Max Karson, an editor at the Campus Press at the University of Colorado, Boulder, has made national headlines after publishing a racially charged, satirical column on the tensions between the white and Asian populations on his campus.
Though there are superficial merits to Karson’s column, “If it’s war the Asians want … It’s war they’ll get” (Feb. 18), he is insensitive in his treatment of race. The consequences can be applied to our campus.
Karson’s employment of the first amendment is admirable and the (hopefully) constructive criticism resulting from Karson’s remarks encourages an open dialogue about the issue of race.
However, his lack of tact, his perpetuation of stereotypes and Karson’s past behavior only serve to undermine any credibility his satire offers.
Karson was criticized last year following insensitive remarks he made during a journalism class after the Virginia Tech massacre. Students felt threatened after he made statements like, “If anyone in here says they’ve never been so angry that you wanted to kill 32 people, you’re lying.” With these statements, Karson has already proved himself to be inept when discussing sensitive issues.
In addition, Karson’s column includes an unfortunate plethora of racial stereotypes directed at Asians, citing supposed affinities for green tea mochi and “rice rockets,” and saying “the Asians will arrange themselves in rows, if they haven’t naturally done so already.” His frequent use of stereotypes masks any productive offerings, only alienating his targeted population and perpetuating racist jokes among his white counterparts. He says Asians “hate us all,” but succeeds in only creating a self-fulfilling prophecy as the Asian community reacts to his offensive remarks.
Race is a tense situation. Casual satire, especially one that lacks redeeming thought or solutions, only makes a bad situation worse. Rather than attempting to soften these racial divisions, Karson only succeeds in carving them into stone. As a columnist, and thus a public campus figure, Karson needs to realize his influence and act accordingly.
Karson’s divisive treatment of race can be applied to UCLA as he exposes a tension evident on our own campus. With the recent uproar over diversity, divisions between racial groups on campus have become even clearer. Students not only isolate themselves, but also engage in discriminatory behavior. Groups self-segregate as a defense mechanism, but isolate themselves from the opportunities their peers offer. The buzzword of diversity should be replaced with “racial integration.” Instead of just having a specific percentage of white, black, Hispanic or Asian students, we should strive to come together and experience diversity on a face-to-face basis.
In past years, we have made administrative efforts to create a diverse and harmonious campus. But we cannot achieve this goal without active participation on the part of the student body. We, like Karson, create social divisions in our own lax treatment of race and our employment of stereotypes when we say things like “all black students are athletes” or “all Asians are South Campus majors.”
When we enter college, it is natural to gravitate toward groups we identify with. Let’s recognize Karson’s shortcomings ““ as well as our own ““ and work to abandon them.