Blog Post 2

Today's class was particularly interesting to me, as in no other classes have I discussed the climate on campus and the ongoing effects of the racist posters put up.  It's heartbreaking and frustrating to think about how minorities are targeted specifically to make them feel hurt and unwelcome. When I first heard about the posters, I was surprised but didn't think much of it. In my mind, dumb people remain dumb and do dumb things, which surface into our daily lives from time to time. But after today's talk, I realised something else- when it is hateful propaganda or speech directed toward me, my frustration is more obvious. For instance, last year I heard about anti-Muslim slurs chalked on the diag and elsewhere on campus, and although I'm not particularly religious, it still did scare me. It hurts a lot of people, but not in the same way and to the same extent. By discussing these matters with people who are both targeted and not targeted, we can understand better and be made more aware of the things we can do to create a positive and welcoming environment for all of us. Our humanity and logic is what should prevail, and I hope it always will.