LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 19, 2003 - 5 Skin deep diversity AYMAR JEAN No RHYME, JUST REASON r History of Israel taken out of context To THE DAILY: Ari Paul's latest viewpoint (The supremacist Blue Block, 5/12/03) lacks the logic, thoughtfulness and attention to accuracy that typically characterize his work. First, Paul did speak with me in early March. However, his article failed to provide the context in which I mentioned the invasion of England. Paul questioned the legiti- macy of the state of Israel, based on the fact that others once inhabited the land. My reply was that accept- ing his categorical argument - a state is illegitimate if predated by another - would render nearly all states illegitimate. France, England, Russia, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, to name just a few, all had previous inhabitants. Furthermore, arguing about the founding of Israel is unproductive. Israel is an interna- tionally recognized state and is here to stay. As Ahmed Qurei, the speak- er of the Palestinian Legislative Council, recently pointed out, the key to progress is in looking toward the future, not debating the rights ' and wrongs of nearly 50 years ago. Second, Paul did question me about Israel's immigration policies. However, he failed to supply my response. I informed Paul that peo- ple of all ethnicities and religions are eligible for citizenship in Israel. It matters not if one is Christian, Muslim, Hindu or Zoroastrian. It is true that Jewish immigrants do not have to undergo naturalization. However, such immigration systems are common all over the world. France, Hungary, Romania, Ger- many, Korea and Japan, among oth- ers, all have similar systems. These policies are not based on notions of "ethnic supremacy" as Paul alleges. Rather, they are attempts to preserve the self-determination and cultural cohesion of the state's inhabitants. Third, Paul's tirade about Zion- ism and the "Blue Block" is ill- conceived. Zionism, or Jewish nationalism, is equivalent to Pales- tinian nationalism or, for that mat- ter, Korean, Canadian or Bolivian nationalism. Paul may wish that our international system were not organized into nation-states, but condemning Zionism while failing to take reality into account is illogi- cal, at best. Paul also attacks stu- dents who question the motives of those who propose to hold Israel to a double standard. Resolutions endorsing divestment from Israel crop up time and time again, while their sponsors never suggest simi- lar measures against Sudan, where human slavery still exists, or North Korea, Iran, China or Russia, where human rights abuses exceed- ing those allegedly committed by Israel frequently occur. Separating Israel out for condemnation is unfair and, perhaps worse, unhelp- ful. Resolutions like the one con- sidered by the Michigan Student Assembly only make compromise more difficult and peace less likely. If Paul wants to contribute to a lasting peace, he should invest his energy in finding forward-looking solutions, rather than arguing over ancient rights and wrongs or encouraging selective divestment. DAvID LivsHiz Alumnus Viewpoint ignored persecution of Jews TO THE DAILY: Ari Paul's column (The supremacist Blue Block, 5/12/03) was misguided, offensive and gen- erally unfortunate. Paul's distaste- ful (and, sadly, all too common) comparison of the destruction of terrorists' homes by the Israeli Defense Force and the Nazis' industrial-style genocide is just plain wrong. Were Jews in Ger- many blowing themselves up in crowded marketplaces? No. (And even if they were, the punishment would not have met the crime.) Are Israeli forces stuffing starving Palestinian Arabs into over-crowd- ed trains, sending them to camps to starve them to death, or, to make things easier, simply gassing them and incinerating their bodies? Thank God, no, no and no. The comparison is grossly invalid on all counts and what's worse, it weak- ens arguments for real Palestinian grievances, as well as degrades the memory of Nazi victims and the reality of what the Nazis did. Paul wondered which side of the "human rights fence" Goldberg would have been on during World War II. I wonder what Paul would be doing in that same era if he were a European Jew. Would he have smuggled himself into British-con- trolled Palestine and become part of the tiny minority that escaped the Nazis? And in 1948, after Palestin- ian Arabs rejected the United Nations proposal for a sovereign Arab state next to the proposed Jewish one - when Israel declared statehood and was promptly attacked by Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq - would Paul have returned to Poland to nothing but seething hatred and looted property? Or would he have stayed, fought and become an Israeli? And in 2003, when synagogues