Letter to the editor: I am American
My parents, who emigrated from India, raised me to respect the myriad of cultures that make up the distinct flavor of this country. They raised me to value American opportunities.
For 21 years I never doubted whether I belong. I never doubted my right to call America my home — until recently — when Andrew Breitbart’s calculated assault on multiculturalism at the USC College Republicans meeting [Feb. 16] left me in tears, feeling like my family and anyone like us is unwanted. He called multiculturalism a conspiracy, a fake American value.
He is wrong. Breitbart’s problem stems from the debate between pluralism and multiculturalism when in reality, multiculturalism is pluralism.
Pluralism represents that American assumption that immigrants would eventually disappear into “the melting pot” of American ideas. Multiculturalism, on the other hand, is often misrepresented as the notion that immigrant groups refuse to be part of the wider community. Breitbart’s hostility stems from this misconception. His resentment dates back to the wartime refugees who were fleeing death during World War II.
What Breitbart does not understand is that the immigrants back then, as well as the others that followed throughout the last century, wholeheartedly embraced their new land, working hard to be accepted and to achieve their American dreams, even at great costs. Yet, they also retained important parts of their culture that they then shared. Thus, the American people naturally adapted and expanded their horizons. I am proud of the rich perspectives and understanding that multiculturalism provides.
It took some time to fully recover from the shock of Breitbart’s words and repulsion in his face as he looked at me. But I am comforted by the Americans before me who were willing to accept and foster diversity as a quintessential American value.
We are America. Tell Mr. Breitbart I won’t be packing my bags anytime soon.
Tiffany Pereira
Senior, environmental studies
A friend of mine posted this on facebook in response to the article. “Perhaps its time for all you individuals who love to name-call and fling around the words “racist, (insert)phobic, (insert)ist” to open up your minds and not be so quick to denounce those who hold opinions differing from your own.”
He brings up a fascinating point, which is why I would implore everyone to tell Breitbart and co. to stop flinging around words like (social)ist, (marx)ist, and (commun)ist in efforts to denounce those who have different philosophical opinions by linking them to movements which evoke emotions of fear and hatred because of the events surrounding WWII. It was Breitbarts hypocrisy and his blatant assault on “the others,” whether that was other cultures, or people with other philsophical beliefs, that got under my skin. It was one stereotype after another followed by a long-line of conspiracies that did nothing but polarize our nation. There were no tangible solutions offered up to any problems, just finger pointing and what felt like hate speech. Let me share a few of his bulletpoints that I recalled from the lecture.
Multiculturalism wasn’t inherently good.
All humanities departments are part of the liberal attempt to take over the education system.
Academics fleeing Europe because of Nazi persecution came to American and wrote scathing critiques of the culture and tried to take over America.
The two pillars of the country are capitalism and Judeo-christianity.
He repeatedly called himself petty, and chose his major by asking three attractive young ladies outside his house what they thought he should study, and that’s how he ended up an American Studies major. He said it should have been called ‘Anti-American’ studies.
He said that after 9/11 that liberals were trying to destroy the unity of America by protesting against War.
Liberals true strength lies in their ability to control popular culture (Hollywood, music, the media, etc). He said that he just wanted to make sure that conservatives in Hollywood weren’t being persecuted for their beliefs.
Rush Limbaugh was one of his primary inspirations.
He repeatedly made references to liberals as communists, socialists, marxists, etc., and then got mad when people called him “an -it – racist, sexist…”
His life was like Glenn Beck’s Chalkboard.
Liberal teachers brainwash their students… there was no opportunity for middleground or discussion.
When I mentioned fear mongering and the ‘us-them’ dynamic he was creating, I said that he spoke with such anger in his voice, he corrected me and said it was passion and that he was just speaking the truth.
He said that when Keith Olbermann was suspended from MSNBC, that he defended Keith and his freedom of expression (making it seem like he was open to both sides).
He said that he was immune to criticism from the acorn video controversy because he posted the transcripts on his website (where? why does that create protection?…)
He’s an intentionally confrontational figure because that’s what sells, and that’s what gets him paid. its hard to have a conversation with someone who tries to link me with Nazis with no real agenda other than it pays the bills.
