To the Editor:
The Tribe 8 controversy that Oberlin has faced the last few weeks should have been an open-shut case. Considering Oberlin's reputation for openness and tolerance, even the notion of restricting certain forms of expression seems ridiculous. The administration and General Faculty can do what they want, add a naysayer to Concert Board, have Associate Dean [Joe] DiChristina's people conduct background checks on the prospective "offenders," but they can't in good conscience prohibit or restrict expression of any kind in Oberlin, case closed.
All the same, there was something infinitely more disturbing going on outside the GF meeting that Tuesday afternoon. When I arrived, there were about 150 people wearing bands around their mouths in protest, all but ten of whom left for some reason shortly thereafter. I remained with a few friends, eager to find out how the GF would resolve the issue. While standing in the hall, I began to talk quietly with some friends about the meeting, before being "shhh'd" by about four people waiting nearby. I continued to talk quietly, seeing as the door to the lecture hall was shut anyway, but was repeatedly "shhh'd" further. When I asked why I was being told not to speak, a woman responded, "We're trying to respect the meeting and not disturb them." Does it seem, oh, a wee bit ironic that I was told to shut up seeing that I was in a public place protesting possible freedom of speech infringements? Hello?
When the last major all-campus controversy afflicted Oberlin, the now-infamous (or is it long-forgotten) Arch incident, I was appalled at the shallowness of student reaction. When chemicals to remove the offensive graffiti were ineffective due to November cold, security threw a sheet over it for a few days. This was perceived by some as "See? The Administration `covering up' the problem," an actual quote that made me feel ill. In psychology that is called an "illusory correlation," i.e. two things that make a nice fit, but actually are apples and oranges. Any real resolution of that problem was thus thwarted, yielding instead to superficial, thrown-together protests (shoutfests, really) and juvenile, third-grade politics.
Each time Oberlin has confronted a serious problem since I've been here, I've continuously seen intelligent and activist students toss their reason, sensibilities and understanding out the window in favor of polarized, shallow partisan-ship. It's time we stop racing to our respective groups for support and start thinking a little before we say something stupid
Copyright © 1996, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 125, Number 11; December 6, 1996
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