I am deeply disappointed by Matt Dees, the editor of The Daily Tar Heel, for the paternalistic view he chose to take in the midst of the David Horowitz controversy, so disappointed, I, in fact, feel betrayed.
As a 1996 alumnus of UNC, I keep abreast of what is going on around the Triangle by regularly perusing local newspapers through the Internet, including the DTH. When I learned of the uproar the Horowitz ad caused at Duke, I knew that UNC would not be able to avoid this dispute.
On April 2, when the DTH gave extensive coverage to the issue, I thought the first three columns I read (those of Moore and Taylor, Chancellor Moeser and even Horowitz) were expressions of respect for the intelligence of the campus community. The authors put forth their opinions and allowed us all to think, or think more deeply, about free speech, the nature of intellectual discourse and respect for self and others.
Dees' column, on the other hand, is a sermonizing whine from the DTH bully pulpit full of paternalistic phrases: "giving them the opportunity," "privilege given" and "good faith effort we made to be sensitive to the black community's concerns." Interspersed are insults that call the beliefs and interests of those who did not want the DTH to publish the ad "ridiculous" and "inconsequential." As Dees informs us that the DTH edit board is "considerably liberal" I could not help but think, "How mighty white of you!"
Dees need be concerned that oppressed communities will more than likely find the tone, intent, and content of his writings to be offensive. As we should have all learned throughout this debate, free speech, including speech that we consider "ridiculous," is a right in America, not a "privilege" that can be "given." To use such terms when addressing the opinions and concerns of people of color and women is to place oneself in assumed position of power over others, "granting" these others the "gift" to express their views at the white male whim. It might not be racism, but that certainly is paternalism.
Dees resents being called a racist. As a woman of color I resent being treated as a subordinate in a community of equals.
Michelle L. Johnson
Class of 1996
