September 20, 2007
Editorial disturbing and not based on facts
I am shocked and disturbed by the editorial written by Emma Schmautz on Sept. 19, 2007, entitled “Awarding scholarships by race, gender unfair.” The piece ignored structural and attitudinal barriers women, non-Caucasians, and sexual minorities face. Schmautz merely expresses an idealized fantasy about the experience of people she does not understand. While she has a right to her opinion, her characterization of the problem and the experiences of others are entirely inappropriate.
Schmautz should not speak to the experiences of women and minorities who were prevented from the opportunities many of us at UM have enjoyed. While Schmautz may have enjoyed a good experience, other women may not have. Various school districts (rural and urban) do not have the resources to aid student excellence during primary and secondary school.
Schmautz should not present a simplified and overly transparent view of whether or not race and gender matter. No, they shouldn’t matter, but ignoring the complex problems surrounding race and gender is irresponsible. Quoting Martin Luther King, Jr. in her editorial only adds insult to the injury she causes with her piece.
Schmautz should not claim reverse discrimination without evidence of its occurrence or consequences. Does a white male not getting a scholarship really hinder him in the long run? Don’t scream reverse discrimination without evidence; hypothetical situations do not count.
Schmautz should be ashamed of the attitude and values her editorial represent: 1) The support given to women and a various races is not useful to promoting opportunity for people that face extra obstacles. 2) The University of Montana has no interest in promoting the education of people that face extra obstacles. 3) Social realities concerning gender and race have magically dematerialized. 4) Privileged genders and races should have their privilege protected structurally and financially via UM scholarship policies. 5) Our community is fully enlightened and non-discriminatory and need not address discrimination or place incentives in the system to work against discrimination. And more…
Without an apology to the marginalized people who thrive because of these scholarships, I suggest that students and faculty not support the Kaiman. If you are disturbed by the attitude expressed in Schmautz’s editorial, send the message to the editorial staff, “Not in these halls.”
Ryan Morton
Graduate Student, Communication Studies
This story has been viewed 87 times.
Comments
There are no comments for this story yet.
