An anonymous person complained that their school doesn't have a club for white dudes. Bad move.
Oh, the power of words.
Here's two students' response to an anonymous comment submitted to their university.
They waste no breath. And every single word pulls its own weight.
After watching this, I had moment of speechlessness.
It wasn't out of shock. It wasn't even because of how incredibly talented these two young people are. It was mostly out of disappointment.
Here's the anonymous comment in question:
"Why isn't there a Caucasian or white club? There's one for every other race and ethnicity we have on campus. Even women have their own center. What about white guys? Just because we're white doesn't mean we shouldn't have our own group or program. To me, this is racist, even sexist."
I'm disappointed because the job of spelling out our country's history of oppressing people of color and women seems to constantly be left to, well, people of color and women. Especially considering one of the biggest "white guy clubs" of all has, to a huge degree, been responsible for it:
"The truth is, Caucasians do have their own club. It's called Capitol Hill. Where every law, bill, and declaration runs through a printing press of pale pink fingers before riding down into the storm drains of barrios and ghettos."
But even on campus, is it really fair to say white men don't have their own clubs?
Matthew Hughey, a sociology professor at the University of Connecticut who studies campus Greek organizations, calls the American fraternity and sorority system "a form of American apartheid."
A survey Hughey conducted of several East Coast universities showed that the membership of all participating Greek organizations was only 3.8% non-white. And while that's only a small sample of the thousands of colleges and universities across the country, I think anyone who's been exposed to a college Greek system can attest to much of the same. I certainly can.
With all that in mind, here's how this performance ends:
There's no need to feel left out or unimportant.
The first step to achieving equality is realizing the system is rigged.
We are unbalanced.
Our mission's equilibrium is broken but not irreparable.
You have the power to recognize us as allies.
You can raise us up as easily as you can bring us down.
We encourage you to move forward with us.
Walk in our shoes.
Be an outcast, an underdog, a revolutionary.
Learn what it means to fight for what so many are entitled to.
We cordially invite you to join us.
There is plenty of room for everyone.