After waiting 13 years as part of the UNC community, first as a student and later as a resident, someone finally managed to hit the nail on the head in a way that I have never been able to fully get across. I want to thank Bruce Newman for stating in the most concise and accurate way what I have been referring to as the "Protest of the Week Syndrome" these many years.
It truly heartened me to see that I am not alone in my belief that UNC students are too lazy and reactionary to think for themselves. The pseudo-intellectualism prevalent on this campus beggars description. I defy any one person who was involved in the march several days ago to produce any evidence that they have done an iota of research into the matter of David Horowitz or William Lawrence Saunders. Because had anyone actually bothered to walk into Wilson Library and look into the matter, they would see a far different version of the "facts" as they have been presented by people whose very nature is to incite and provoke controversy, perceived or real.
Horowitz was marching with Dr. King years before any of these so-called "students" were born. To denigrate his work by throwing out that old "racist" chestnut is to do a disservice not only to him, but to anyone who might actually be sympathetic to further race relations. If all that the protesters are interested in doing is alienating those who would befriend them -- by all means, continue the assault on the establishment instead of looking for ways to add to history instead of rewriting it.
The responsibility of students everywhere should be to learn from history in order to work for a brighter tomorrow, not to change the past as it suits their needs or because they are taught to be offended by anything that is not within a rigid thought process. A closed mind is a wonderful thing to lose.
Shane Hasty
Class of 1993
