Freshman defends letter on racial ignorance
Letter to the Editor
Although disappointed, I am not regretful for submitting a letter recently describing prejudices that exist in some Notre Dame classrooms. The idea of my letter was and remains to be that ignorance, while not always intended to hurt, does inevitably lead to the infliction of pain onto others. I chose the word "ignorance," first of all, not as an accusation or insult, but because the very definition implies "not knowing better," and I still feel confident in remarking that, just as in every other place in the world, ignorance does exist at this university, and people are getting hurt.
Racism is a word which implies nothing but hatred and crueslty, and I have met few if any racist people in my life. This is why I chose not to use the word "racism" in my original letter. Prejudices combined with enough hatred do often lead to racism, there is an important distinction between racism, ignorance, and prejudice (preconcieved ideas), and the three should not be confused.
I wanted to write again to further explain and clarify my message. Ultimately, my reason for writing the letter was because I wanted to share my friend's stories as an illustration of how easy it is to make an offensive or prejudiced comment without realizing it. I felt that my friend's experiences were apropos for the message of my letter, and I do not regret sharing with others how he felt in two specific situations at Notre Dame.
I believe that it is vitally important that faculty and students alike be sensitive and conscientious of the comments that they make to one another. So many people (including members of my own family) have suffered from prejudice and ignorance and know how much pain this can cause. Ignorance, though, is not a taboo word. In the context of my letter, I intended it to describe how some people do not realize the impact or implications of some of their comments. As I stated in my letter, I do not believe that evil intentions, ulterior motives, or racism drives most people at Notre Dame and in the world. Not knowing that one's comments or ignorance can hurt others is an innocent mistake, and although I wish it did not happen, it does unfortunately. My friend's teacher probably did not intend his/her comments to be hurtful to my friend just as I, by writing my letter, certainly did not intend to hurt or offend anyone. Mistakes are understandable; it is what people do after making them that makes the difference.
I still feel that the issue of improving race relations at Notre Dame necessitates students and faculty embracing one anther's humanity and learning from their mistakes. No person should feel awkward or uncomfortable because of a comment made by a faculty member or student. Being accepting of each other's feelings and willing to change and understand why it is people feel the way they do are essential ingredients to making sure that ignorance stops hurting people. Armed with this open-mindedness and by avoiding complacency, Notre Dame will surely continue on the right track toward improving race relations. As a final note, I send my apologies to anyone who felt offended by my letter; this was not my intention.
Ken Seifert
Freshman, Stanford Hall
February 21, 2000
All Viewpoint Stories for Tuesday, February 22, 2000