burn in Europe (see Brenner, Vanity Fair, June 2003; Rothstein, The New York Times, 5/17/03; or just type in "Europe anti-Semitism" at bbc.co.uk), when "Death to Jews!" is the rallying cry at state-spon- sored parades in Tehran (this is well-documented), and with this sentiment refracted across the Arab states, how could Paul still retain his starry-eyed political naivete? God bless America, where a Jew can become so cushioned by freedom and diversity that he becomes completely estranged from the historical persecution of his ancestors. JOANNA STEINHARDTr LSA senior NEW YORK - As the decision in the Supreme .Court regard- ing affirmative action approaches, I feel com- pelled - as an African-American, a writer and a University student - to think about diversity. To defend its admissions pro- gram, the administration has cited diversity as the main reason for such plans. Arguably, there are other notable reasons for affirma- tive action, but, seeing that these other rea- sons all hint at social and economic engineering, the University has chosen the more palatable concept of diversity. In my opinion, the diversity achieved from aggres- sive affirmative action is, as of now, purely numerical. True diversity is conditional, and I will attempt to explain the conditions. This spring, University liberals and minorities decided to affirm their presence in several ways: from an anti-war gathering on the Diag to Queer Visibility Week to certain, unmentionable boycotts. Though these events are a token to the University's diversi- ty, I contend that this diversity is only skin deep. Let me explain further. I recently visited Vassar College, a small, secular, liberal arts college in upstate New York where I saw the differ- ences between that self-proclaimed liberal institution and the University. Incidentally when I visited, as a Christian, I wore a fairly recognizable, gold cross on my neck. Upon viewing said cross, my friend promptly suggested that I take it off. When I asked why, she told me that I would get inquiries all night from various Vassar stu- dents as to why I am a Christian. This is not, as it may seem, liberal discrimination or secular segregation, but it is representa- tive of the intellectual inquiry across polit- ical and social beliefs that is most central to liberal culture. When the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Association held a kiss-in this spring, their bravado was met not with this inquiry, but with tacit demands to "keep it to themselves." . The concept of welcomed diversity con- nects these two incidents, seemingly about two separate issues: sexual orientation and religious orientation. My first contention is that diversity is more than just race. This is obvious, but many do not live out this truth in their daily lives. If your friends are only those of the same religious persuasion, sexu- al persuasion or political persuasion, then you are missing out on the fruits of diversity: the diversity that spans beyond and goes beneath the skin. What makes this University great is that it represents the true U.S. intermediary. It is a defiant representation of the traditional col- legiate experience because it lies outside the bounds of characterization. The University knows no label - and this is coming from a continually skeptical out-of-stater. It lies in the Midwest, somewhere between the whole- some South and the cynical Northeast. It draws neo-hippies and fraternity brothers. It admits Jews, Christians and Muslims. And it attracts, of course, every major U.S. race. All this diversity is in vain if there is no interaction. And so, my second con- tention is that differences should cultivate inquisitiveness and rumination. The dif- ference between my experience at Vassar and the incidents of this spring is that, at that self-proclaimed liberal institution, diversity evolved into education. Here, diversity has devolved into the mere acknowledgement of difference. The stu- dents at Vassar did not point and laugh at my cross and they did not tell me to "keep it to myself;" instead, they asked me about it and sought understanding. All sides, unfortunately, are indictable. Black or white, Christian or Jewish, gay or straight, poor or rich, we all feel more com- fortable around those who are similar to us. Yet, bridging differences instead of simply acknowledging them will cure this Universi- ty of the curse of small-mindedness and will necessitate an aggressive affirmative action program. Only with this individual action will diversity cease to be purely numerical. Diversity goes beyond race. It spans across creeds, lifestyles and economic back- grounds. Yet, it even goes beyond that which is physical. The essence of diversity lies in the mind. At the University, we have all the physical signs of diversity - and