Many of you heard about the unfortunate (and unacceptable) comic that appeared in the University of Arizona's Daily Wildcat last week. Dr. Keith Humphrey, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students, and Zachary Brooks, president of the GPSC, both weighed in on the issue. Below is my response.
While perusing this morning's Wildcat, I noticed a help wanted ad for Editor-in-Chief. I hope this doesn't mean what I think it does. If so, I'm seriously disappointed in the lot of you.
An offensive cartoon was printed. The cartoonist was immediately fired. Ms. Bui wrote an apology. Two, in fact. Both were honest, sincere apologies, not the "I'm sorry if you were offended" type that so many politicians use. To me, it showed honor and integrity.
In the second one, she noted the importance of freedom of speech. I found it unfortunate that she found it necessary to remind us of that, but apparently it is.
Part of living in a free society, means tolerating viewpoints that are not your own. Even when it's obvious that those views are reprehensible. Was it an embarrassing moment for you, your newspaper, and your school? Of that, I have no doubt. Trust me, it won't be the last (otherwise, you're doing it wrong).
However, what I found even more embarrassing, was the politically correct, pearl-clutching, petition-signing silliness that followed.
Here's the deal. Life throws horrible things at good people every day. After a time, some are even able to laugh about it. When that happens, those horrible things, and the people doing them, tend to lose their power. It is then that you are truly free. Because it's not just freedom of speech at issue. There are other freedoms just as important. Freedom from ignorance, and freedom from fear, to name just two.
If Ms. Bui was pressured, in any way, to step down, then the loss is yours. I fear that all you've accomplished, is to trade one form of intolerance for another.