I’m a student at the University, and I’ve been tracking the Pacifica Forum for some time now. I thought, in light of Cimmeron Gillespie’s recent letter (“Community should not sit idly while Pacifica Forum spreads its cacophonous propaganda,” ODE, Feb. 10) and the general rabble breaking out over this situation, I should finally speak.
There is no Nazi threat. There is no white supremacist threat. There is a homophobic threat, but homophobia lies dormant in thousands of angry students who use hate as a substitute for love and understanding. There is no great cause to fight for. There is no protest to be had. There is no soapbox to stand on. There is no drum to bang, Mr. Gillespie. Those who are actively bringing the Pacifica Forum into the light are doing exactly what the Forum wants them to do.
“I don’t mind at all. In fact, I thrive on it,” Billy Rojas was quoted as saying in a January issue of the Emerald. Gillespie and his group of earnest protestors may have the right intentions, but they lack ideological propulsion. Using outdated counter-culture protesting methods only underscores how attention-hungry they really are. If we’re going to fight the Pacifica Forum, it needs to be with facts and reasons, not “ra-ra” sloganeering and spoon-fed rebellion.
What truly angers me is that the same people who preach love and compassion aren’t extending it to the lost souls who are so easily lured into hateful organizations like the Pacifica Forum. Members are automatically “Nazi dupes” with no intellect or emotion. They’re shunned into a stereotype and demonized, a fact that only feeds their anger. I’m sure plenty of similarly neglected students have been interested in fascism. It’s an ideology centered around power and discipline, two of the most highly prized principles for those who feel outcast from society. That doesn’t mean they lose their moral compass; it simply means that they’re fascinated by the allure of a “forbidden” political ideology.
Those who embrace radical ideas do so in order to push our buttons. They love watching us take up arms and protest, scream until our throats are raw, fight against each other until our community rips itself apart. This was especially worrisome after a swastika was found in the LGBTQA headquarters, immediately leading people to believe the Pacifica Forum was behind it. Why would they want to give the University reason to eject them from campus? Who’s to say it wasn’t a protester who did it to ensure the Forum’s boot from campus? Until DPS closes the case, we don’t know. Drawing conclusions and acting on them as a matter of “community safety” is a slippery slope toward preemptive action.
We’ve seen the Pacifica Forum break down the ASUO. Senators are dropping like flies. Emotions run high, clouding rational debate. Resolutions challenging the Forum are weak at best. But the question is not “Is the Pacifica Forum a threat to the community?” The question is “Is the Pacifica Forum intellectually important?” They’re teaching us an important lesson in tolerance and understanding. I’ve seen so much love and cohesion because of this issue. The Forum is bringing people together and forcing them to analyze their own beliefs and prejudices. Without this foil, the University will fade back into its usual routine of liberal mediocrity and pseudo-hippie multiculturalism. I can’t point to any other group that has done so much for the community.
This is an intellectual issue, one that will determine how our University deals with civil rights, property rights and academic legitimacy. The protesting needs to stop, and the diplomacy needs to begin. I’m tired of chronicling this sad example of hate and misunderstanding.
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