As a freshman entering my first year at Cal Poly, I was focused on getting accustomed to a new schedule, finding the right clubs, and networking with others. I anticipated I would come across social justice issues, but I did not consider how immediate and prevalent they would be on campus.
The incident with the hate-speech wall happened during Fall Quarter. For many first years, this was their first quarter at Cal Poly, and they were instantly introduced to the homogenous environment at the university. Now we have reached Winter Quarter, which for a while seemed to be getting better. That was until earlier this week, when a student experienced racist vandalism in his apartment on campus.
The student returned home one evening to find the words “n**ger” and “f*g” written on his door, along with swastika symbols, which were all inflicted by his roommates. From the student’s account, the vandals also threw glass at his door, punched holes in his walls, and broke his chair. Despite this injustice, he responded very positively to the hate crime in a Facebook post. “From my experience living with the worst of the worst roommates, I have learned to develop a great deal of patience, keep an open mind, think positive thoughts, and to not play the victim no matter what situation I am in.”
It shouldn’t have to be this way. It seems as though the oppressed groups always have to “suck it up” when dealing with prejudice and discrimination from the privileged. But what exactly defines these groups? Let’s break this down:
To be in a privileged group means that a certain aspect of your identity is the majority. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have never faced adversity. Everyone’s experiences are different, but it’s important to recognize that certain parts of your identity receive more support than others in the same category who are the minority. The people in this minority are in the oppressed groups.
Privilege and oppression can both be conveyed through the example women’s rights. Women are considered an oppressed group. They experience sexism and still receive less pay than a man for the same job. In the early feminist movement, it was evident that white women were at the head of the discussion. Women of color, however, were often underrepresented in this movement.
How is this relevant to the racism on campus? Simple. Cal Poly’s student body is nearly 60% white. Many of the students in this privileged group come from different backgrounds, and some haven’t been taught that racism is unacceptable. This is mainly due to the fact that topics surrounding race are considered too sensitive for an educational environments. Thus, the students in oppressed groups continue to be marginalized by the privileged.
Marginalization comes in several forms, and sometimes we might not even recognize it in our actions. Jokingly using the “n-word” with your friends is an example of this—it’s completely unacceptable, especially if you aren’t black. When I’ve insisted that the use of the word made me uncomfortable, I’ve usually had to address people’s egocentrism. This is a term used to describe those who don’t consider experiences outside their own. They either say “I’m not offended by it” to dismiss discussion, rather than listening to why there are negative connotations associated with such dialect.
This, of course, is not limited to race. Students experience oppression for their gender, sexual orientation, ability, appearance, and religious beliefs, to name a few factors. These groups all face microaggressions on a regular basis. They often have to explain themselves by validating their identity to people who don’t take the time to educate themselves. They may pursue Cal Poly for an efficient learning environment, but face difficulty when diverse perspectives are not considered.
We, as a community, should prioritize a more knowledgeable campus by raising awareness of actions that are discriminatory to other students. Inclusive language is at the forefront of this mission. Although we may have associated certain connotations for a word doesn’t mean that the same can be said for everyone else. Eliminating this egocentric idea is a vital step we can take in improving our campus climate, and we can avoid incidents of hate in the future by directly addressing them now.