Speech Codes: Do they lessen Racism?

Speech Codes: Do they lessen Racism?

  “Despite the tremendous strides resulting from civil rights legislation, racism remains one of the most pressing social problems in the US” (Marcus, Mullins, et al., p.1). Universities are not immune to racism.  “Racial issues are significant in all aspects of campus life including admissions, curriculum, sports, social interaction, and residence halls” (Marcus, Mullins, et al., p.1).  In recent years, attempts to curtail racially discriminatory activities have let many campuses to be focused on the institution of speech codes.  Currently, throughout the US, many universities have adopted and now enforce speech codes.  However, whether the institution of speech codes does help fight against racism is a grave and complicated question.  While speech codes on campuses might curb racial slurs uttered openly, they may never help eradicate the invisible undercurrent of hatred in the dominant race towards minorities.  In fact, with the implementation of speech codes, the fear of being identified as a racist can often lead to repressed emotions that simmer covertly producing aggravated effects.  In order to effectively lessen racism on campuses, speech codes must be handled with sensitivity and fairness requiring the both majority and the minority groups to share the responsibility of enhancing the present situation.

It is natural for humans of all races to identify with what they perceive to be their own.  We were taught as a class that “provincialism is a tendency to identify with the ideas, interests, and kinds of behavior favored by those in groups with which we identify” (Kahane & Cavender, p.123).  This tendency restricts social interactions between members of different racial groups.  Ethnic clustering in the snack area clearly demonstrates this point.  When students from any given campus resist mingling with members of other race, this creates an overall lack of communications and feelings of distrust between groups.    According to one report, whites saw ethnic clustering negatively, as racial segregation, while minorities valued it as a source of support within an unsupportive culture (Marcus, Mullins, et al., p.2).  Is it fair, then, to accuse only the whites of being racist when the members of minority groups sometimes resist association with the majority and insist on hibernating within their own culture?  Should not the burden and responsibility of lessening racism on campuses also be put on the efforts required by the members of minority groups?

“Provincialism” and “herd instincts” can often lead to prejudices (Kahane & Cavender, p.122). Lack of information or education about other cultures will make people vulnerable to forming opinions solely based on conventional stereotypes.  It is fair to assume that some of the overt expressions of racist remarks may be stemming from people’s “partisan mind set” due to unfamiliarity as to other races and cultures (Kahane & Cavender,  p.126).  Cultural prejudices due to lack of exposure can only be understood by venturous spirits of students who willingly and actively share their ideologies and values with groups of people other than their own.   Since prejudice is an intrinsic element of racism, in order to effectively curb racism, campuses should find ways to first discourage prejudices among students by offering incentives to those who are willing to go an extra mile to crack down that cultural ignorance. Likewise, in the efforts to reduce racism on campuses, administrators and educators should do their share by placing primary emphasis on educating the impressionable minds of the students rather than strictly enforcing the rigid speech codes.  

“Communication can facilitate greater understanding and empathy between all races and is quite possibly the best defense against the corrosive effects of modern racism” (Marcus, Mullins, et al., p.7).  Many times the real reason behind racism is the lack of understanding and communication rather than hatred.  School administrators and educators should strive to provide an educational habitat in their institutions and their classrooms into a blossoming cultural community by inviting and engaging the students into open debates and discussions about racism.  For the campus administrators to be even more committed towards this end, they should mandate certain cultural classes to be taken by the students as a part of the college curriculum.  This would be a sensible and a more effective way to fight against racism on campuses.  Unfortunately, the above-mentioned suggestions would only be possible if the movers and shakers of the campuses were exempt from being a racist themselves, for many of the research findings show that professors and school administrators are not immune to racism.

