A 15-year-old girl's effort to start a Caucasian Club at her California high school has won her some support — and an avalanche of anger.
Freshman Lisa McClelland gathered about 250 signatures from students and adults to start a club at Freedom High School in Oakley, Calif., that would focus attention on European heritage and history.
Her campaign has won the support of many students, not all of them white, who say such a group would be no different from the school's other ethnic clubs, which include the Black Student Union, the Latinos Unidos and the ALOHA club for Asian-American students.
But the Caucasian Club has run into opposition from those who accuse the club of fueling racial tension.
What do you think? Is this heritage or racisim?
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
3 comments:
I think its heritage.
If the school has other ethnic clubs, why would they be annoyed about this one.
I only caught the last 15-20 minutes of the discussion yesterday but even in that I have to say that I was somewhat taken aback by the responses I heard. First let me say that the only clubs I have ever joined have been activity based and I would never join an ethnic club since as Stephanie stated (I believe) it would have to be a Heinz 57 club.
That being said, I heard in all of the callers and you two the idea that somehow because Caucasians are the majority they somehow should have less rights, validity is the word I heard most, than the other ethnic backgrounds to have a club. Gee, I thought this was America and we had the right to free speech, free assembly and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I guess that only applies to non-Caucasians. There is an interesting parallel I see here to the current issues a lot of us are seeing with the rights of Christians in that it seems Satan worshipers, Muslims, Hindus, etc all have the right to have their religions discussed and even practiced in public school but not Christianity. I could go on but you have to know the other similar issues I would mention.
Though I would never support the practices or beliefs of groups like the KKK and the other White Supremacists I have to question the belief that they have no right to form a group. Again this is America and as long as no laws are broken, which is a separate and distinct issue, people should be allowed to believe anything they want and join with like believers to share ideas regardless of how repugnant we may think their ideas are. I don't see anyone complaining about the Black Panthers and other similar groups.
Lastly, I would just like to say that the prejudice that I think was on every ones mind in their statements yesterday will never change as long as we all continue to talk about color, ethnic background and ancestry and carry those differences with us in daily life. Every time someone of any color refers to someone else as "you know that (white, black, brown) guy that did so and so" instead of "You know Bob in accounting who did so and so" we are reinforcing the differences instead of the fact that we are all Americans and should be treating each other that way. I love Chinese food but frankly the fact that we have china towns in most major cities tells me they don't want to be "Americans" they want to be Chinese living in America (please insert Irish, Iranian, Mexican in place of Chinese if you prefer). As long as this kind of separation exists there will always be prejudice.
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