TO THE EDITOR:
Seth Rose’s April 21 column, “Doing better from my position,” was both heartwarming and frustrating. He showcases admirable insight, acknowledging that his words and actions have the power to harm and that his knowledge is limited. He also describes how he strives to be more fair and just in his relationships. I can sympathize.
Unfortunately though, Rose magnifies the importance of race to a colossal size—a size which leaves no room for considering human complexity, intelligence and dignity. He writes that “white men sent so much hate mail to my fellow Daily Tar Heel columnist Ishmael Bishop, simply for being a black man with an opinion, that he was driven to quit.”
True hate mail is unacceptable — and it distresses me to hear of Bishop receiving it.
But in his exclusive focus on race, Rose ignores an obvious explanation for much the criticism Bishop received. That is, that many of the columnist’s critics disliked his ideas, not his skin color. In ignoring less morally damning motivations for Bishop’s critics and instead arguing for a purely racial attribution, Rose avoids the complexity of reality — and instead paints the world in a dull black and white.
Will Parker
Sophomore
History
