Political correctness

[CTho9305]

In the April Fool's edition of CMU's school paper there was a comic which included a racial slur. (I won't post it because I know some idiot will be offended... or claim to be.) How much can you possibly care about one racial slur? There are two ways to look at it: 1. the writer is ignorant, and you're better than him/her or 2. the writer knows that only ignorant people use such words, and was trying to be funny in a stupid way (laugh at idiots... Dumb and Dumber, etc). Am I the only one who thinks that this is going a bit far over one stupid comic?

To our readers and the campus community at large,

On Thursday, The Tartan published our annual April Fool's Day edition, called The Natrat. In it, a comic was published which referred to African-Americans in a derogatory and insulting way. The Tartan finds this incident deplorable and in no way does it represent the official opinion of The Tartan's staff.
During the production of The Natrat, the comic in question was not part of the normal production process and I did not see it before publication. Unlike The Tartan, The Natrat is produced on a volunteer basis and is not subject to our usual procedures. We are investigating the incident and cooperating fully with Carnegie Mellon's administration at this time.
All visible copies of The Natrat are being removed from campus distribution points. We feel that in our negligence, we have let the campus community down and apologize for doing so. The Tartan remains committed to serving as Carnegie Mellon's first and foremost student-run news source.
I will be attending the rally which has been planned for tomorrow to address the concerns of the campus community.

Sincerely,
Alexander Meseguer
Editor-in-Chief
The Tartan

Dear Members of the Student Community:

I am writing to ensure that we are all informed of various developments on the campus over the past week.

The aftermath of the Natrat has included sadness and outrage, as well as engagement and hope. It has included a real investment by many members of the campus, including students, faculty, staff, alumni and others, of which we should all be proud. I am very disappointed to report that it has also included the writing of a racial epithet on a campus political poster, a profound breech of the standards of this community at the most fundamental level. Passions have run high, as they should, as issues of human decency, respect, personal freedoms and governance are critical to us all. It is essential in the coming weeks and months that we stay positively engaged, that we talk, discuss, and work through these issues, while keeping our shared respect for one another intact. We must not tolerate any act of harassment or incitement, as it can only serve to harm individuals and to impede our progress and emergence, stronger than ever, from these edifying and important times.

There have been many discussions and debates in the past week, in hallways, residence halls, classrooms and homes. There have been two student-generated forums that have been well attended. We are establishing five additional forums for the campus community over the coming three weeks. These are scheduled as follows:

Monday, April 12 7:30-9:00 pm McKenna/Peter
Tuesday, April 20 7:30-9:00 pm Doherty 2210
Friday, April 23 4:30-6:00 pm Connan Room
Tuesday, April 27 4:30-6:00 pm Rangos 3
Wednesday, April 28 5:30-7:00 pm McKenna/Peter

While each will have a slightly distinct focus, all will offer an opportunity for continued discussion, engagement and action planning. We will advertise these throughout the campus and we welcome your participation in any or all of them.

The Commission established by the President to review these matters will be announced shortly. I have asked John Hannon, Director of Student Development, and Daniel Gilman, President of Student Government, to co-chair this group. The commission, though necessarily limited in size, will actively engage all members of the community in this process.

While I have experienced an array of emotions in the past week, chief among them are pride and appreciation for the depth of commitment and caring from all of you, and this is a foundation that will serve us all as we move forward.

Sincerely,

Michael Murphy
Dean of Student Affairs

 

[MartyMcFly3]

Wow. Thats pretty hardcore for an apparantly offensive comic. I'd have to see it to get a better view of the situation, but even so, holding all those forums about it is insane. That first letter from the newspaper should be the end of it. They apologized. Enough said.

 

[her209]

Riot, riot!!!

 

[gopunk]

these two look happy

 

[shimsham]

how ridiculous. people need to quit being such whiny pussies.