The heated debate surrounding the upcoming Rick Ross performance at Pandamonium has revealed the true colours of Carleton’s student body, and “we ain’t even know it.”
After the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) purchased a bulk order of tickets to Rick Ross’ Ottawa show, students from this school began a petition on Facebook and protested the concert. The outcry from the student body stems from a lyric on the single “U.O.E.N.O.” that allegedly promotes rape culture.
This protest is representative of the valiant effort and determination of Carleton students who want to make this a better campus. The petition to cancel the Rick Ross show is a respectable effort and shows dedication to making our campus free of sexual assault.
However, in reading some of the comments on the “Cancel the Rick Ross Concert” event page on Facebook, it is obvious that our student body has become fragmented and hyper-politicized to the point that unpopular opinions are often met with scorn from students with opposing viewpoints.
Just look at the Facebook page and see the response to the students who are opposed to the protest, and who aren’t afraid to communicate their opinion.
One student wrote that the event shouldn’t be cancelled because it would be unfair to Rick Ross fans who wouldn’t be able to enjoy the performance. He suggested to the protesters that if they disagree with Rick Ross or the messages conveyed in his music, they should elect to not support the rapper by making the decision to not attend the concert themselves.
This student made a sensible point and remained respectful to the cause. He was instantly met with ridicule.
People who opposed this student’s opinion accused him of enabling sexual assault, disregarding women’s rights, and promoting rape culture while also belittling him with other comments.
Insulting a person’s character by accusing them of encouraging acts of social degeneracy without knowledge of their moral fibre and personal worth, especially behind a keyboard, is equivalent to spitting on their face while treading cyber bullying.
This student happened to offer an opinion that deviated from the status quo, which supports the petition, and he was met with vicious disdain. For a school that endlessly and vigorously promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion, this is a horrible display of Carleton’s values. These types of instances make a mockery of Carleton’s inclusive mantra, rendering it a hypocritical stream of hot air.
There is a clear lack of respect among students and it’s only driving a deeper wedge between people of different backgrounds and political beliefs.
The notion of Carleton being a liberal campus — one with a free-thinking student body — is ironic. In reality, many students are bombarded by various ideologies that are forced upon them from different student groups everyday.
For example, the numerous CUSA clubs and societies are great in raising awareness about global issues, international news and the discrimination, inequalities, and violations that plague our society. But too often, students are belittled for having perspectives that don’t match up with those represented by these clubs and societies.
Raising awareness about pressing societal, human rights and political issues are integral in maintaining an educated campus and a balanced worldly perspective. But, too often, Carleton clubs blur the distinction between raising awareness and forcibly inflicting their political beliefs on other students.
As a student body, if we want to progress in making Carleton a better university, we need to become more accepting of other people’s outlooks.
Otherwise, we’re just promoting intellectual rape culture.
— Sam Corey,
third-year journalism
