NU’s MLK logic flawed
I’m always astonished by the logical extremes the University administration is willing to go to in order to justify its policies, but the university’s position on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is truly impressive. In Monday’s Daily, a Northwestern representative was quoted to the effect of if MLK Day was to be treated as a “true” holiday, then the campus would have to be effectively shut down, including MLK Day events, and thus “the University would not be adequately recognizing the legacy of Dr. King.”
Ignoring for a moment the beautiful craftsmanship on this nuanced chunk of bullshit, let’s ask another question: Who cares?
It’s not so important whether you spend your free-time during a holiday discussing racism or sparking a spliff and watching reruns of “The Simpsons.”
Sure, discussing MLK with knowledgeable scholars is a better use of time than getting baked, but both venerate him in a strange way.
What’s important is whether the University grants a day of rest, interrupting standard class scheduling in honor of MLK and his legacy.
It seems wholly appropriate to disrupt the normal routine of day-to-day University life by canceling classes on a day meant to acknowledge Dr. King, whose tactics relied upon refusing acquiescence to the normal operating procedures of a racist system.
One means that can be used to force an all-day cancellation is social pressure. If your professor held classes on Monday, many didn’t even though they could have, call them out in class. Ask them why they didn’t cancel class.
If we can get enough teachers to voluntarily cancel classes, others might be pressured to conform, and there will be no classes on MLK Day regardless of the University’s official policy.
– Josh Bernstein,
Weinberg senior
Day off counterproductive
Martin Luther King Jr. Day should not be a full-day holiday. What does it currently consist of? Bloated ceremonies, pompous self-congratulation and demagogues talking about the importance of a day off. Any time taken off doesn’t result in anything productive, it’s merely a few extra hours between classes.
For Northwestern to take a full day off, just to prove its commitment to diversity, is ridiculous. It will be used as a free day, an extra hangover day and a catch up day. If you believe in MLK’s ideals, you shouldn’t be promoting a day off. You should be promoting a volunteer program, joining the Peace Corps, reading how social programs can be used to better the lives of the poor and downtrodden, doing something, instead of sitting in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall.
– Tim Rooney,
Weinberg sophomore
Respect all federal holidays
This letter is written in response to the NAACP vice chairwoman’s call for cancelled classes. Let me first say that Martin Luther King Jr. was a great man with a great agenda. However, I think it’s sad that no other great men get the same recognition at Northwestern.
Why don’t we celebrate Abe Lincoln or George Washington or better yet, how about the millions of veterans who served their country?
They all seem to have a pretty significant part in American history. When did we decide that MLK is the only man worthy of a school holiday? Was there a survey on HereAndNow that I missed? What a message to send our students!
I agree with the vice-chairwoman. If you’re not going to go all out, it doesn’t really mean anything. So if you’re not going to observe all of the federal holidays honoring the great men and women of our country, please don’t bother.
– Chelsea Thompson,
Music and Weinberg freshman