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It is interesting how Sammy Suboh phrases his call to arms for the Letters to the Editor page. For his declared desire for debate and discussion, he appears to look forward more to what he calls “response criticism,” another phrase for angry people’s angry attacks, than the actual productive discussion that his concerns should create. And even more tellingly, he categorizes these future criticisms in only two ways: “grammatical” or “personal.”
No one can fault Mr. Suboh for bringing up these issues, certainly not me. I have had my share of horror at some students’ total lack of propriety at this school and will be forced, along with my friends, to pay for damages to our dorm that we did not inflict. What concerns me here is not the issues Sammy Suboh raises; they are extremely important. It is the way in which he goes about raising them. While these matters may affect him directly and on a personal level, he has ultimately made this letter about himself when it should be about broader issues. His beginning and ending both spell an obsession, not with issues that are highly relevant to the student body, but instead with the vendettas he imagines people to hold against him. As a CTSJ major, he must recognize the dangers in this stance. Those whom you wish would listen do not respond well to poorly directed anger. Expecting personal attack around every corner paralyzes one’s ability to effect positive change. Calling for personal attack kills it.
Mr. Suboh, I do not question your position as a leader. I do not wish to silence you, except perhaps on one count: truly effective leaders, those who change the world for the better, lack your beginning and ending paragraphs. Your desire for criticism on purely “grammatical and personal” matters strongly overshadows the pertinence of your concerns.
It is time that those who wish to raise issues learn to do so effectively. Demanding anger instead of discussion does not benefit our college.
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