<p>I really wish I could answer that myself, but when stuff like this happens every year, you just know that we have some problems that need to be addressed at their roots.</p>
<p>^^^^ i don't think that's necessarily a <em>dartmouth</em> problem, so much as an <em>america</em> or <em>world</em> problem. Clearly this wasn't an incident that stemmed from an individual who, upon coming to D, had all his values changed. </p>
<p>There is a problem in our society in general with dealing with ethnicity and race, and it manifests itself at dartmouth, and, for that matter, pretty much every social arena, on a regular basis.</p>
<p>that being said, i think that this incident was clearly not malicious in intent, and that it was really overblown ... it was a semi-big deal on campus for like ... 2 days ... and then people realized the kid (an '11) was trying to satirize the ridiculous notions of some. It was supposed to be funny. It crossed the line. It was a mistake. There were apologies, and I believe the author's to be sincere. And, to be frank, not really that big of a deal.</p>
<p>I'm not sure of the GGMM association with AD ... it's pretty much just funny, most of the time.</p>
<p>Anyway, to think that this sort of thinking pervades campus is ridiculous, as yanks07 said earlier.</p>
<p>I don't think there's a deep problem with Dartmouth. As a minority I've never felt unwelcome here, and there's hardly a sense of racial unrest or ethnic tensions here -- it's not like people badmouth other ethnic groups or crack racist jokes when backs are turned. The main "problem," if there is one, is just a symptom of the fact that Dartmouth is predominantly white and predominantly upper-class. Most recent racial incidents at Dartmouth have arisen from misunderstandings, not intentional attempts to belittle or mock minorities. The "Hip Hop at the Hood" tempest in a teapot was simply a result of the Hood Museum's interns not realizing the negative connotations the phrase carries -- they just thought it was a cool-sounding way to promote the event. It's exactly the same case with Brothers. The problem isn't that racism flourishes at Dartmouth -- it's that Dartmouth is so insular that we in the Dartmouth bubble sometimes don't realize that one thing which seems pretty funny or cool from one point of view is pretty insulting or stupid from a different point of view. And the only solution to that is more exposure and dialog, really.</p>
<p>Excellent points guys. And johnleemk, high five for the OD posts.</p>
<p>As Ivygate calls it: Let's put to rest this "nontroversy" to rest.</p>
<p>Was it a mistake: Yes
Is what he said offensive: Yes
Is the author an actual racist: No</p>
<p>The truth is, all of my friends who are minorities absolutely love Dartmouth, and have never felt that there was any racism or prejudices against them. The majority of my asian friends weren't even offended. The rest were only offended for the sake of making a statement that racism is bad (which, of course, it is). I didn't even know about it until I came on here, and the rest of my friends only heard about it through the newspaper.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The rest were only offended for the sake of making a statement that racism is bad
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That's an incredibly unfair statement to make.</p>
<p>I was referring to the rest (2) of my asian friends who were offended. Not everybody. (i'm not sure if that was clear)</p>
<p>This was according to what they told me.</p>
<p>Just so you know, some people were actually offended by this (and not just because they felt that racism is bad). The fact that you discounted some of the possibilities stemming from this whole incident is rather problematic.</p>
<p>I didn't and wouldn't discount the possibility that people were offended. I actually said "Is what he said offensive: Yes". All I said is that most of ** my ** asian friends weren't offended. The two who spoke out against it talked with me a bit about the issue. They said that it is more of a problem of setting a bad example, and that not criticizing it would makes it seem that racism or racist jokes are okay (which they are not), even if this situation clearly didn't stem from true racism. They saw this more as an opportunity to address racism in general.</p>
<p>I am simply stating their thoughts, and I didn't discount the fact that other people could be feeling differently. I realize that it would be possible for people to think that I was making a comment about what everyone felt. That is why I stated once again for clarity that I was talking about what my particular friends said.</p>
<p>disclaimer: "I do not necessarily endorse the opinions of my friends. I simply state them."</p>
<p>Getting straight to the brass tacks Dartmoose, you tell me if we'll have moved forward the next time something like this happens (and I almost guarantee you that it will). Listen, I don't know what's going on, and I wish I do. But something fundamental is wrong here, and we need to fix that instead of quelling stuff every time it comes up. Otherwise, we'll continuously find ourselves at square 1, realizing that we've never really changed things.</p>
