Brock Turner rapes a woman, and leaves prison after 3 months. Colin Kaepernick does something many of us do at the sound of the National Anthem, and is considered spiteful of the army regardless of his goal. People of color are being killed unjustly every day, and all our nation can say for it is "blue lives matter".
These are really crazy hot topics, but they do not take precedence over the twitter of Michael Marcon in the eyes of a college student. The self-proclaimed "baneful" commentary of a member of the Ursinus Board of Trustee's directly reflects the greater issues in America today. The fact that people of high positions have feelings of superiority based on class and appearance effects every student- unless of course they are fit, white males. I will not drudge on about how adolescents are warned to be careful of what is said online for it may affect their future (I definitely cannot account for many things I've said in my youth). I won't hold Marcon to that standard because I don't know that I believe people should be fired for speaking their mind, but they should be corrected when their opinions are from a place of ignorance. And not corrected to show one opinion holds superior to the other, but corrected so as to accommodate all of the students this man is now involved with.
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The problem is Marcon was not apologetic about his mistakes. He did not see his hate speech as a mistake, but rather his freedom of speech. I, like many others, was not so concerned with every tweet. Though to deny the existence of a wage gap is terribly detrimental to myself and other women. To joke that there should be lines for the upper class and lower class worries me as a student who wants to be valued for more than her wealth. To comment on weight makes me feel I am only valued given that I (to steal a little of Trump's lingo) am a "10". To wrongly identify a group of people as "aboriginese" is really frightening... And a conversation I have often is how do you address a situation where someone is unaware of his or her own ignorance? I don't know that Marcon is evil and I won't lower myself to hate him for his mistakes. I just want him to be receptive of the student body he now represents and not apologize that we were offended... but rather that he offended us and understand why he had. Depending on your place in society, your opinions will be vastly different and that is extremely fair. Though by writing this off as some mistake isn't much different than the larger issues at hand in the world. When something is unjust it needs to be heavily discussed. It needs to have consequences, but most importantly, it really needs reform. It's true that Brock Turner's life is forever marred from his decision, but why is the life of the girl he assaulted disregarded? Why is Kaepernick evil for a peaceful statement? Why does the saying black lives matter in an attempt to make black lives equal to all other lives offend so many people? These are things that need discussion and not an overbearing rule that disregards a vast majority of people's beliefs. Clearly I have my own opinion on each topic, but I am aware that the reasoning escapes people and am always willing to explain my case. So, forgive me, but I believe I deserve an explanation for why others disagree and why their beliefs prevail over my own. In the case of Marcon, I think we all deserve an explanation for his tweets that disrespect so many groups of people he should be protecting while holding a high position here at Ursinus.
My greatest fear from this little mishap in a little college in a little part of Pennsylvania is that this is a sign that our administration is untouchable, which makes me worry that there will always be a power above me that is untouchable. I don't want a type of tyranny or some uproar from this, but a fruitful discussion and to know that my peers and I are valued. I think if I can see that within the walls of my little college, I will have faith that it can exist beyond this.
