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BOULDER-An editorial penned this week by a University of Colorado student has divided some past and present members of the Campus Press-the official student newspaper at CU-and enraged other students for what some said is a racist and inflammatory commentary about people of Asian ethnicity.The column, titled "If it's war the Asians want...It's war they'll get," was written by Max Karson, a staff editor at the Campus Press.Administrators in November 2006 investigated Karson because of a satirical newsletter he circulated called "The Yeti," which angered some students and faculty members for writings that included columns about how women are not designed to enjoy sex and that he is "afraid of black people."Ron Stump, CU's vice chancellor for student affairs, said then that the newsletter was protected free speech, and the school didn't punish Karson.Then, last year, Karson was arrested and suspended after classmates reported that he said he was "angry enough to kill" during a heated discussion about the Virginia Tech shootings.Published on the newspaper's Web site Monday, Karson's piece begins that he's noticed "some tension between the white students and the Asian students" at CU in the past year."There's never any outright conflict, but I notice little things," Karson wrote. "Like, Asians always seem surprised whenever I talk to them."The author describes an incident at the CU Recreation Center in which "an Asian" apparently was confused about which racquetball court an errant ball belonged to."The Asian was so jaded by his experiences with the whitebread, brainless tree sloths of CU that even though three people had explained to him that he was trying to return the ball to the wrong court, it was inconceivable to him that we might be right," Karson wrote. "And when he looked into my eyes, it wasn't just irritation and disgust that I saw-it was hate. Pure hate."They hate us all. And I say it's time we started hating them back."The article, which appears in the opinion section of the paper's Web site, appears to be satirical but contains no editor's note or other explanation about its content. Karson's article angered Pasha Minallah, a 27-year-old junior music major at CU and member of the South Asian Student Association."I just can't believe it," Minallah said. "It's stereotypes left and right. It's hard to believe that people think this way."He said Karson's charge that all Asians hate white people is outlandish, even as a joke."I don't get it," Minallah said."This person isn't very comfortable with the way he sees minority students in general and wishes they would be different-wishes they would be more like himself."Karson on Tuesday said he "can't talk about" his column and declined to say why.Campus Press editor-in-chief Cassie Hewlings and faculty adviser Amy Herdy also declined to comment about Karson's column, although both women posted messages on the Campus Press Web site defending attacks on the paper from three former Campus Press editors who criticized the decision to run the article.Stephanie Clary, who ran the paper from 2004 to 2006 and who butted heads with the paper's administration over a proposed name change in 2006, was among the former editors critical of the column.Clary told the Camera on Tuesday that she agrees Karson has a First Amendment right to "say what he wants" but questioned why the piece was allowed to run with such a vitriolic tone."Yes, you're entitled to free speech, but free speech comes with responsibilities," Clary said. "As a student journalist, I think that needs to be taken into consideration, and I wonder if it was."Hewlings responded to critics online."Thank you so much for pointing directly to yourselves as the absolute enemy of the very core of journalism as you advocate for self-censorship and prior restraint," Hewlings wrote. "There is news judgement when offering commentary on a very real phenomenon on this campus and I stand by my decision."PS:Karson-to put it plainly-is a jerk....sad that there are short sighted individuals like him that have the power he has in writting...And since we have freedoom of expression I think that's what this individual is exercising...
I think he is the one with the HATE problem,and since there is a precedent of his comments and actions,it would be wise to keep an eye on him.He won't retract of what he said;he stands by his words...I guess its up to the asian students and the rest of the students with good sense,to act in this case,and up to the authorities above him to decide what to do with him.
The good thing is that he is not the voice of the majority.Even though Ive heard that folks in Boulder are kind of racists anyways...and this was said to me not by hispanics,but by fellow americans,when we were just talking about other issues,related to Boulder,not long ago.that surprised me to an extent.I dont like it but it happens.
Karson needs to have an encounter with the God of LOVE of the Bible,thats the only way he will see himself as he really is and will see others as God sees them...
As in the days of Noah....
