Council Takes Cultural Sensitivity Seriously

A January 12 op-ed (“Letting Stereotypes Slip By”) featured in The Crimson has sparked an important dialogue on campus concerning the appropriateness of shows, movies and other media which are rendered potentially offensive by their portrayal of Arab-American terrorists.  In particular, the Undergraduate Council has been accused of insensitivity for having provided free advanced screenings of the first three episodes of “24” as a social event during reading period.

The Undergraduate Council holds events like the “24” screening frequently—free advanced screenings of movies and television shows were available to the student body four times in the fall semester alone, with more on their way in the coming months.  Although the Council takes precautionary measures against unknowingly airing offensive material (by checking ratings, reviews, and synopses of the subject matter), the nature of the event necessarily limits the Council’s ability to inquire into shows’ and movies’ content with extensive thoroughness or to censor controversial material within a given screening, and few if any undergrads who have taken advantage of these events would contend that this should prohibit the Council from fulfilling its mission and responsibility to provide such services to the student body.  When Fox Broadcasting Company contacted the Council to suggest that Harvard students be offered the chance to see episodes of the show “24” prior to their TV premiere and free of commercials, a qualification was made that the episodes be screened only once.  The Council had no way of surmising from the show’s advertised topic that the plot would offend parts of Harvard’s population, and a tendency for controversial political bias in the parent company was judged to not be reason enough to decline the idea for a free advanced screening.  Further, if any student group or students had been concerned at all about the show’s content prior to its airing, their worries would have been gratefully received by the Campus Life Committee which had been planning and openly advertising the event for weeks leading up to the January 5 screening; no student should ever be hesitant to approach the Council with concerns about potentially offensive material, now or in the future.

After not having received word of any such concerns, the Council sponsors events like this one with confidence that the attendees, all of whom chose on their own to watch the show, discerningly consider the message of the programming, any unfair portrayals therein, and the fact that the plot offered is no more than that of a TV drama.  Nonetheless, the Council’s sponsorship of a screening does not imply an endorsement of the message or content shown.

The Undergraduate Council maintains in policy its position against discrimination and stereotyping on the basis of ancestry, nationality, creed, philosophy, economic disadvantage, physical disability, mental illness or disorders, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, and the Council makes an exceptionally strong effort to uphold such principles in practice.  Overwhelmingly, the Council has reaffirmed time and again its commitment thereto by supporting multicultural and tolerance-fostering activities and by steadfastly refusing to support organizations and projects that would knowingly lead to discrimination and unfair prejudice. While we wish that the Council had the power to cleanse Harvard’s undergraduate community and the media to which they have access of unjust prejudices entirely, we will continue to do everything realistically in our power to ensure the right of Harvard students to not be stereotyped or discriminated against.

I hope that the entire Harvard community joins me in reiterating our commitment to that fundamental right.  The Undergraduate Council always welcomes the input of concerned students, and on behalf of the Undergraduate Council, I call upon all undergraduates to seriously appreciate the issue of stereotypes at Harvard and around the world.

MATHEW R. GREENFIELD ’08

Jan. 14, 2005

The writer is the secretary of the Undergraduate Council.