Stereotyping still wrong even if you get it right

Editor,

I have much more pressing matters to attend to, but my disappointment in the Daily Lobo’s continual lack of editorial oversight in regards to the playful — albeit ignorant — columns of Culture Editor Chris Quintana will extend my procrastination evermore.

Wednesday’s column, “It’s Not A Stereotype If You Get It,” asserts that any individual we encounter, we subconsciously label as a “fag,” “terrorist,” “jock,” whatever — but that we should assume the validity of our presumptions before delving into the interpersonal interactions that unveil these peoples’ true colors.

Are we still in high school? I should sure hope not. So why is Quintana allowed to epitomize the source of those angsty days of turmoil and disquietude which, at some point, we all went through?

Consider for a moment the sheer number of people we encounter on a daily basis, just being on campus. Dirty looks, snide remarks and one-upsmanship often plague our treks between classes, and to some extent, it’s unavoidable.

How many people do we see — or rather, fail to see — clinging to the life raft of a stereotype they feel “acceptable” to fit into, in order to shamefully recoil from the hundreds of critical glances around them?

The self-hate and shame I sense from these tortured souls — anywhere I go, I see them — astounds and saddens me as a proud, openly gay individual.

What societal norms deem as “right” and “wrong” is what’s driving so many students to flee from themselves, to clamor and hide behind the flagrant assertions of masculinity, “brohood,” and outright disrespect that is, appallingly, accepted by so many of our own.

There is no “right” other than the respectful embrace of fellow students. The diversity each one embodies is something that should broaden our horizons as part of the college experience. There is no “wrong” other than the actions displayed by some individuals on this campus — ahem — who accept stereotypes for the sake of self-protection and the spiteful repression of our own identities.

The reduction of individuals’ identities based on a quick appraisal of physical appearance, their clothing, mannerisms, etc. is backward and detrimental to the cultural, moral and altruistic principles the University claims to embody.

It’s a pity the Daily Lobo allows some of its contributors to spew and glorify the ignorance that trickles so sickeningly within our community. Its readership extends far beyond the confines of campus, so for our “student voice” to transmit such mindless, infectious thinking to the greater Albuquerque area and beyond — including Oklahoma City — is tasteless and disreputable. Shame on you.

Austin Evans
UNM student