Dealing With Hate on Campus

In the last two weeks, two alleged hate crimes took place on campus. The first incident occurred on Mount Auburn Street, when three Quincy House students were harangued by skinheads shouting homophobic slurs. The second, which took place outside the Catholic student center, was directed against an Islamic student returning from prayers wearing his prayer cap.

Messages of hate, particularly those that verbally and physically target particular individuals, send shivers throughout the entire community. Thankfully, campus attitudes have been supportive. The vigil held earlier this week voiced our strong sentiment that we will not ignore such blatant acts of bigotry.

Nevertheless, it is doubtful that these crimes represent anything more than the angry actions of a few misguided youths. Nor is it certain that these acts were motivated solely by the victims' religion or sexual orientation.

Some have also suggested that the perpetrators of these crimes might be among the teenagers who loiter near the Harvard Square T stop. Although we hope the police will eventually find and arrest the perpetrators of these crimes, we would warn our peers against rashly labeling these "pit kids" as societal threats. It would be sad if, in opposition to bigotry, students began themselves to fall into the trap of stereotyping. No bridge of tolerance can be built without movement from both sides toward a common understanding.