Vernon Robinson has sparked a remarkable amount of discussion on campus recently, thanks in large part to the provocative advertisements that foretold his arrival. The speech was boycotted by the College Democrats and other students had condemned Robinson as an "Uncle Tom." Members of the faculty were furiously denouncing him in class. A week later, Robinson actually arrived on campus.
Robinson is obviously a lightning rod of controversy. I believe that any criticism he receives for his combative approach is both fair and valid. I wish he had been able to articulate some of his views more clearly. I also wish that he had discussed education in more detail.
However, much of the criticism against Robinson has been sadly predictable. Opponents responded to his race, his party affiliation, and his website's catchphrases. Most of the criticism included short quotes without his explanation that went with them. How anti-intellectual!
It has been the unofficial policy of many students on this campus to get offended first, write angry emails and letters, boycott and/or protest, and then wonder what exactly happened afterwards. The clearest example of this action was that Robinson was labeled an "Uncle Tom" by one student as soon as advertisements came out. What does that mean? "Uncle Tom," as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, is, "a black person who is regarded as being humiliatingly subservient or deferential to white people."
Who are these "white people," exactly? Based on his extremely conservative views, I would imagine that many white people disagree vehemently with Robinson. Calling him an "Uncle Tom" suggests that white people are a singular entity, diametrically opposed to the will of black people. This is not a message of peace, but of complete and unequivocal discord between races.
This label comes as no surprise to me. I am a skinny white kid from suburban Massachusetts that needs SPF-65 to keep from getting a sunburn in the dark, so I am not going to pretend that I know what it is like to be a black person. However, I have noticed since arriving at Bowdoin that issues of race are extremely sensitive. In fact, it is almost as if there is a gag order of political correctness keeping honest discussion under wraps.
I believe I am one of many students, faculty, and staff on campus who is confused as to why Vernon Robinson is a "sellout." After all, he has dedicated his life to improving the education of black high schoolers in North Carolina?he just has a conservative approach to the problem. Bill Cosby has faced the same criticism since he began making speeches and traveling to schools around the country and meeting with them on how to improve. This is "selling out?" Trying to help?
Robinson and Cosby have both been called "Uncle Toms" for their actions, and many people who are not black who agree with them are scared to do so publicly because of the political correctness backlash. Agreeing with their solutions, like I do most of the time, is enough to be called a racist. And people wonder why there is not a more clear dialogue about race on campus? That label is not only social suicide, but it is practically a campus blacklist.
And for what reason? Trying to find alternative solutions to commonly understood problems? Unfortunately, many on this campus who preach open-mindedness are only open-minded when they agree with the person. When an alternative perspective (conservative, in most cases) is given, they are quick to break out the "insensitive" or "Uncle Tom" labels, and the discussion is effectively over.
So, I'll try to clear the air. I am a conservative, and I want to see our country succeed. I believe we all have equal rights, equal opportunity, and that we should all be held up to the same standards. I believe that the idea of moral relativism is corrosive. I believe that discipline has been replaced with an over-emphasis on self-esteem and self-expression among our youth, who are now taught to question authority before they understand it. Personal responsibility is looked at as old-fashioned. Strong family values are under attack, and our public schools are overregulated by lawyers and school boards. I believe pop culture, consumerism, and sex are becoming our state religion.
These problems are facing us as a country, not as African Americans, European Americans, Asian Americans, etc. We are all simply Americans. If we are to unite and fix them together, we will need to look at all ideas openly, discuss them, and find the best solutions. I hope that in the future, we will be more intellectual in our discourse on campus, and that we can learn from this experience.