Xref: utzoo soc.culture.jewish:8476 news.misc:2197 Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!athena.mit.edu!jik From: jik@athena.mit.edu (Jonathan I. Kamens) Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish,news.misc Subject: Re: Anti-Semitism (Jew-hatred) on the network. What should be done? Message-ID: <8238@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> Date: 1 Dec 88 00:38:08 GMT References: <1748YZKCU@CUNYVM> <3616@phri.UUCP> <1752YZKCU@CUNYVM> <812@mailrus.cc.umich.edu> Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU Reply-To: jik@athena.mit.edu (Jonathan I. Kamens) Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lines: 39 In article <812@mailrus.cc.umich.edu> shane@chablis.cc.umich.edu (Shane Looker) writes: >Here, Jews are allowed to skip classes on Jewish religious holidays. >This is fine, but non-Jewish groups do not get the same privledges. >They have to attend classes, etc, even if it is a religious day for >them. Two points: 1. I am Jewish, and I "skip" classes on Jewish holidays. However, I do not consider it "skipping" classes. I am required by my religion to perform things other than going to classes on those holidays. I don't consider there to be any choice. 2. I don't *like* missing classes on holidays. It's a pain in the ass. It's not big privilege to have to miss classes and make up the work, if that's what you're saying. 3. You're in college now. You're responsible for yourself -- I get no privileges when I miss classes, except maybe an extra day on an assignment here and there when I miss several classes, but the same privilege would be extended to someone who misses some classes due to illness. I doubt the Jews who are "allowed to skip classes" at U. Mich. get any special treatment either. They simply don't go to class. Are you telling me that you don't have the option to not go to class if you don't want to? 4. I don't believe the last claim you make. If you go to the teacher of a course and say, "I am going to be in church all day on Friday because it's Good Friday and I'm religious," what is he/she going to do, say, "I can't allow that, you will be penalized?" I doubt it. Furthermore, I doubt any teacher could get away with it. Most schools in this country have provisions for students to protest religious discrimination on the part of faculty members. I doubt that U. Mich. is an exception. 5. What does this have to do with the discussion? While I disagree with the people who are complaining, I do not think they are complaining about the treatment of certain particular groups... they're complaining against racist actions in general. Jonathan Kamens MIT Project Athena