The Michigan Review

National Day of "Inaction": Part Two

Not satisfied with confusing (or amusing) the campus community the first time around, irate students are planning a second National Day of Action on April Fool's Day. And just like the first National Day Action, students are requested to skip class and join in on undoubtedly enjoyable activities such as rallying and marching to defend affirmative action. But it seems rather pointless, and to be an empty gesture on the part of the pro-affirmative action forces, for even well-meaning students to protect what they see as their right to go to class by ... not going to class. Indeed, one would think that if these students truly appreciated the privilege granted to them, they would go to class as normal and participate in rallies and what not after class ended for the day.

Sadly, this will most likely not occur, and the vast majority of the student body will attempt to go to class, listen to their professors, and learn as normal, only to have their day interrupted by the shouts and rhythmic chants of protestors who, unwilling to accept the need for rational discussion over the issues, will proceed to disrupt the lectures and discussions of people who truly want to learn. How ironic that the people who are so adamant about defending their right to learn at one of the world's most prestigious Universities would deny that right to others by chanting and shouting to disrupt those opportunities.

That the leaders of the movement to defend affirmative action would impede the learning of other students boggles the mind, especially when one considers that, at least in theory, the whole purpose of the affirmative action movement is to allow students who might not have all the opportunities in the world that others do a chance to learn. But then again, campus has become used to the pointless and childish activities of the self-appointed campus leadership of the pro-affirmative action forces. These are the same forces that proclaim in one of their flyers advertising this event that "on March 18th, we exposed the disingenuous, self-contradictory and shallow arguments of Ward Connerly and the other opponents of affirmative action and made a declaration that we are prepared to stand up and fight." Considering that these same people never gave Connerly a chance to respond to one of their hysterical, feeble-minded outbursts during his talk, who then is being disingenuous, self-contradictory, and shallow? Who then is being disingenuous, self-contradictory, and shallow by advocating a strike from class so that they can feel self-important by attracting as many students as possible to one of their petty rallies? It simply doesn't make sense. The battle over affirmative action is going to be decided, like it or not, by either the ballot or the court. It will not be decided by a bunch of semi-independent children who decide to parade around on the Diag for a few hours on select dates, as if they were attending a convention. It will be influenced by the arguments put forth by the opposing counsels, not influenced by the feeble-minded rants of student protestors who are viewed as just that by the entirety of the outside world - student protestors, not a powerful group nor one to take seriously. If these students and the core of the affirmative action movement would follow in full the action of the 41 Law students who are putting themselves at risk (of at least some tangible loss) by asking to be placed alongside the University as defendants in lawsuits facing the University, then perhaps they might be viewed with a modicum of respect by their supporters and detractors alike. However, their infantile and churlish behavior, which usually consists of shouting down the opposition when it doesn't agree with them, will gain the admiration of no one.

We would ask that students refrain from embarrassing themselves and also refrain from supporting the hard-core, self-appointed despots of the pro-affirmative action movement, and hence not attend the rallies, marches, mass meetings, or teach-ins that are sure to coincide with the National Day of (In)Action. Instead, regardless of one's position on the issue, we would ask that all students calmly work towards fostering rational discussion of the affirmative action issue. When we begin to talk about the matter in a rational and calm manner, as has not yet been able to occur on campus thanks to the self-righteous proselytizing of the pro-affirmative action lunatic fringe, then it is entirely foreseeable that we will begin to clear away much of the racial tension that exists on campus. MR

This article was published in the 1 April 1998 edition of The Michigan Review (Volume 16, Number 9).
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