In a recent editorial Stephen Miller accused Black Student Alliance protesters of "trickily extrapolating" the portion of William Bennett's comments that best served our argument (Oct. 26, 2005). Miller claimed that by saying aborting black fetuses would reduce the crime rate, Bennett meant no harm. According to Miller, Bennett's comment was satirical and its aim was to reflexively point out its own ludicrousness.
There is only one problem; maybe everyone isn't as intelligent as Miller. Bennett's comment was made to the nation at large with no discretion. It is not safe to assume that all listeners were as apt at surmising Bennett's intentions as Miller obviously was. Again, everyone just isn't that smart.
The issue BSA protesters focused upon was the role Bennett's comment had in the offensive representation of blacks. It doesn't matter what Bennett said before or after-his words spoke for themselves. Bennett then went on to state that if in fact black fetuses were aborted, "your crime rate would go down." So aborting black babies is reprehensible on one hand, but it is worth mentioning because it would have the desired effect of crime reduction?
I ask Miller and his bandwagon, "Should Bennett be ashamed of his contribution to the public evisceration of blacks?" Miller's entire argument is that the BSA protest defamed Bennett's character. Saying that black babies should be aborted lest they grow up to be criminals is not clear defamation of the character of blacks?
We must remind ourselves that Bennett is a former secretary of education. Thus he is very much aware of the tricks of the trade of public relations. Regardless of his intentions, such an outwardly racist comment is evidence to problematic portrayals of blacks. Whether he thought the statement valid or not, he should not have made the comment. And that is just the bottom line.
Erin James
Trinity '07
Bennett's comments offensive
Despite whatever disclaimers may have followed, William Bennett's comments were racially and culturally insensitive. Although he also said "recommend[ing] abortion of an entire group of people in order to lower your crime rate is morally reprehensible," it is the use of an abortion- and race-based hypothetical and its implications that are morally reprehensible. The reality of such an example is not as ridiculously far-fetched as Stephen Miller may have the luxury of believing.
The Eugenics Board of North Carolina supported eugenics studies and sterilization using African-American women as primary test subjects. The withholding of information during the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study contributed to more than 100 African-American men's deaths from syphilis or syphilis-related complications and allowed for them to infect their children and wives. These "medical studies" have been destructive to the psyche of the African-American community, and loosely founded propositions for lowering the crime rate should be reprimanded. While they may never occur again and they may no longer be salient in the minds of most Americans, they are something that continues to haunt our community today. While Bennett is not advocating the abortion of black babies, his use of African Americans as an example considering the past use of blacks as medical subjects is completely and utterly inappropriate.
We find it rather myopic that Miller would suggest that the students who demonstrated had taken the statement out of context. We are an informed [black] student body, and to infer otherwise speaks to the fact that Miller, in fact, may be uninformed of those students' purpose.
Perhaps it would be more useful to understand why students felt compelled to manifest their frustration through protest. We often point the finger and question others' motives and methodology, but, just as Miller has posed a question, we must ask: If a group that you closely identify with had been loosely used in a horrific analogy would you not be appalled, despite its actual purpose?
Wintta Woldemariam
Trinity '06
president, BSA
Marcus Peterson
Trinity '06
VP of academic affairs, BSA
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