Daily 49er, CA
Feb 20 2008
Our View – Book peddling tasteless trend at genocide talks
49er Staff
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Opinion
Media Credit: Julio Salgado
We were privileged enough to ditch classes and learn about some real
stuff for once during last week’s human rights forum.
As college students, we look forward to the exchange of differing
life experiences and conversations about taboo topics on what we like
to consider neutral grounds. As writers, we look forward to new
material.
Hopefully, most students were lucky enough to attend at least one of
the lectures or presentations. After all, we have paid for the
extracurricular bonuses that come sprinkled in our college education.
There were more than a few speakers we anxiously looked forward to
seeing: Ishmael Beah, a former child soldier; Immaculée Ilibagiza, a
Rwandan genocide survivor; and the panel of scholars speaking on
behalf of the hotly debated Armenian genocide. It would be hard to
see a lineup like this in three days, short of a United Nations
conference.
Most, if not all, of the featured speakers have done extensive
research within their specialized field or were victims and witnesses
to atrocities. The forum’s diversity was about having many voices
resonating in the same room. People who survived devastation
humanized the crash course in genocide.
The obvious sensitivity surrounding the topic of genocide could be
seen in the scholarly discussion of the Armenian genocide. Upon
walking into the ballroom, some guests were handed a Turkish Student
Association-sponsored pamphlet outlining what they referred to as the
Armenian Revolt. Before the discussion commenced, protesters were
told that if they wished to exercise their First Amendment right,
they should kindly do so in the back of the room.
This lecture embodied what one would expect at the forum, minus the
opposing viewpoint on stage.
The topic of genocide is often stifled within our borders. Perhaps
American acknowledgment and assistance would hypocritically push our
skeletons back into the closet. Or maybe accountability doesn’t go
with our foreign policy.
It is interesting to see celebrities take on different causes and
morph them into commercial interests, either for organizations or to
merely attach altruism to their names. At times their causes are
laughable. It all seems like fun and games until you realize your
school does it, too.
There is no other way to put this and, with no disrespect intended,
we pose one query: How can we justify commercializing such an
important subject by relegating human suffering to a book-selling
table? At times we questioned whether these lectures were in the
interest of educating the public or simply selling books.
It was clear after the lengthy introduction for Beah (15 minutes)
that we were going to have to read his story if we wanted anything
beyond the surface scratched. Beah’s speech felt like a teaser for
his book. He read a few passages, answered some questions and was off
to the signing.
We realize that supporting a cause can be both charitable and
profitable at the same time. Maybe "genocide week" was simply trying
to compete with Valentine’s Day.
/paper1042/news/2008/02/20/Opinion/Our-View.Book.P eddling.Tasteless.Trend.At.Genocide.Talks-3221106. shtml