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I could illustrate this by recounting last year's
shockingly sexist "Rice Women Are Like ... " piece in detail, but in order to
save space I'll refrain from doing so. If offending people in this way were
indeed a seemingly dumb, yet truly honest, mistake, I would be understanding,
but the fact that it happens so often (and almost always seems to target women)
indicates to me that the invocation of the First Amendment is being used more
as a dodging technique rather than as a sincere protection of rights.
Speaking of rights, why weren't Fine's rights considered before the "Trasher" was published? Didn't she have a right to retain her dignity and community acceptance? At a campus where about 10 percent of people's everyday speech seems to consist of the word "obvious," you'd think the concepts of kindness and respect would be easy to grasp. Many people thought that Fine's decision to file a formal and public complaint over the "Trasher" piece was ludicrous, but we need only place ourselves in Fine's shoes in order to understand her actions. Would she have received the apology that she did -- or, indeed, an apology in any form -- had it not been sent out under threat of suspension? I doubt it. Fine's course of action may have seemed drastic, but she was probably painfully aware that it was the only way she would get any justice. The "do unto others" rule may seem like a cliché to many, but I have yet to meet a person who could come up with an argument against it. I hope that the Rice community will in the future do a better job of following it and that people will cease to be silent on this issue. Raj Wahi Wiess '99
This item appeared in the Opinion section of the September 26, 1997 issue. |
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