensitivity required in the workplace is the
wherewithal not to use racial slurs in the office.” Say what?
Yeah, teach that to your kids someday. It is okay to maintain
prejudice and stereotypes about people, but it is not okay to voice
those opinions in front of those same people.
Come on now!
You claim that the current system at UCLA reflects reason and
that “diversity” could lead to “”¦campus
reason fall(ing) with it.” What are you so afraid of? No one
said that the math department was going to be closed down in order
to build a gay and lesbian center.
Let’s talk about reason. It is reasonable to learn about
the cultures and peoples of the world, the oppression of women and
minorities in our world (in order to prevent a cycle of such), and
the experiences of those who are different from us. Ignorance is
what is unreasonable.
I’ve heard that ignorance is bliss, but I know that it
leads to violence, prejudice, resentment and hostility.
If the “liberal agenda” is attempting to eradicate
these ills from our society, then I’m for it. But for now,
I’ll appreciate the purpose of diversity in education and
hope that UCLA grows to accept it in its GE curriculum. Doing so
will show all of us that we are welcome here, that we are important
to the world, important to each other, and that we can grow
together through education.