VIEWPOINT A peace of sorts

I learned something on Monday, March JO. and surprisingly enough, it did not come from a school book or a professor's mouth or a newspaper.

Another student, who was seemingly oblivious to me just days before, taught me a lesson in life for which I am extremely grateful.

I know I have lived a sheltered life. I may have spent my first 12 years living in southwest Philadelphia, but for the past eight years I have been trapped in the middle of suburbia.

My parents probably would not admit it, but when I look back it now, I realize that our relocation to Havertown was probably part of the not-sogreat white flight which found many white families moving out of the city as minorities moved in.

You could probably say that I am the prototypical Cabrini student. White, Catholic, middleto-upper class, and admittedly, ignorant. Like most ignorant people, I thought I was always right.

Until Young Jang proved me wrong.

My first impression of Young, who is a sophomore at Cabrini, was that of a belligerent, oversensitive Asian student • who had wrongly taken offense to a cartoon that had been published in issue 18 of Loquitur. Conflict existed because I interpreted the cartoon one way and Young interpreted it the other.

Our first meeting was quite intimidating to me. He entered the bookstore where I was working and I extended my hand as I normally do when meeting someone for the first time.

Understandably, he had no interest in shaking it.

His eyes were piercing and it seemed as if he was looking right through me, not past me but inside of me, as if he were examining my beliefs. And he did not like what he saw.

Young and I both tried to talk, but neither one of us were listening.

Nothing was accomplished. Thankfully, spring break intervened providing a needed On the Monday we returned, Young confronted me again. We sat down to speak. This time we listened, too.

When Young told me why he found the cartoon offensive, I listened and I tried to understand his point of view. And believe it or not, I understood.

When I asked Young to accept my word that the cartoon was published more out of ignorance than prejudice, he did.

But what we really did, was set the stage for compromise.

I think Young and I both realized that we are very different people with very different lives, which is why we both had very different interpretations of the cartoon. What I saw as a parody of American culture, he viewed as an attack on his own culture.

Young was unable to convince me that the cartoon had racial undertones or that it was offensive. He did not need to. I was able to draw that conclusion myself after we talked about prejudice and what it was like to be a minority on a campus that is predominantly white, Catholic, middle-to-upper class and ignorant.

At the same time, I think Young was able to realize that prejudice is usually born out of ignorance, but not necessarily ignorance in a negative sense.

I admit I am ignorant to the prejudices that minority students face at Cabrini, not because I do not want to take the opportunity to get a better idea of what they experience, but because I have never had the opportunity to.

The cartoon which offended

by Tom McKee editor-in-chief

Young and many other students at Cabrini was not published out of maliciousness. It was published because of ignorance.

It would be stupid of me to think that I have overcome my ignorance. A conversation with one minority student can only give a glimpse of what it must feel like to be outnumbered, intimidated and in many cases, maybe even a little afraid.

But at the very least, I can claim to be aware of my ignorance and I can continue to try to educate myself. I can use my position of authority to try to stop ignorance, not help spread it.

I am planning on meeting with the International Club next week and I am encouraging my entire staff to attend with me. Maybe we can fight the battle together. God knows, we have the resources to try.

Change never comes easy and I think Young knows that. Maybe no one else cares, but I do and the reason that I care is because Young cared enough to come to me in the first place. He educated me and now I owe him a favor.

It is one I intend to repay.

For now, a mutual respect has been established. But l am certain that Young wonders deep down whether or not I am sincere. I can offer my word until.I am blue in the face. But the fact of the matter is that only time will tell.

Young still may not like me as a person. I do not know. I do know that my impression has changed. I know longer view him as belligerent, just strong willed. And I know now that I would be wrong to label him oversensitive. He is just fed up with the ignorance.

How can I blame him?

But then, maybe I was able to change his impression of me. This time, when I offered my hand, he shook it.

Thank you, Young.