The following is a letter submitted 6/4/19 by James Hamric
The old adage ‘think before you speak’ could not be more prescient these days. In the era of fake news and click-bait, we should constantly be asking ourselves ‘what is the source’? ‘Is that source credible’? ‘If the source is credible, what is their source?’ Ultimately, the question must become ‘what is the truth?’
An interaction I just had on Twitter serves as an illustration of when that goes terribly wrong. A journalist I follow posted a link to a statement from the President of Mexico decrying the current administration’s view of migrants coming across our southern border. In that statement President Manuel says “the Statue of Liberty is not an empty symbol.” One reply on the journalist’s tweet said this:
“The Statue of Liberty faces Europe, not the third world. Know American history before you try to explain immigration…making white culture the minority was never what America was meant to become.”
While this might come as a surprise, I don’t go around stalking social media looking for things to call out…and a lot of times even if I do see something ridiculous I will let it go as it does about as much good as pissing into the wind. But I couldn’t let this one go.
The obvious fallacy in that reply is to assume a Jules Verne-level foresight into what 21st century America would be by those venturing across the Atlantic in the 17th-18th century. And then to project that fallacy onto a statue erected in the 19th century that has been universally recognized as welcoming all to our shores makes it all the more absurd. But it gets worse.
It took me roughly 30 seconds to go to Google, type in ‘what direction does Statue of Liberty face?” into the search bar and see the answer ‘Southeast’ returned (and verified on the National Park Service website). From Lady Liberty’s spot in the Hudson River, facing southeast would put her gaze somewhere in the direction of southern Africa…a far cry from Europe.
As ridiculous as this guy’s basic premise is, he didn’t even make an effort at grounding it in fact.
Discussions of this kind happen all the time, whether it be climate change, our gun laws, voting rights or healthcare. I still believe it is possible to have productive, bipartisan conversations (sometimes known as arguments) on how to address climate change. But there can be no argument about if there is climate change. We can have discussions on how best to approach our gun violence problem. But we can not argue about the existence of a gun violence problem.
The staff of The Gavel should be highly commended for all their work, but in particular the ‘People Issue’ that was distributed near the end of the school year (it can be downloaded here). Despite “Breaking Stereotype” being in big letters on the cover of the issue, many current students fixated on pages 4-5, and, indeed, only on a portion of those pages. There, Gavel staff collected what students from other high schools in the district thought (or had heard) about Holmes/BC.
Why would the school newspaper publish those negative comments? Isn’t that promoting those rumors and innuendo?
The Washington Post’s motto is “Democracy dies in darkness”. I will modify that to “Ignorance thrives in darkness”. Ignoring a perception does not make it go away. Indeed, avoidance allows the perception to take on a life of its own and fester away.
In no way was that section meant to promote those stereotypes, but rather to bring them into the light where they could be refuted. A disclaimer printed on page 5 stated as much. Still, publishing those comments took a great deal of courage by The Gavel staff – I’m sure they knew the blowback they would receive.
The best way to change those perceptions is to celebrate who we are. Celebrate all the scholarships the Husky class of 2019 received. Celebrate the college acceptances. Celebrate those enlisting in the military, despite the global uncertainty we are experiencing. Celebrate our recent graduates who are pursuing degrees, or who have started careers, or who have already advocated for voting rights in front of a committee of the Texas Legislature. Celebrate our diversity. Celebrate our community. As a student, take every chance you get to talk about your accomplishments and the accomplishments of your peers. Be proud of yourself…be as proud of yourself as I am of you.
Perceptions can change. Facts cannot. And a fundamental fact is the Husky Nation is strong, and talented and unafraid. And I am extremely proud to be a teacher here.
HFND
James Hamric
Editor’s Note: The Gavel is run by the journalism department at Holmes/Business Careers High School as a laboratory project for students in advanced newspaper class. Its purpose is to provide leadership in news and editorial content, and to create a forum for student and staff opinion. Letters to the editor are encouraged, and may be submitted via e-mail to matthew.singleton@nisd.net, or presented in person in A004. The staff reserves the right to edit all letters for length and/or appropriate language or libelous content. All letters must be signed.