Vers Libre

Questionable distinction of campus offenses

Brenna Gilbert Opinions Editor

At Vassar, indignation is as fickle as April weather in Poughkeepsie. Whether in defense or in condemnation, we as a community have been roaring for the past two weeks about racism on campus, most pointedly that which was perceived in The Imperialist. Putting aside personal beliefs as to the intention and perception of its contents, an enormous part of the debate surrounding The Imperialist centers on whether or not we should pay for a publication that offends a portion of the community.

But this is a difficult question. If we censor it, we are messing around with free speech, the very right that allows people to stand up and condemn it in the first place. And, where does the censorship stop? The campus abounds with organizations and publications that can be interpreted as offensive. Are they in some way less offensive because they come with a liberal blessing?

Consider Squirm. I cannot think of anything more liberal and more indicative of Vassar's devotion to free speech than a Vassar Student Association (VSA) sponsored pornography magazine. There has never been an issue of Squirm that did not offend me as a woman. The most recent issue published in the spring semester of 2005 depicted mostly women in submissive poses or scenes of bondage. For fear of sounding close-minded, I have never spoken out about it until this point. Yet this whole debacle with The Imperialist has made me question something: why is racism considered a more troubling issue on this campus than sexism? Is it because sexist values appear in a liberal publication while racist issues appear in a conservative one?

Don't get me wrong—racism is a very real, very important issue on this campus, one that deserves a greater amount of dialogue and attention; however, a subtle difference exists in the marginalization of these causes. To accuse someone of being a racist is to brand him or her with an indelible scarlet letter. From that point on, any political or social view he or she might espouse is immediately tainted. Their worth as an individual is seriously called into question.

To accuse someone of being sexist is an entirely different issue. First of all, we don't label their entire character the way we do with racism. We might say, “oh, she's a racist,” but we never say, “he's a sexist.” We are always careful to articulate carefully that he was “being sexist,” as though it was some fleeting viewpoint that will not interfere with the rest of his actions. Furthermore, when you accuse someone of being sexist, the typical response is that of dismissal. Most men are not paralyzed by the word “misogynist” the way most people on this campus would be if they were called “racist conservatives.” In fact, many men throw the term back at you, slamming you, the accuser, with a dismissive spat of “feminist,” as though “feminist” were some kind of expletive.

Women have the unique distinction of being a majority that functions as a minority. I am a woman, a member of the largest demographic on campus. yet I feel nervous condemning a publication that makes me uncomfortable. Why? Because it's liberal and I don't want to be accused of opposing the first amendment? Perhaps. More importantly though, it's because women's issues and problems with sexism do not have a sufficient voice on campus

Take the Women's Center, a pitiful two-room space that 75% of the campus couldn't locate on a map. Have you ever been to the Women's Center at night? The area is poorly lit, so much so that it feels unsafe. If we are going to encourage women to speak out against abuse, assault and gender issues, can't we at least do it somewhere less threatening?

This is not a space that makes me feel empowered as a woman, no more than Squirm is a publication that makes me feel empowered as a woman. No matter how “sex-positive” it may strive to be, the jeering, misogynist reaction with which it is received and read is as offensive as though it were Hustler or Playboy. The historical implications of pornography alone offend me. It seems that women's issues have been marginalized, and no one is speaking up for them.

Since we have shown this past two weeks that being offended is grounds to mobilize a condemnation of a publication's right to print with VSA money, let's start actually looking at things on campus that are problematic, not just those in conservative publications.