See, Some Free Speech is Just Offensive

This is the second time that I've heard of a race-based pricing bake sale (and, according to the article, the fifth one to be staged), I believe that this is the first one that I've heard of that was shut down. If, as the director says, this was an issue of safety, not free speech, then the University has an obligation to punish those who made the event unsafe--because those people were truly trampling on the rights of the Young Conservatives of Texas to protest in a non-violent manner.

But let me say something: these bake sales are offensive--and they should be.

Southern Methodist University shut down a bake sale Wednesday in which cookies were offered for sale at different prices, depending on the buyer's race or gender.

The sale was organized by the Young Conservatives of Texas, who said it was intended as a protest of affirmative action.

A sign said white males had to pay $1 for a cookie. The price was 75 cents for white women, 50 cents for Hispanics and 25 cents for blacks.

The answer from one of the protestors intrigued me.

Matt Houston, a 19-year-old sophomore, called the group's price list offensive.

"My reaction was disgust because of the ignorance of some SMU students," said Houston, who is black. "They were arguing that affirmative action was solely based on race. It's not based on race. It's based on bringing a diverse community to a certain organization."

Actually, affirmative action is race and gender based and was designed to address inequities in a white society that had traditionally held certain priveleges that were denied to non-whites and women. That is, in essence, what the concept of "diversity" in this usage means, in fact--any suggestion otherwise is a bit humorous.

I think what would be better explored, though, is why a non-white student might find race-based entry requirements to a school acceptable, but race-based pricing for a cookie offensive. I find the underlying concept behind both offensive, in all honesty: in one, the assumption is that a black person (or woman or latino, for instance) can't compete academically with a white male, in the other, the assumption is that the black person (or woman or latino, for instance) can't compete with a white male economically.

These race-based bake sales are illustrative of an attitude that has been institutionalized in much of higher ed: that non-white and female students have to be given special priveleges and dispensations to be able to compete with their white male counterparts. The fact that it raises such tensions with the mere mention of it should be deeply significant.

And, yes, just as offensive as race-based hiring, entry requirements or exclusions.

Read the story.

Posted by zombyboy at September 25, 2003 08:16 AM | TrackBack