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Monday, December 6, aoio | The Rbd & Black
Carey O’Neil | Managing Editor me@randb.com
Courtney HoHraok | Opinions Editor opinions@randb.com
Don’t pervert the
lessons of Christ
As a non-religious kid
growing up in a
small-town notch
on the Bible Belt, I
accrued quite a few war
stories relating to
Christianity.
When my childhood
friends realized I didn’t
belong to a church, they
treated me like I had a
disease.
When my best friend’s
grandfather discovered I
wasn’t Christian, he
stopped allowing me into
his home.
In the seventh grade,
my school held an atten
dance-required religious
assembly. Bodybuilders
from a local Baptist
church ripped phone
books in half and informed
us that “using a condom is
like throwing tennis balls
through a volleyball net.”
If you have sex, you will
get pregnant and get
AIDS and die.
In high school it was
the Christian students
who cheered the loudest
for war overseas “Just
bomb the shit out of ’em!”
It was the Christians
who criticized welfare pro
grams “lt’s their own
fault they’re poop”
And when news reports
showed gay teens dragged
behind cars or bullied into
suicide, it seemed the cul
prits were invariably
Christian “lt’s Adam
and Eve not Adam and
Steve, faggot.”
Naturally, I thought of
Christians as many people
think of Christians: hypo
critical, ignorant, arrogant,
misinformed, intolerant
and simple-minded.
That is, until I spent a
summer volunteering with
real Christians.
The summer after my
freshman year, I lived and
worked alongside
Christians at Jubilee
Partners in nearby Comer,
Ga.
Jubilee is a non-profit
Christian community that
hosts refugees newly-ar
rived to the United States
for two-month intervals.
During this time, volun
teers teach the families
English, set up medical
appointments, help them
learn to shop for groceries,
etc.
Though refugee families
are invited to Jubilee’s
worship services, many
families choose not to go
and are not pressured to
attend.
For most residents and
volunteers at Jubilee, this
work is done in the name
of Christ.
But, despite my secular
background, Jubilee
accepted me into their
community with open
arms.
The experience radical
ly changed the way I view
Christians and
Christianity.
Though I didn’t adopt
the religion, I gained
respect for it.
It was powerful to see
people using Christ’s
teachings to propagate
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love, rather than hate
to see Christians walking
the walk rather than talk
ing the talk.
I realized many people
who call themselves
Christians war support
ers, homophobes, most fis
cal conservatives are
not real Christians. My
religion classes have con
firmed this realization.
According to my
Biblical studies, the defini
tion of a Christian is sim
ple: one who follows the
teachings of Jesus Christ.
So, how can one be
Christian yet support vio
lence?
How can one be
Christian and not believe
in helping those who can
not help themselves (i.e.
universal health care, wel
fare)?
These ideas run contra
dictory to Jesus’ most
basic teachings.
Jesus did not use quali
fiers.
He didn’t say, “Love thy
neighbor unless they’re
gay.”
He didn’t say, “Thou
shall not kill unless you
have a really good reason.”
The Christians of
Jubilee live simply, grow
ing their own food and
sharing their possessions.
Above all, they preach
Jesus’ teachings on hospi
tality, opening their doors
to volunteers and refugees
from around the world
and from all faiths.
For those of you jaded
by or disgusted with the
state of Christianity, I
encourage you to visit
Jubilee.
They welcome visitors
and volunteers year
around. And remember,
don’t stereotype
Christians according to
the imposters among
them.
I’m not sure why so
many misanthropes call
themselves Christians.
Perhaps it’s tradition.
Perhaps they eryoy the
camaraderie of Sunday
service or the claim to
moral superiority. But mis
using this title is unfair to
true Christians. Let’s stop
giving false Christians the
dignity of the title,
“Christian.”
If you wish to espouse
anti-gay sentiment, that’s
fine.
If you choose to sup
port war or the death pen
alty, that’s your right.
If you deny that all
Americans deserve afford
able food, shelter and
health care, so be it.
But don’t call yourself a
Christian if your words
and actions are a perverse
betrayal of the teachings
of Christ.
Devon Young is a
senior from Danielsville
majoring in magazines
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everyone correct pronunciation
SARAHQUINN/I
Ignorance frames racial inequality
A statement has haunted me
every day of my college
career: “You only were
admitted to UGA because you’re a
minority.” That has had the power
to dismiss my intelligence and
years of hard work in a matter of
seconds. Jeremy Dailey further
reinforced this stereotype.
Dailey’s insecurity about his
chances at being admitted to law
school apparently prompted his
column (“Change needed in affir
mative action policy,” Dec. 3),
where he argues that having to
identify himself as a white male is
synonymous to saying “Don’t pick
me!” He forgot to mention this
University does not use affirmative
action in admission decisions.
What I ask of Dailey, who thinks
being white means a decreased
chance at school admissions, is to
look at the people who attend
those schools. I can guarantee
most of the students look like him.
Affirmative action attempts to
make sure qualified minority not
lesser qualified applicants have a
fair chance in order to balance past
practices that benefited whites and
prevent racist hiring practices.
