lay 1995

 

   
   

The Other Press

 

Troy Townsend, above, and the letter he wrote to
the students, staff, and faculty of Douglas College May 1.

The response to last issue's racism feature was positive.
It was also negative.

It was quick, it was slow.
It was praising, it was threatening.

 

A

D instead of living with the perspec-
e that we are studying in a war zone
ween the clash of cultures, realize
at you can roam around the campus
thout any cultrue threatening your
fety due to the culture that you pre-
e.
Smarten up.

pncerned Individual,
haran Bhullar

It's nice to see an individual so
cerned with racism as well as our
re careers. Racism is an ugly thing,

t pretending it isn't there or buying a
ir of rose coloured glasses doesn't
ake it go away or seem any prettier.

There is no real way of telling how

despread the views expressed in the
affiti are; it's funny how people don't
le to admit that stuff in public. We
pe you're right, though.

As for the way we dealt with the

ue, we tried to be impartial by print-
what was there, pulling no punches.

setting racist slurs out in the open
all to see, we hope people will real-
how shameful they really are.

nd it's all

Dear Other Press:

The cover story of your April 95
issue was grotesquely disturbing. I was
surprised to see that there were no fur-
ther references or supporting statements
made about the comment sprawled on
the front page. Racism may have been
present at Douglas Collage in the the
past but now thanks to your ever so
enlightening observations, racist minds
will be boiling in infuriating flames.

Bathroom graffiti is not the main
issue surrounding racism at D.C., how-
ever the following equation is:
RACISM (hate) = INTOLERANCE
(segregation) + IGNORANCE (lack of
knowledge)

Intolerance is visible everyday in
the classroom where students segregate
themselves in their seating arrange-
ments. Ignorance is evident in the pa-
per where students is evident in the
comments made in the paper where all
“brown” people are grouped as “Hin-
dus.” Tolerance and acceptance of all
people will help ease the burden of dis-
crimination our society bears, however
racism will never be solved or banished
as long as pride and jealousy stand in
the way. Racism is a state of mind that
can only be altered by its beholder.

here for

our

“We are the sun and the moon, dear
friend; we are sea and land. It is not our
purpose to become each other; it is to
recognize each other, to learn to see the
other and honor him for what he is; each
the other’s opposite and complement.”
(Narcissus & Herman Hesse Golmund)

Sincerely,
One Love

Dear members of the LGBC (at DC surf
club pub night, March 2nd)
C/O the Other Press

That was the first pub night I’ve
missed and I believe it was serendipity
that I wasn’t there, because the events
that took place would really “done my
head in.” I am sorry that this happened,
and I’m sorry that there is still such ig-
norance in our community. I'll tell you
how I feel about the whole issue by us-
ing Canadian History:

The native populations were told
that they were somehow wrong when
the Europeans showed up and what hap-
pened?

Their self-worth practically disap-
peared and many turned to alcoholism
to blur the feelings: they bought the lie;
only now, in the 1990’s, are natives, af-
ter a long battle, saying...

“No, I am not wrong. Who I am
is right and I like the way I am, and I
am going to tell you that I like it weather
you like it or not. I will not go extinct.”

None of us are wrong as human
beings; that’s the big lie. That’s the lie
that has stopped humans from enjoy-
ing our lives from day one. I could go
on forever about this e.g. parents tell-
ing kids not to be themselves and to play
by the “rules”, but I’m not going to go
on forever in this letter.

Oh, Ill just say that when a per-
son abuses a person, it is a sure psy-
chological sign that they are frustrated
in their own lives and aren’t living their
own beliefs and goals because if they
were, they would know better.... But I
guess that knowing that doesn’t help
much when your a victim of their prob-
lems. I guess all the best any of us can
do is to keep having faith in future.
Yours V. sincerely
Marnie Williston

wrel

ner 1"

edification...

Oh, Oh Niki Kaloudas,

Your biases are showing. Why did
the notions of strength, or competition
as compared to or with men, slip into
what was a competent and clear set in-
terview questions to women? Why must
athletic and competitive women always
be made to judge themselves, in physi-
cal female sports, with men as a yard-
stick of ability? Perhaps this was not
your intentions, but as a writer you must
be responsible not only for what you
write, but the impression it gives. What
these women demonstrate is focus, and
a healthy channelled aggression. The
weight question was so embarrassing, I
do not even want to do anything more
other thatn to acknowledge it was there.
Niki, don’t look now, but I think your
slip is showing.

Arlene Buchan

ewe oO