hopefully we always will - but if we dare to claim that diversity is the main reason for affirma- tive action, then it is time to open our minds. Jean can be reached at acjean@umich.edu. Muera la vie boheme JASON PESICK ONt MAL VOICE The two most bohemian towns in Michigan are Ann Arbor and Royal Oak. In these vestiges of '60s hippy liberal- ism, it is still not out of the ordinary to see peo- ple with multicolored hair and multiple pierc- ings, carrying with them the scents of various forms of plant life. How many other cities could credibly host Hash Bash annually? But the times are finally beginning to catch up with Royal Oak and Ann Arbor. The former is now host to one of Barnes and Noble's latest flagship stores as the city seeks to revitalize itself by attracting other such chains. Ann Arbor's unique atmosphere is slowly being replaced by national chains as local establishments such as Decker Drugs, Ethnic Creations, Shiva Moon, Lure and Boss Guitar all exit the city's commer- cial districts. I see this destruction of local- ism not only as a manifestation of the triumph of capitalism and the homogeniza- tion of culture that have been taking place for years, but also as a symbol of what has happened to the political movement associat- ed with Ann Arbor. When our parents attended this university during the Vietnam-era, it was host to more protests than any other university in the coun- try, except the University of California at Berkeley. It was an era befitting such a move- ment. The country's three greatest leaders (all of whom were young) were assassinated and then replaced by older, out-of-touch leaders caught up in what turned out to be an unnec- essary, never-ending war. Two thousand three could not be more different than that era. Following a decade of great prosperity that made it difficult to mobilize a truly progressive movement, the United States has just entered an era in which it faces real security threats. The bombings in Casablanca and Riyadh only reinforce this reality. It seems impossible that any old-time progressive could ever get elected president now. No member of the idealistic Left will be able to defeat President Bush. Issues such as healthcare are important, but the average American values his safety and security over goals that liberals have been promising to achieve since Harry Truman was president. So it seems that bohemia and the political movement associated with it are dead. But why is this? Why did so many chil- dren of the '60s cut their hair and don suits and ties instead of tie-dye. My guess is that even the most idealistic person cannot contin- ue living in a fantasy world through three assassinations, the Nixon presidency, a lack of any viable Democratic candidates for decades, the Reagan administration and the tragedy that was the Clinton administration. I think, however, that there is some- thing much more significant involved in the dissipation of the U.S. progressive movement, and that is self-destruction. Subscribers to this political persuasion never learned to adapt to a changing world. They have been bent on rejecting reality and living in the haze of an earlier era. Instead of embracing the triumph of capi- talism, much of the Left turned against it, fighting to block free trade and slow global- ization even though trying to stop globaliza- tion is like trying to keep the sun from com- ing up - it can't be done and is merely a waste of time that helps no one. A movement that is out of touch with reality has no chance of finding political support and winning elec- tions. The Left can only survive by focusing on achieving liberal goals through more real- istic means. This means envisioning a pro- gressive worldview that does not disregard the state of world affairs. Unions, for example, are still operating on the same model as when Henry Ford ran Ford Motor Company. And while many of the roles that unions have played have not changed since then - collective bar- gaining and workers' rights remain hugely important - workers can no longer count on supporting a family by doing the same task on an assembly line for 30 years. Unions would better serve their members by getting into the business of providing workers with training and education - in short, helping them adapt to the realities of a global economy - than by fighting the North American Free Trade Agreement. George W Bush is the president, U.S. Rep. Tom Delay (R-Texas) is the most pow- erful man in Congress and William Renquist is the chief justice of the Supreme Court. Liberals aren't doing too well in this country, which means it's time for a new strategy. If they don't figure out a way for bohemia and the aforementioned national chains to coex- ist, I have no doubt as to who will win that fight. Pesick can bereached at jzpesick@umich.edu.