This is one of those times when hours could be spent on an issue, and i’ve validated him too much already by giving up so much time and pain because of him. I would have never instigated a conversation about “the truth” in the Acorn scam if it wasn’t for him saying that linking liberals to ‘socialists, communists, marxists,etc’ was the truth. All he does is light fires, get paid to fan those flames, and then receive funds to cleanup and build on the land that he burnt down. Yes I was emotionally compromised after seeing the women I love in tears through his speech, and I played right into his game. He is a master of instigating emotion and used his experience to put us in a corner in a compromising position to force us into a public conversation, and maybe it sounded like I was repeating the same question, but that was cause I wanted to know whether he felt any guilt in his role in the deception of Americans through these fraudulantly misleading tapes (Acorn, Shirley Sherod, etc…). When you’ve been insulted the entire night and your girlfriend feels as though she is being blatantly discriminated against, its hard to keep your cool and he has mcuh more experience competiting in yelling matches on a public forum since its what he does for a living. He said it himself that he’s a-political, so that must mean that he is just a bully for the money. And oh, how he’s good at that.
Proud of you Tiffany for defending what you stand for!
LISTEN ALL YOU ignorant privileged white males,
If you have NEVER known what it’s like to be apart of anything that is oppressed, maybe you should open your minds to the fact that you cannot avoid the responsibility that your past has given to you, Instead of getting defensive, how about you stay open and break that assumption? THIS opinion is valid, no matter what you say or think. Please try thinking from someone else’s point of view, which I can only imagine how little you of that concept.
Also, know that getting through life with this blatant disrespect and ability to actually CHOOSE ignorance over understanding and listening,
This person’s article is so articulate and exposing that is deserves respect. It doesn’t seem like many people noticed that. Do you think it’s easy to claim that opinion, because it certainly seems easy for you to put it down.
Try going to another country and feel what it’s like to feel out of place, and ignore the values that America is REALLY supposed to be based on and maybe try learning something rather than already shutting up everyone else,
Keep pushing it away and it will come back, this is a WORLD issue, if you choose to stay in your bubble than get the hell off of this website.
Multiculturalism is a sham. How different in culture are your German Jewish refugee-descended friend whose ancestors came over during WWII and your Russian refugee-descended friend whose ancestors came over slightly before WWII? Not very different.
The idea of America being a patchwork of different ethnicity dominated neighborhoods is the segregationist’s dream, so although you may be trying to sound like a liberal sweetheart, the implications of your ideas are horrendous. You are receiving a bunch of support from a bunch of FOB people who are afraid to adopt an American identity and let America change them, preferring to just have their ethnic group change mainstream American culture in a one-way exchange. I call BS! I don’t think so!
You are just indignant because you don’t understand what the melting pot implies. A salad bowl just sounds nicer to be in. Sorry (just a saying, I’m not really sorry) you will be BOILED IN THE STEW ALRIGHT! American culture is a product of a melting pot! Those who seem particularist are just NOT FULLY COOKED.
good on you for standing up to small-minded twits
Personally, I was not at this meeting so I can’t comment as to the specifics of what happened there. I identify myself as a conservative at USC, however being rational always supersedes my politics. In my attempt at an objective assessment of Breitbart, I arrive at the following conclusions: I applaud his efforts in furthering gay rights–earlier this year he joined the advisory committee of GOProud (A Republican gay rights group). That being said, there are issues I have with his methods in the past as well– specifically some inflammatory comments made by him after Senator Ted Kennedy’s death. Regardless of how one feels about the Senator, I think all would agree it’s in poor taste to call someone “a special pile of human excrement” immediately following their passing. That is not to say that he is unaccomplished–He will likely go down as one of the individuals credited with helping transition media from a purely print-driven medium to one that is more accessible.
What I do find to be the case though, is that perfectly reasonable journalists (of any political stripe) tend to turn into inflammatory zealots when placed on TV because that’s what drives ratings. The problem is exacerbated because there is no doubt that Breitbart is a competent journalist who uses the spotlight as a bully pulpit. And although there is no concrete evidence that I can find on the matter, the allegations that Breitbart slings out racial slurs seem to come up too frequently to be dismissed as random or unfounded.
