2008 Woodie Awards
Reader's Forum
Senior calls Rossi's remarks 'hate speech,' emphasizing need for Human Rights Policy
Robin Markle
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: Opinion
To the Editor,
Free speech has been at the center of much of the defense of Mr. Rossi's performance at the Mr. Drew pageant. I would like to clarify the difference between "free speech" and "hate speech." Many universities have hate speech codes which sanction speech like that used by Mr. Rossi in his act. While Drew may or may not have such a policy-the Human Rights Policy has been stuck in an editorial black hole during my entire Drew career-I believe students from historically persecuted groups have the right not to have degrading comments made about them in a public forum.
Mr. Rossi's comments during his act indicated a lack of knowledge both about the project he was criticizing and the issue of sexual assault on college campuses. His exact words were, "One week out of the year, they plaster the walls of the Commons with "Don't Rape Me" shirts. Alright? Everyone knows it, everyone knows it, no one wants to say it. But seriously, the last thing I want to see before I eat, is like how your dude friend forced himself upon you on a T-shirt. Like, that's not what I want to see before I eat."
Rossi appears unaware that all those "Don't Rape Me" shirts are made by women-and men-at Drew who are survivors of sexual assault. The T-shirt project occurs one week a year when survivors can let go of the silence around the acts they have survived and share their experiences. The privilege to not think about sexual assault is one that Rossi enjoys 51 weeks out of the year. Women do not have this privilege, because it is a daily threat in our lives.
In actuality, one in four female college students is sexually assaulted during her time at college. Rossi might know this if he paid attention to another T-shirt project carried out last fall by the Women's Concerns club, Project View. For one day, 240 women and 64 men wore T-shirts that identified them as a number of the total to give a visual representation of how many Drew students have been or will be victims of sexual assault during their time here.
Free speech has been at the center of much of the defense of Mr. Rossi's performance at the Mr. Drew pageant. I would like to clarify the difference between "free speech" and "hate speech." Many universities have hate speech codes which sanction speech like that used by Mr. Rossi in his act. While Drew may or may not have such a policy-the Human Rights Policy has been stuck in an editorial black hole during my entire Drew career-I believe students from historically persecuted groups have the right not to have degrading comments made about them in a public forum.
Mr. Rossi's comments during his act indicated a lack of knowledge both about the project he was criticizing and the issue of sexual assault on college campuses. His exact words were, "One week out of the year, they plaster the walls of the Commons with "Don't Rape Me" shirts. Alright? Everyone knows it, everyone knows it, no one wants to say it. But seriously, the last thing I want to see before I eat, is like how your dude friend forced himself upon you on a T-shirt. Like, that's not what I want to see before I eat."
Rossi appears unaware that all those "Don't Rape Me" shirts are made by women-and men-at Drew who are survivors of sexual assault. The T-shirt project occurs one week a year when survivors can let go of the silence around the acts they have survived and share their experiences. The privilege to not think about sexual assault is one that Rossi enjoys 51 weeks out of the year. Women do not have this privilege, because it is a daily threat in our lives.
In actuality, one in four female college students is sexually assaulted during her time at college. Rossi might know this if he paid attention to another T-shirt project carried out last fall by the Women's Concerns club, Project View. For one day, 240 women and 64 men wore T-shirts that identified them as a number of the total to give a visual representation of how many Drew students have been or will be victims of sexual assault during their time here.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Really now?
posted 4/27/08 @ 5:43 PM EST
Wait - let me get this straight.
Jim Rossi made fun of the Alliance, but also admitted that he didn't find any of the women on campus attractive.
Is he sure he shouldn't be part of the Alliance?
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