Sadly, the Chris Yonker/Latino Student Union saga evaded me for a week or so. However, having since caught up on it, I must say the whole episode exceeds all levels of ridiculousness. From the only slightly funny satire of Yonker's, to the LSU's complete misunderstanding, misrepresentation and over-dramatization of the subject, it seems liberals have blown this whole ordeal completely out of proportion. By liberals
I mean the overly sensitive and politically correct sect of liberals that I hope are not representative of all liberals, myself included. I am writing to point out some of the glaring faults in the LSU's argument against Yonker's Broad Stripes and Bright Stars article, freedom of speech and press aside.
The first paragraph of the LSU's September 14th letter mentions the light comedy that Yonker uses in reference to the genocide of Native Americans. The fact that the LSU referred to it as light comedy shows that they either understood that Yonker's article was meant to be humorous, or that they were using sarcasm. From this it can be assumed that the LSU understands the idea of satirical journalism, and that they were capable of realizing Yonker's article should be taken with a grain of salt. They should have been able to pick up on the fact that his treatment of Native Americans was not particularly serious. Beyond this, the LSU goes on to misrepresent his treatment of the issue, stating that Yonker portrayed Native American's as being cool with the loss of all their land. In fact, Yonker said that they were cool with the few original settlers, and goes on to say that Europeans did oppress Native Americans with the line accusing Europeans of imprisoning the indigenous Americans in the bedroom... Since I have shown that the LSU article's writer is capable of understanding sarcasm, and inferentially satire as well, the LSU should have understood this line as covering the atrocities they claim Yonker disregarded, in a context which fit his article.
Next stop: Yonker's chosen description of America's geography and natural resources. Every description is extremely stereotypical, which makes sense, being that stereotypes are often utilized in satire. Yonker never points at illegal immigrants for the destruction of these things. It's pretty well understood that pollution and the overuse of natural resources stems from the Industrial Revolution, and continues today for the lack of a better system being implemented into U.S. economic and social structures. This is a reoccurring trend in industrializing nations; take a look at China. A vastly different culture with a different political system is doing the same thing. Call it growing pains. As for the Native Americans being easily sustained by this land, of course they were! It's not hard to sustain a hunter-gatherer culture.
Next on the LSU's agenda was Yonker's use of the Us vs. Them mentality. This argument, most often associated with everyone's favorite fair and balanced news station, is also a tradition in satire. Watch any episode of The Colbert Report and you're bound to see it employed. And the claim that Yonker's article was full of factual inaccuracies is laughable. At what point did Yonker claim that his article was factually accurate? He related the whole thing to a drinking party, which alone should set off the it's a joke trigger. And for the record, Yonker pointed out the fact that illegal immigrants get jobs that are dangerous and unsavory when he said the party crashers are working jobs most Americans don't want. I will agree that Yonker's use of scum when referring to illegal immigrants is harsh, but by that point in his article one can easily see that he's building up to extremes. Distasteful? Probably. Belligerently racist? I don't think so.
As for the LSU's request for the termination of Mr. Yonker, I must disagree. Once again, freedom of speech and press aside, at the least his article is clearly satirical, and the charges of racism and bigotry are unfounded. At most, it was opposing illegal immigration, which some would say is a great threat to Americans, and the immigrants themselves. I respect the LSU for their intentions, but aren't there much more pressing matters they could be putting their time and energy into than trying to get the author of an obviously satirical column fired? Activism is an amazing thing, when it is being used in a progressive manner.Robert Wofter is a junior at Ohio University.
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