Although the ACORN scandal was highly embarrassing everyone involved, Giles and O’Keefe appear to be the only ones with an “agenda” as Diane (see below) put it. I try to give FoxNews and Breitbart the benefit of the doubt when bringing us the news because frankly, I don’t want to believe that conservative journalists would be complicit in something that petty.
This whole issue speaks to a bigger problem–I don’t care to call out Breitbart myself, Tiffany has already done so and Breitbart’s track record will allow individuals to reach their own conclusions.
Who I do want to call out is the USC College Republicans. As I said before, I myself am a conservative, but am not a member of this group for a very specific reason. I am highly disappointed in the lack of quality speakers that are invited to our campus. Instead, we get inflammatory, closed-minded individuals like Ann Coulter. There is no room for positive discourse when the people we invite to speak represent not only the most extreme polarized version of a general class of political beliefs, but also happen to be, more often than not, talking heads trying to get airtime on daytime news programs. At a university like USC, and with conservatives trying to bolster support for the upcoming election, there should be no problem with getting articulate, reasonable speakers to come voice their opinions to USC students. I notice that there was not an intense level of controversy when the College Republicans invited Mitt Romney to speak here in 2008. This is because Mr. Romney is a legitimate participator in the governmental process–a former governor and graduate of Harvard Law School. More often however, the College Republicans invite a sideline observers to the process who pontificate and create inflammatory remarks to drive eyeballs to the TV. Of course Breitbart was going to create controversy–he has built his career on it.
Teja Vepa
Senior, Biophysics
vepa[at]usc.edu
Tiffany there are cranks everywhere – we have a fair share of these in India. The bad thing is that the cranks make a lot of sound just to be heard and they ARE heard by many; the good thing is that their ideas and the noise they make are soon forgotten, until another crank steps up. The best way to deal with cranks is to laugh at their ideas. They are so full of their own importance that laughter pricks their bubble and they collapse like a hot air balloon. I am proud of you and they well reasoned article you wrote..
Personally, I was not at this meeting so I can’t comment as to the specifics of what happened there. I identify myself as a conservative at USC, however being rational always supersedes my politics. In my attempt at an objective assessment of Breitbart, I arrive at the following conclusions: I applaud his efforts in furthering gay rights–earlier this year he joined the advisory committee of GOProud (A Republican gay rights group). That being said, there are issues I have with his methods in the past as well– specifically some inflammatory comments made by him after Senator Ted Kennedy’s death. Regardless of how one feels about the Senator, I think all would agree it’s in poor taste to call someone “a special pile of human excrement” immediately following their passing. That is not to say that he is unaccomplished–He will likely go down as one of the individuals credited with helping transition media from a purely print-driven medium to one that is more accessible.
What I do find to be the case though, is that perfectly reasonable journalists (of any political stripe) tend to turn into inflammatory zealots when placed on TV because that’s what drives ratings. The problem is exacerbated because there is no doubt that Breitbart is a competent journalist who uses the spotlight as a bully pulpit. And although there is no concrete evidence that I can find on the matter, the allegations that Breitbart slings out racial slurs seem to come up too frequently to be dismissed as random or unfounded.
Although the ACORN scandal was highly embarrassing everyone involved, Giles and O’Keefe, appear to be the only ones with an “agenda” as Diane (see below) put it. I try to give FoxNews and Breitbart the benefit of the doubt when bringing us the news because frankly, I don’t want to believe that conservative journalists would be complicit in something that petty.
This whole issue speaks to a bigger issue–I don’t care to call out Breitbart myself, Tiffany has already done so and Breitbart’s track record will allow individuals to reach their own conclusions.
Who I do want to call out is the USC College Republicans. As I said before, I myself am a conservative, but am not a member of this group for a very specific reason. I am highly disappointed in the lack of quality speakers that are invited to our campus. Instead, we get inflammatory, closed-minded individuals like Ann Coulter. There is no room for positive discourse when the people we invite to speak represent not only the most extreme polarized version of a general class of political beliefs, but also happen to be, more often than not, talking heads trying to get airtime on daytime news programs. At a university like USC, and with conservatives trying to bolster support for the upcoming election, there should be no problem with getting articulate, reasonable speakers to come voice their opinions to USC students. I notice that there was not an intense level of controversy when the College Republicans invited Mitt Romney to speak here in 2008. This is because Mr. Romney is a legitimate participator in the governmental process–a former governor and graduate of Harvard Law School. More often however, the College Republicans invite a sideline observers to the process who pontificate and create inflammatory remarks to drive eyeballs to the TV. Of course Breitbart was going to create controversy–he has built his career on it.
