After a long hiatus filled with over 200 pages of writing and countless and thousands of pages of writing, I have decided to come back to my blog, which had remained silent since September. Sometimes that desire to speak out has higher risks to be judged more harshly when you are in Yale's environment. But here is to my commitment to greet success, failure, love and criticism. Here we go again. I mustn't relent!
What actually prompted my voice again was the egregious treatment of a wounded veteran and student at Columbia University.
Check it out:
Here
and Here
Now, if there is something that makes my blood boil, its discrimination against people of color (I say this to describe anyone who is not "white," as also proscribed by a Diversity conference I attended. I know the debate here too), gay, lesbian, transgendered, bi, women, or disabled. For a long time, my support of ROTC was tarnished by Don't Ask Don't Tell (DADT) but when it was repealed, I was overjoyed. For a traditionally "conservative" institution, this had to be a huge move that I applauded. To me, this was as enormous step in rights of LGBT peoples and towards social progress in America.
Now, if there is something else that makes my blood boil and churn, it is the mocking or disrespect towards a wounded soldier. Regardless of whether you support wars, conflicts, humanitarian missions, or not (or the other myriad of functions the military plays), a wounded man is a wounded man who suffered a lot to be alive where he is today. A veteran is not "THE MAN" but only a man who happens to have gone through a lot more than most Americans could handle. He is still probably going through things that he cannot handle without much difficulty and struggle. Shame on those disrespectful students who boo a wounded man.
Columbias students' signs "The Military Preys on Low Income Communities" might have a point or an observation. However, this should in no way be a source of legitimacy to ban ROTC, a source of bringing highly educated, talented, and schooled individuals into the army. If anything, the re-introduction of ROTC into the Ivy League could change the military's operation, its values, and its operations. An educated soldier is a force to be reckoned with, one who can (someday) even climb the ranks and gradually shift the military to a new and better place.
Protesting alone and insulting victims of war will not change the military but only create a larger problem. Dialogue from the outside, but also, more importantly, within the military is the MOST IMPORTANT. If anything, internal dialogue, brought about by educated persons from NYU, Davidson, Yale, University of Pittsburgh, Pomona, Harvard, Columbia, and everywhere around the country, is perhaps the most powerful force of change for the military, not the isolation of the military--- that would only create a larger gap between America and a military filled with old, stern, and hardened men and a bunch of "low income" victims.
I encourage ROTC on college campuses as a force of creating more dialogue, change, and progress in US Armed Forces.
I support our troops. I support our LGBT community. I support our women and men. I may not support certain military decisions.
I will scorn those who hiss at a gunshot victim who has put on a uniform for our country. I will equally scorn those who discriminate against any person of color, gender, sexual preference, or religious identity. Out of a sort of nausea, something inside of me really wants to say "Get Real" Columbia, but instead, I'll say, "Rethink this, Columbia." I know Yale has been.
Note: If my terminology, so important in civil and social rights, has in any way offended or has been misattributed, I apologize. I really did carefully consider my word choices. I hope my sister is proud.