In order for the speech codes to yield any positive results against racism, it must be fundamentally and ideologically fair and just and need to be implemented wisely.  It is critical and would be more constructive for the administrators to adopt a “system of reward” for the initiators and active participants of such a harmonious cause, rather than dutifully abiding by the punitive stipulations they have set against the offenders of speech codes.  If this measure is taken too harshly, it will only exacerbate the present situation of racism on campuses.  It is equally crucial to make certain that speech codes to be inclusive of all offensive and impolite language spoken on campuses, rather than exclusively punishing only the racial slurs while overlooking all other disparaging remarks spoken against other social minority groups such as homosexuals, physically disabled, anorexic or obese people to name a few.  Shouldn’t all offensive language on the campuses be discouraged?  By instituting speech codes against racism in particular, the racism itself will be heightened.  If a person makes one mistake and is found guilty by the speech code and is suspended or expelled from the campus, the likelihood of that person’s racism becoming even more severe and dangerous is easily foreseen.  The chance of that person who receives retribution under the code to be repentant of his misdeed is slim.  Rather, it is more likely that this person’s vengeance against the system will harbor more harm for the society as a whole than good.  Then, what’s the point?  Do punishments of improper speeches lead to positive results?  I say nay.

“Americans have moved from open hostility and aggressive racism to a more subdued, covert, and even unconscious form of racism” (Sydell, Nelson, p.1).  Chapter seven of our textbook has acquainted us with the “cognitive” and “emotive” meanings of language (Kahane & Cavender, p.150).  People nowadays are too clever to get themselves into trouble by blurting out racial remarks that are politically incorrect or have negative emotive charges.  Instead, we use “euphemism” or circumlocution by intelligently and deliberately choosing neutral or positive overtones to cover our innermost negative feelings (Kahane & Cavender, p.152).  Therefore, it is harder to detect racism by any verbally spoken words.  “Although Civil Rights reforms in the 1960s inaugurated an era of forced semi-equality between the races, it may be that emotion and cognitions cannot be legislated” (Sydell, Nelson, p.1).  So, how can we even fathom that a speech codes can get rid of racism on campuses?  Speech codes will make prudent students close their lips to the truth underneath their conscious minds, but it is utterly inadequate if it is to subvert their streams of thoughts and feelings. 

Racism – that is, any doctrine or cognition that claims the superiority of one race over another – has evolved slowly over the entire history of mankind.  Though it is true that much more can be done to reduce the causes of racism, complete eradication of the existing racism is unrealistic because it would be impossible to educate and persuade the entire population of America about racism.   Besides, certain prejudices against members of other groups may be stemming from the need for people to find “scapegoats” for what they perceive to be the ills of the world (Kahane & Cavender, p.125), for example, taxes and special programs for the minority, resentment against affirmative action, tightened job markets due to influx of immigration, economic recession and so forth.  As long as any one or more of these issues persist, racism will likely accompany them.  Though we must maintain our optimism and continue to pursue equality among all races, our hopes in such an endeavor should not naively astray us by unrealistic fancies.  After all the possible measures against racism have been implemented, ultimately it is up to the flow of time to bring us results.  Patience and diligence will be required from both sides – majority and the minority groups – to bear fruits of our concerted efforts.  However, even after being patient and diligent over a long period of time, probability of completely eliminating racism in America (or anywhere else, for that matter) is unreal, for racism is embedded too deeply in the very fabrics of human minds. 

        It is important that the issues of racial inequality in campuses are not ignored but they need to be addressed with sensible measures.  Supporters of speech codes must bear in their minds the limits pertaining to the enactment of speech codes, since modern racism is not often audible, making it harder to detect.  Speech codes can help reduce the problem only if it is ideologically sound and just.  Racism is too intricately woven into our society.  Complete annihilation of it is less likely, but there is plenty more we can do to improve the situation.  Under the guidance of committed campus administrators and educators, the students from both sides (the majority and minority) of the groups can strive to come to a respectful union of the diverse cultures.  According to Dr. Raymond A. Winbush’s remark, “At the end of the day, it will be the measure of how well an institution educates its students for future service to this country and the world, which really matters” (Dr. Raymond, p.3,4).  The American universities are going through dramatic changes.  Distance learning is becoming a reality and quite common in most of the universities in U.S.  International study is more common and thus exchanges between faculty and students abroad are increasing.  The campuses of America, by educating its students the harmful effects of racism, not only will contribute to the harmoniously functioning universities, but more significantly, they will be serving the global world by preparing our students to be ready of the diverse cultural forces that are out there to meet them.