Nobody will question you if you hate Adolf Hitler and disdain his crimes against humanity and all of the related Nazi atrocities – they’d probably applaud your rationale. But how about Urban Outfitters? The company recently received harsh criticism for the breast pocket embroidery, which vaguely resembled the Star of David that Jews were forced to wear under Nazi rule, on one of its overpriced T-shirts.
Bad fashion? Yes. Offensive? Hardly. Hate-worthy? God, I hope not. The Anti-Defamation League was “outraged” over the shirt and shared its disgust with the press. On the whole, the T-shirt seems to have infuriated many in the Jewish community. Yet I still don’t have an answer as to why. I’ve experienced the effects of anti-Semitism firsthand, but I see no malice in a simple fashion misstep. Does this T-shirt express Nazi ideals in any way? Does it mock the Holocaust? You can judge for yourself online. Personally, I don’t see the correlation, nor has the ADL backed up its protests with any clear explanation.
This is a case of reflexive hatred, where a predisposition to abhor – rather than analyze – supposed injustices led the general public to conflate Nazism with an unappealing spring collection.
These days, it seems to be more the rule than the exception that we will hate something without a rational or legitimate reason. You hate a professor because he has a whiny voice, classmates because they crack their knuckles, friends because they didn’t text you back or athletes because they cheated on their wives. OK, that last one is legitimate (come on, Tiger, keep it in your pants). But in general, we rarely prioritize what’s truly contempt-worthy.
Which brings me to the Student Government Association and its recent election. I’d venture to say I’m not the first student at this university to relate Nazis to the SGA, likely because many students view the organization as the equivalent of an STI: It has a terrible reputation, you’re not totally sure what it does and you’ll blame it for all your problems. If a fire burned down McKeldin Library, people would probably fault the SGA.
Don’t indulge yourself in this reflexive hatred. Know that I have no affiliation with the SGA, nor do I care if you take an active roll in its functioning. I’ll accept apathy over irrational hatred any day. Yet if you do invest any thought into the group, I hope you will channel your frustrations about the organization into constructive strategies for the future, instead of lazily condemning the organization for its supposed injustices.
Your student group did not receive the full funding you requested? Simmer down, neither did any other student group. Just because our university continues to suffer budget cuts does not mean the SGA deliberately seeks to undermine student group finances.
Obviously, the SGA has failed in many respects. This academic year has seen 18 empty SGA seats, in part because of the organization’s lack of focus and effectiveness. As constituents of the SGA, you have a right to demand more than a charade of promises from the organization. Just don’t let previous disillusionment prevent future progress.
Today, we learn who will serve in our governing body next year. The optimist in my heart hopes students will eschew unproductive hatred in favor of challenging SGA members to follow through on their platforms and implement the change they have advocated so hard for these past few days.
Nobody will question you if you hate the SGA. Don’t take the easy way out. Help your government find a better way.
Nadav Karasov is a sophomore economics major. He can be reached at karasov@umdbk.com.