The inaccurate idea that under
represented minorities, such as
myself, possess some advantage
that allows them to be easily
admitted at top schools and hired
for jobs over whites is false. It is
also reflective of a shallow under
standing of the reality of racial
inequality that has shaped the
institutions of our country and con
tinues to give preference to whites.
This unearned advantage given
to whites is called white privilege.
White privilege also includes being
assumed you are smart, qualified
and a hard worker versus minori
ties, who are stereotyped as lazy,
dumb and unqualified and have to
be more qualified to break through
negative stereotypes.
Most white Americans usually
react negatively to hearing that not
everything they have received in
Mailbox
E-mail and letters from our readers
Affirmative action sparks campus debate and discussion
I admire your bravery as a white
man, Jeremy Dailey (“Change
needed in affirmative action policy,”
Dec. 3), to stand so gaUantly in the
face of oppression as you apply to
law school to work in a profession
which is 89 percent white and 71
percent male, according to the
American Beit Association.
It’s hard enough as a white man
to drive down the road and worry
that you wUI be puUed over
because of your race, or to walk
into a math class and wonder if
you’ll be taken seriously because of
your sex.
But taking a stand against a
practice which so obviously under
mines your chance at success? I
mean, in fan 2009, the University’s
freshman class of over 6,300 had a
whopping 367 black students. I
applaud your efforts, and I only
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MM Yasmin
1 Yonis
their lives has been because of any
thing other than their hard work.
Imagine how I feel every day when
people assume I was chosen to be
an honors student, received the
Truman Scholarship and was
awarded various fellowships and
internships because of my skin
color rather than my hard work
and intelligence.
Dailey wrote, “I would argue
[affirmative action] is working
unfairly to oppress those that just
happen to be bom in the majority,”
framing himself as a victim of race
in America. Before you believe his
claim that being a white male in
a society that has always been and
still is dominated by white males
is a disadvantage, let me state
some facts.
Most people believe we live in a
racist-free society because blacks
are not called the n-word at least
not to their faces —and we have a
black president. Though being
called the n-word is not my favorite
experience, systemic racism has
tremendously more power to disen
franchise minorities than does the
lingering sting of a racial slur.
Institutional racism is the wide
spread inequality stemming from
the racial preferences given to
whites in education, the workforce
and other areas in our history. It
continues today.
We usually discuss racism in the
passive voice. Minorities wore dis
criminated against rather than
whites in power discriminated
against minorities. This not only
absolves blame, but ignores the
reality that whites were given more
opportunities. A 400-year head
start in education, wealth and
power does not go away in 50 years
less than one person’s lifetime.
hope that The Red & Black office
has ramp access.
It must be hard to climb stairs
with the burden of white oppres
sion weighing so heavily on your
back.
LAURA BRISCOE
Sophomore, Covington
Sports studies
I wish that the world was truly
as simple as Jeremy Dailey
describes.
In his column (“Change needed
in affirmative action policy,” Dec.
3), Dailey argues that affirmative
action is no longer necessary, as it •
unfairly oppresses those, like DaUey
and myself, who are bom into the
majority. I completely disagree with
his rather arrogant and uninformed
outlook. Affirmative action is not a
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White American’s average
wealth is nearly SIOO,OOO compared
to the average wealth of $5,000 for
black Americans, according to the
Institute of Assets and Public
Policy. White Americans are more
likely to have college degrees than
black Americans. Job applicants
with white-sounding names are 50
percent more likely than job appli
cants with black-sounding names
to be called back even with the
same credentials, according to a
study by the University of Chicago.
The real truth behind these
inequalities lies in affirmative
action policies for whites, such as
the racially restrictive housing poli
cies of the 1930s to the 1960s that
helped millions of white families
own homes through FHA loans
while excluding minorities.
Social capital speaks to the real
ity that having parents who were
allowed to attend college provides
you with more than a higher socio
economic status. It gives you a sta
tistically higher likelihood to
attend better quality schools and
have family members to help you in
the working world.
Though socioeconomic status,
as Dailey mentioned, is a signifi
cant contributor to these inequali
ties, the power of race cannot be
minimized. In theory, Dailey could
be convicted as a felon and statisti
cally be as or more likely to be
hired than a black man with no
criminal record, according to a
Princeton University study.
Only by stopping systemic rac
ism can we work toward living in a
country free of discrimination.
Dailey should focus on improv
ing his ability to assemble a well
researched argument. That skill
will help him in law school admis
sions more than complaining about
how minorities are taking his spot.
Yasmin Yonis is a senior from
Lawrenceville majoring in
international affairs and
newspapers
response to race but rather one to
inequality— something that Dailey
apparently has never experienced.
However, race often is a contribut
ing factor to inequality that is
experienced in education, careers
and every day interactions.
Affirmative action is a step to
level the playing field.
If you can’t get into law school
on your own merit, LSAT score,
personal statement, resume, OPA
and recommendation letters, per
haps it is because you are not an
ideal candidate.
Race is only one factor in the
admissions process, and until we
achieve an ideal world, it is a neces
sary one to consider.
SARAH QUINN
Senior, Avondale Estates
Art and art history
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