Ad insulting to people of all races
On Friday, March 9, the Wildcat printed an ad titled "Ten Reasons Why Reparations for Slavery is a Bad Idea - And Racist Too," written by David Horowitz, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture. The ad had a hidden meaning, and every point had a flaw. It was insulting to black Americans as well as people of all races.
Our modern day racism against blacks, and the former days of slavery, are interrelated. It has been only two years since the UAPD beat up a black honors engineering student from Africa. It has been less than two decades when Arizona had a racist governor, Evan Mecham, who called black American activists "cotton pickers." That racist term refers to black slaves and post civil war black servants who used to work on cotton fields.
On the other hand, we have a former Wildcat editor, Christine Gamarcha, who claims the Wildcat stands for free speech when it published the ad. How is it free speech when a rich person like David Horowitz can buy a whole page on the issue?
It is true that black Americans are better off than their black counterparts in Africa. Yet it should not be forgotten that Africa once had great flourishing kingdoms, when Europe was in the Dark Ages, and the United States did not even exist.
Whether we like it, the United States cannot cleanse its history of slavery similar to Germany, which cannot cleanse itself of the Holocaust. We should all learn lessons from these acts of human oppression and make sure these events never happen again. At least Germany is making an effort to teach its children about concentration camps in their nation, while no Tucson elementary school knows of a Japanese Detention camps near Tucson, or that even water fountains were divided between whites and blacks.
It is sad that people who have money own more of the "Free Speech Pie" while the poor barely have a slice of that so-called free speech. Forgetting our mistakes is the first step to a downfall. Being proud of forgetting the mistakes is the threat to our society's future.
Black Americans have suffered during slavery, post-civil war segregation, and now they're disrespected and neglected as if nothing ever happened to their ancestors.
Ahmad Saad Nasim
general business senior
Reparations ad not racist
The letters to the editor in yesterday's Wildcat sure contained the word "racism" a lot. That is a really strong word. April Huff tossed it out many times towards David Horowitz's ad, which had to be the furthest thing from racist in this whole reparations debate. It presented the historical facts about slavery and logical reasons why reparations are wrong. But because this disagrees with Huff's view, that means it's racist (and by the way, Huff never stated any reasons why the article was racist, just that it was).
Just like if you oppose affirmative action, you must be racist. For such a strong word, it is thrown around by anyone who believes in the left's view on the issue like it is nothing. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said in his famous speech that his dream was to see "people judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Reparations for slavery and affirmative actions judge people solely on the color of their skin. How it is that opposing programs that give one race benefits over another based solely on their skin color makes you a racist, I will never understand.
Anthony W. Nelson
criminal justice sophomore
Cellar staying put despite construction
It has been reported that the beloved Cellar of the Memorial Student Union will be destroyed during spring break. I am writing to say that this claim was made prematurely. Since construction of the new student union began, the powers that be have been warning of the impending destruction of this cherished hangout and performance venue; however, that date upon which this destruction was to take place has been repeatedly pushed back. Groups like Comedy Corner and the Charles Darwin Experience have been left in a state of limbo trying to find new performance space but having difficulty because of the uncertainty of the date when it would be needed.
Now, another reprise has been granted. Just after the Wildcat printed the article stating the Cellar would be torn down during the break, our producer received word that the space would remain open for the rest of the semester. For the first time in my years at the UA, I am thrilled that this university does business with people who can't get anything done on time. Now loyal comedy connoisseurs can still see Comedy Corner every Friday at noon in the Cellar and not have to find humor residing in some temporary storage facility. The wonderful ambiance of the Cellar and the laughter that echoes off its walls will stick around for a little while longer. So come one, come all, and enjoy this place while you still can.
Jeff Koester
Director, Comedy Corner
sociology senior
