Letter to the editorThird party of Westwood
Editor:I am writing with regard to all the attention in the past
weeks on the
affirmative action walk out and rally, and the response it has
drawn from
students, professors and others. I am a student who wholly
advocates
grassroots organization and student involvement. I also believe
in the
statement that "the extreme always has an affect."
Apathy cannot be an excuse for not getting involved and voicing
one’s
opinions. I applaud the bravery of all the students and faculty
that have
been in support of affirmative action. However, I do have a
problem with
the walk out that occurred last week in Westwood. I didn’t
participate in
the event because I did not want to miss my classes. I’m already
a
struggling student lost in the damn UC system, why would I make
it worse
than it already is?
One might think this is a lame excuse, however, my personal
ideology
precludes me from taking part in these kinds of actions. I
supported the
walk out, but I don’t agree with marching into Westwood, causing
civil
unrest in the city and blocking traffic for an hour just to
prove a
point.
Now I wonder if the people in the march really thought about
this. Did
they think how much trouble they were causing marching in the
streets? Not
to mention the enormous traffic jams and civil disturbances from
the event.
Most of the people affected by the march did not have a part in
affirmative
action being abolished from UC campuses.
Just think about it: people trying to have a normal day
shopping, eating
out, running errands, meeting clients, going to appointments.
The
difference between us and them is that they play no part in
affirmative
action being thrown out. But 3,000 students at UCLA felt it was
their
responsibility to force themselves and our UC grievances onto
the innocent
"third party of Westwood."
My friend had to sit in traffic for an hour just to get to
Westside
Pavilion to buy a birthday gift for an important friend of ours.
Most
people don’t like to sit in traffic, especially if it’s caused
by a group
of angry students rallying for something that may never even
affect
them.
Another question I have is: What ever happened to basing hiring
and
admissions on merit? Are we saying throw out the
intelligence/ability
factor and hire and admit students only because of their
biological
background? What’s wrong with hiring a worker because that
person is the
best person for the job in terms of intelligence or ability?
Personally, I don’t have an opinion on affirmative action. I
might be
spineless and evading responsibility for my opinions. What I do
understand
is the importance of the issue everyone is talking about. I’m
just one of
those people who hasn’t been totally convinced by one side or
another. I
haven’t formulated a solid opinion on the matter because I am
still
thinking about the issue.
But while I am thinking, I am also looking at the flip side
of
everything. Being a good person is to think about the whole
picture and not
just one narrow piece of the pie. I would hope I was admitted to
UCLA
because of my ability to work hard and the accomplishments from
my high
school years, not just because they were filling a quota of some
sort.
So in the end, I say: Can we just take a moment and think about
the
ramifications of our actions? Are we just going to force our
opinions on
innocent third parties that have no involvement with our issues
or
problems? Or are we going to be able to have a lasting effect on
people who
are important and relevant to the issues we are fighting
for?
Why give the UC Regents and anti-affirmative action supporters
the
chance to laugh at us for our actions, like they have probably
already
done?Cliff C. Jin
Second-year
East Asian studies-Chinese/
Pre-medical studies