Last weekend an openly gay Harvard student alleged that while he was walking to a party with friends, two men looking for a parking space called him a ‘faggot’ as they drove by. When the student yelled back and approached their car, one exited the vehicle and punched the student several times. The offender was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery. One of the victim’s companions said the offender, a 20-something white man not affiliated with Harvard, was drunk.

We always deplore violence when it’s directed against people because of an innate characteristic, and we do so in this case. But anyone who’s been on this planet long enough knows what could happen when you advance on a loud, abusive drunk instead of flipping them off and moving on. That doesn’t mean the victim deserved to be assaulted. But it also does not make this small fight on a sidewalk in Cambridge a mega-crime just because the victim was gay.

… Except at Harvard, where this incident is a lesson in the dramatization of the forgettable. According to an opinion piece in the Harvard Crimson, this was no mere scuffle …

“it was a symbolic attack on all BGLT (bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgendered) students on campus. ” (no — it was one obnoxious drunk guy picking a fight)

“In a homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic world … even the safest places are not exempt from hate crimes.” (”biphobic?” … from the university that recently invented “heteronormative” as a pejorative)

“We must make it clear that acts of hate are unacceptable here” (are they anywhere?)

“Right now, we, as a community, need to sit back and reflect: on what has happened … on what that says about Harvard …” (nothing — it was a local that started it)

But best of all is the planned response: out of proportion, yes; relevant, no:

First, a rally where “anyone concerned (can) voice his or her own experience or opinion.” (those always go well)

Then, “we will also be circulating fuchsia bandanas with an anti-hate message”(must …. withhold … comment)

Lastly, counseling! Not for the victim … for anyone feeling “personally affected”

I’m guessing that the perpetrator won’t be leaving his job at the body shop early to come on campus for the rally, so it’s unclear how effective all this will be.

(news article here)

This entry was posted on Monday, May 2nd, 2005 at 11:42 pm by A Senior Administration Official and is filed under Brilliant, but uncategorizable, Politically Correct ... and stupid. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.