The B-Files:
Don't Be Afraid to Make Them Sweat

Published May 15, 1998

COLUMN

The B-Files

By Jennifer
Balderama

If I were smart and had a fear of death, I might be scared into silence by the above statement. But I’m not, and I don’t, so I guess I’m doomed.

I’ve been taught that as a citizen of the United States, I have a right to publish my viewpoint about anything, as long as it’s not defamatory and as long as I can prove it.

American journalists are fortunate, because unlike in other countries, where journalists are jailed and killed for reporting unflattering stories about government, religion, big business and other institutions, American journalists are protected by — and expected to uphold — the First Amendment.

Based on what I see and hear around me, however, the more I realize this is a myth.

For example, not long ago, I overheard a professional journalist who works in mainstream media say that the San Francisco Bay Guardian isn’t taken seriously by anyone in the business because it’s too radical and unrealistic in its progressive idealism.

Apparently, mainstream journalists consider the Guardian "out there" because it’s the only newspaper that gives a progressive voice to issues usually portrayed in a moderate to right-leaning perspective by mainstream media.

If more newspapers like the Guardian presented important news that would be sure to stimulate public reaction, perhaps we could cure the strain of apathy that seems to have infected the majority of the American population.

What I gather from the sentiments expressed by the professional journalist mentioned above is that in order to be taken seriously, I’d best keep my mouth shut and keep the public in the dark about how corrupt the world really is.

In a case close to home, City College student Ryan Lathouwers has dared to challenge the status quo. He established a Web site called "Teacher Review" to allow City College students the chance to do what the administration has failed to do: critically evaluate teachers.

Now five teachers who received harsh criticism on the site are suing City College, claiming defamation. Why? To intimidate students into silence.

But what if the criticism surfacing about them is long overdue?

One of the teachers, to whom I referred in a column earlier this semester, is the infamous instructor who, during his lecture on the first day of English 1A class in fall 1995, uttered the phrase, "There’s women’s literature, and then there’s real literature."

In one sweeping statement, he managed to alienate half of City College’s student population, including all the women enrolled in his class.

His students have described sections on his exams in which he asks students to identify the ethnicity of a person based simply on their name. "Tamika" would be African-American, for example, while "Sally" would be Caucasian-American.

I’m sorry, but no excuse that this is some exercise in word origins or association can justify this reinforcement of racial or gender stereotypes in a class at City College.

People who defend this man say he’s a genius of the English language. Well, just because the man knows his syntax does not mean he’s fit to teach it.

It also doesn’t give him the right to demean students or his fellow instructors, which he does often and with obvious glee.

He appears to take pride in statements like: "You’ll refer to me as ‘Dr.,’ because I didn’t receive my Ph.D. through the mail, like some of the teachers in the English department." That’s quite a declaration to make in front of students on the first day of school.

Unfortunately, this instructor is tenured, which means he’d have to do something like commit a felony or be proven incompetent to have his employment terminated.

Wouldn’t you agree that "teachers" like this should be held accountable and admonished for their actions?

Lathouwers had this need in mind when he created the "Teacher Review" site. He has since received death threats and had his name dragged through the mud, and the school is being sued as a result of his efforts. All this because he saw a flaw in the system and dared to create an alternative forum of evaluation.

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This page last updated 09/08/98.

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