York’s “White Students Union” is a joke

Does anyone else get uncomfortable when they hear the words “White Students Union”?

Apparently, some white students at York University have had the exact opposite feeling. Their discomfort with the “leftist, Neo-Marxist” education offered by their university became so severe that they felt the need to form a student group to cope. The group is called “Students for Western Civilization,” and its purported mission, as stated on their website, is as follows:

1. To genuinely explore ethnic and cultural politics in a forum which does not exclude rightist or conservative perspectives.

2. To organize for and advance the interests of  Western peoples.

3. To promote and celebrate Western Civilization.

When one takes a closer look at their views, it becomes clear that this mission statement is a somewhat watered-down version of their true purpose: they aim to promote the view that white people are victims of racism, and that York University (and Ryerson University, and the University of Toronto) are directly accountable for spreading hate speech through their liberal arts education model.

This model, according to the group, tackles identity politics from a one-sided leftist perspective, leaving students with only a single, “oppressor-oppressed” lens through which to view Western civilization.

So the question raised is, should universities strive to offer more diverse perspectives on controversial topics like racism, oppression, and white supremacy? And are these universities doing a disservice to their students by refusing to allow them a platform for discussion?

The perspective that white students cannot be victims of racism, and therefore should not be allowed to form an exclusive club, relies on the acceptance of the very Neo-Marxist ideology that these students are complaining about. However, it is not without a substantial body of evidence backing up this perspective that the university has arrived at these policies, as Western civilization isn’t exactly known for its rich history of kindness to non-white people.

In fact, I would go as far as to call it an indisputable historical fact that Western civilization is built on a foundation of slavery and exploitation. Do we really need a “White Students Union” when virtually all public space is a safe space to be white? Is it tactful to be celebrating white pride when the effects of systemic racism are still affecting people of colour in the Western world?

In a word: no. However, that does not mean that York, Ryerson and the U of T aren’t complicit in silencing these students by taking down their posters just because the group’s views are rather extreme. Having these conversations at our universities is important for the very reason that such far-right positions are often opposed — so that the views we find offensive can be exposed and defeated in intellectual debate. Outright suppression of academic discussion only serves to validate the misguided feelings of “oppression” that these white students claim to feel.

The terms “free speech” and “safe space” need not be mutually exclusive, but there is a definite distinction to be made between allowing a platform for controversial opinions and allowing hate speech.

Safe space policies exist because hate speech is not simply abstract, intellectual views — it actually affects people psychologically, and to legitimize certain views by allowing hate speech can be damaging. Language can be — and is — used as an instrument of violence, and that is the vital concept which opponents of safe space policies fail to recognize. But I can’t believe that outright censorship is the ideal solution for harmonizing the student body when opinions clash.

So, sure, let the Students for White Supremacy — er, Western Civilization — band together to support each other through these times of great hardship for white folks. And let’s all watch as they fail spectacularly in an age when progress no longer means exploitation, and racism is not an equal opportunity phenomenon.