Column: In My Opinion
Title: Racism, Sexism or Responsibility?
Publication: The Slate
Many of today’s college students are acknowledged for environmental and political rallying,
support for humane organizations such as PETA, the Humane Society and the United Way, and a feeling of
responsibility to help others. I see many students proudly advertising their beliefs about going green, eating
vegetarian or vegan and volunteering.
While there are many positives about those who belong to our generation, I am greatly disturbed
by one large negative. It seems as though some of today’s college students would rather blame societal
issues for their personal shortcomings and problems rather than take responsibility for their actions.
I first acknowledged this issue when a co-worker loudly exclaimed that the boss’s request for her
to focus on her work was racist when the employee was simply refusing to follow direction.
This reminded me of an incident after one of my classes when I overheard a fellow student
complaining that the professor had asked her to close her phone and pay attention. She went on to explain
that the only reason he had spoken to her was because she was a female and he was sexist.
I have also heard male students complain that a female professor “hates guys” and that is why they
received poor grades in her class instead of the true reason - they had rarely attended and never paid
attention.
These two situations, among many others that I have witnessed, have caused me to step back and
take a real hard look at our generation.
During my first two years in school, I have encountered a few people that truly believe college
students are ignorant, disrespectful and irresponsible. I have always been insulted by these stereotypical
accusations and believe that it is our responsibility to show other generations that we are one of
hardworking, caring, and responsible individuals. However, lately I have been re-thinking my initial
reaction toward these assumptions.
Since when did disregarding rules and responsibility become acceptable reasons to assume
someone has a personal vendetta against you, your race or gender? When did the concept of taking
responsibility for one’s actions become unimportant?
We are all adults and therefore need to act appropriately. I have to question the overall values and
upbringings of others when I see that they are acting as if we are in elementary school, rather than college.
As a child I was taught that my actions must reflect how I want to be viewed and treated by others.
This was a concept that was repeated to me, and the children I grew up with, throughout all of our
schooling.
Pay attention in class. Follow simple rules at work. Do your homework and study for your tests.
Once we reach adulthood these concepts should be elementary.
Yet, so many of us feel entitled; above the rules and responsibilities that come with attending
college.
For example, I recently heard a student’s complaint about the lack of support she was receiving
from her professors. She is currently a transfer student and has many complaints about the staff here at
SHIP. As I am a transfer student myself, I understand that support is crucial during our first few weeks at a
new school.
However, it is not the professor’s responsibility to simply lecture at us or to tell us exactly what
we want to hear about our futures, but also, to question us and help us to figure things out on our own. We
are adults. Learning to stand on our own two feet is what college and graduation is all about. Why not start
now?
The whole point of receiving a higher education is to prepare ourselves for the world after
graduation. It is not the job of the University to hand us each a career on a silver platter, but instead, to help
us find the strengths we already have and help us to build upon them.
When do we stop leaning on our school and professors and start standing on our own?
When is it time for true societal issues such as racism and sexism to be taken seriously and not
simply used as excuses to replace responsibility?