<p>I've said it before and I'll say it again. The overall reaction to this was even more disappointing than the actual email that was sent out. Just when you think we've moved forward, you realize that we haven't really gone anywhere at all.</p>
<p>You could be right.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Sometimes satire just doesn't work.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's not satire.</p>
<p>Satire is supposed to be 1) humorous and more importantly 2) expose, denounce, etc. a social folly - this does neither and instead, just regurgitates negative Asian stereotypes w/o any constructive attempt in ridiculing those who may actually harbor such views.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this type of crude attempt at satire (particularly aimed at Asians) has been all too common at IL schools and other top educational institutions (i.e. - UVA).</p>
<p>I'm certainly not saying that the author of the e-mail is racist, but just rather ignorant in more ways than one.</p>
<p>and the thing is that satire must be based on some sort of truth to make it powerful and actually funny. that piece didn't contain all that much truth and was very basic and shallow: probably the main reason behind its poor execution.</p>
<p>This is from Dartlog (The Dartmouth Review)</p>
<p>The Apology</p>
<p>About what you'd expect. There is the promise to 'learn as much as I can from this mistake' and similar essentially meaningless gestures in the controversy that never should have been. Will this be the end? </p>
<p>I would like to apologize to the entire Dartmouth community for the offense and harm that I caused by writing the Generic Good Morning Message listserv on Tuesday morning. I was the anonymous GGMM intern cited in the D as "Lozar Theofilactidis," and the words were all mine.</p>
<p>I understand that the message I wrote was very hurtful and insensitive. I know that no apology can make up for the pain I've caused, but I hope that it can be a start. I also know that no matter what justification I can attempt to provide for my actions, I've directly harmed the College, and I'm sorry for that.</p>
<p>Read the remainder after the break</p>
<p>I hope you can all understand that my intent was never one of malice against the Asian community, but an extremely crass attempt at hyperbolic satire. I was initially trying to criticize what I perceived to be surprise among many at the naming of an Asian-American President-Elect, Dr. Kim. I then tried to broaden my attack to encompass all of the reactionary, xenophobic, neo-Patriotism that exists in our post 9/11 America. I tried to create a narrator that would be viewed as ignorant, and I hoped that by removing any semblance of subtlety, this voice would not be taken seriously. I realize now that somewhere in that transformation, the specific target of my satire was lost, and all that remained on the page were my extremely racist words.</p>
<p>That being said, I now know that I can't hide behind my "intent." Intent and execution are two entirely different things. I know I hurt many people personally, and damaged the reputation of the College publicly. I deeply regret my actions and the harm I have caused. I had no right to spread a message that alienated and belittled one ethic group, particularly one to which I do not belong.</p>
<p>I also realize that this reaction of surprise that I perceived among some students was not racist or xenophobic at all, but rather appropriate. Come July, we will have the first Asian-American Ivy League President, proudly breaking a tradition of largely Caucasian male Presidents. I know the entire College community is very proud of this fact.</p>
<p>The student body's response in defense of Dr. Kim, both privately and publicly, has been overwhelmingly positive. The D's article yesterday, "E-mail on Kim stirs controversy," clearly showed that my misinterpreted words do not represent Dartmouth's actual opinions of Dr. Kim's election. I know that my message seemed to act as a flagship of student opinion outside of Hanover, and I apologize for giving that a chance to happen.</p>
<p>I have started, along with the rest of the GGMM staff, to try to find ways that the whole community can learn from this experience. We are meeting with OPAL and the Pan-Asian Council to try to find a constructive strategy moving forward. Among the comedy groups at Dartmouth, I hope we can find a way to try to prevent offensive lines in satire from being crossed again, as they have been in the past. I hope that my incendiary message at least provoked some discussion about race and inclusively on campus, but I am ashamed that it required so much offense and hurt for this to happen.</p>
<p>I know I can never take back what I wrote. I am sorry if I hurt you personally, and I am sorry for affecting the College in such a negative way. If you would like to speak to me individually about this, I would love to do so. Perhaps at the beginning of next term, after finals, would be the best time. I promise you I am going to learn as much as I can from this mistake.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>Posted by Will Aubin at 2:37 PM</p>
<p>Here's the link:
Dartlog:</a> The Apology</p>
<p>I deleted the person's name</p>