Teja Vepa
Senior, Biophysics
vepa[at]usc.edu
Tiffany, your comments make clear that you attended this meeting with an agenda already firmly implanted in your head, and you “heard” what you wanted to hear. Breitbart is not interested in making you leave the country, so your implication that that’s the case is just ludicrous. What’s more, you indicate that you are either unable or unwilling to understand his point. Since he’s a pretty clear communicator, I lay that on you, not him. You can twist and distort his point all you want, but that doesn’t make it so. You are guilty of gross mis-characterization.
“SC BRO”….thank you for your comment. However, my article was in response to what I heard and took direct notes on right after and to the way the Daily Trojan article you stated.
And if you remember correctly “I” did not ask ANY questions about the ACORN video or say anything about that at all. That was my friend. After that Breitbart started referring to the both of us as the same person as he got angry. I had no intent on asking any questions at all actually but got increasingly disturbed throughout the talk and felt we had to say something after he addressed us directly…which why would he put us on the spot as the “other”.
This is what happens…why are you so quick to label me as part of a larger group as part of another. I said nothing of how anyone else in the room reacted or that they have a part in this at all. I specifically am reacting to how Breitbart made me feel taking into account the things that he said…his opening remarks about multiculturalism and the way he started labeling “us.” Also did it cross your mind that perhaps I did not agree with his labeling of those refugees which he aptly labeled as “eggheads.”
About this not being “journalism”….funny…because it’s an opinion piece…also funny because there are a lot of people who don’t consider Breibart (or his idol Beck or any highly sensational talking head on any “side” for that matter) as journalists. Yet here we are….
Thank You Daily Trojan for letting me speak my mind.
I was there. Breitbart did nothing wrong. You acted like a pathetic, ignorant little kid.
Grow up.
As someone who was in that room, I refuse to accept this smear of Mr Breitbart who said nothing liking to your portrayal of immigrants as unwanted. As a grandkid of immigrants I would have taken very harshly to words of that sort. And I will use a quote from Breitbart (unlike you) “immigrants are the hardest working among us.” The nice thing about America–you don’t have to agree with his philosophy of the media and liberal agenda. But to akin your understanding of the evening to this is disgraceful.
To relate his resentment of specific individuals who fled Germany to infiltrate the American University system with radical opinions to a resentment of immigrants is blatantly false. Breitbart was speaking of specific individuals who fled Germany to America and infiltrated the American University system with unfound doctrinal beliefs that are still taught today in some circles.
DailyTrojan, I implore you to redact this editorial as false unless she can provide concrete evidence. I also ask you to reflect upon the non-editorial article written the day afterwards.
You cried in that room–the rest of us could not figure out why. He was not hostile toward you; you asked him questions, or I should say one question: “why were the videos of Acorn doctored?” You (and the guy you were with) refused to accept his answer and asked the same question at least three times. His full answer was “go on to my website to view the full audio and video transcripts.” After you began crying, and threw the room for a loop of a surprise, Breitbart asked the room rhetorically and half-heartedly joking to ease the sudden tension “Do any of you not want this girl in here?” The question was received with an audible no and a visual shaking of the heads in the room. No one would have ever asked you to leave the room because we felt at odds. You did, however, choose to leave the room shortly after you gave up trying to get a different answer out of Breitbart.
I respect your opinion, but if you are going to smear Breitbart with false, and unfounded allegations that is not journalism at all, and I don’t have to be a Journalism major to figure that out.
I’m glad you find yourself here in America and won’t be leaving anytime soon, my grandparents did the same and I appreciate their choice every day of my life!
Tiffany, this is America. The great thing about it is extremist morons like Breitbart are in the minority, or at least we hope. Thank you for your piece. Always know: there is another side in this land of a lot of different people that doesn’t support cement heads like this :-)
Holla