The USC decision to cancel its valedictorian’s graduation speech does not bode well with me. Sadly, I’m not too surprised. USC chose this young woman Asna Tabassum as its valedictorian and should stand behind its decision and tradition to allow the valedictorian to speak at the commencement ceremony. On the bright side, she’s still valedictorian (for now). On the dark side, she has been silenced.
“I am not surprised by those who attempt to propagate hatred. I am surprised that my own university – my home for four years – has abandoned me”
Asna Tabassum
Let Her Speak!
I’m in the “let her speak” camp. I’m fortunate enough to have attended and graduated from college long before social media became the de facto source of news and information. I got my news from a newspaper at the coffee shop on the way to a lecture. If you wanted to support a cause and get your message out back then, your options were limited. You could make a listserv if you were tech savvy or print up a bunch of flyers and post them around campus. I used to go to rock concerts and see the actual performance as opposed to watching it through the smartphone in front of me. Imagine that?!?!
The world has changed dramatically since then. We behave differently now. We communicate differently now. We have become too literal. Too serious. Too unforgiving and less empathetic. We are all looking for instant gratification and always on the lookout for the next like, soundbite, lowest hanging fruit or shiny object. In short, we’ve become lazy when it comes to getting at the heart of issues that require more thought than a tweet or social media post. Instead of people looking forward, they’re digging up tweets from our younger and dumber selves and making them exhibits in their zeal to defame and discredit. I’m not even insinuating that Asna is dumb by any stretch. Asna put her thinking cap on and immediately became a threat that needed to be contained before other people put their thinking caps on. My younger self at her age was dumb and I’m happy there is no written record or video that can be accessed in a database to prove it. Let her speak, because liberty is the soul’s right to breathe.
As a Jewish parent sending tuition dollars to USC for an Annenberg student I am offended by this decision. Please immediately re-invite Asna Tabassum to speak as valedictorian. She earned this honor as an excellent scholar and student of genocide, no less. For shame, USC.
Amie Wexler
@am-wex
STFU!
Shame on you if you are in this camp. The “STFU” camp came hard at her and USC. The Trojans For Israel hit her hard after digging up social media posts that pointed to groups that were anti-semitic. I can see this little group of Blue’s Clues detectives assembling photos on a wall and making all the connections with a piece of yarn with Asna Tabassum centered as its kingpin. Once they made all the connections and a watertight case against her, they found her guilty of antisemitism and hate and called in the big guns to release a statement with a part in bold for impact. How do you like those apples?
“strongly supports the right to free expression – including informed criticism of the Israeli government… rhetoric that denies the right of the Jewish people to self-determination or calls for the destruction of the only Jewish state in the world must be denounced as antisemitic bigotry”.
Trojans For Israel
USC’s statement which I believe is in lock step with the patronizing tone of the Trojans For Israel’s statement just reeks of cowardice. Be more original in your thinking USC. Be dynamic if you’re going all in with your convictions. The fact that they value safety and security over defending their choice of valedictorian is palpable. I don’t think Asna Tabassum was going to wear a suicide vest to her commencement speech, but she may now have to wear a bullet proof vest after all the media coverage. Why? Because there are crazy people in America. Remember The Pizzagate Conspiracy Theory in Washington, DC. Anything that any governing body does in the name of “security” is a weak move. USC needed to tell everyone to STFU! This is our choice for valedictorian. She’s going to speak even if you’re not gonna like what she has to say.
I understand there could be disruptions that everyone wants to avoid, but think about what USC would be actually be defending if they allowed Asna to speak. USC is defending the tenets of a higher educational institution dedicated to seeking the truth. I think it’s worth the sacrifice to provide a safe and secure environment for her to speak and let people make up their own minds. This is a noble cause. We all don’t have to agree or aspire to a state of trying to make everyone happy; but, we should all be on the same page when it comes to allowing everyone’s voice to be heard. We all need to defend the propagation of diverse views and voices.
“The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement”
Andrew Guzman
Provost and SVP for Academic Affairs
In Conclusion
Not allowing the free flow of ideas and communication is dangerous. The tit for tat, positioning, conjecture, and posturing on the issue of whether to allow Asna Tabassum to speak at graduation is ridiculous. She worked hard to earn the title of valedictorian and should be allowed to speak. Asna also minored in “Resistance to Genocide”, a minor offered by USC. You can’t make this up! She was chosen by USC after reviewing over 236 distinguished and deserving candidates for this distinction. It’s sad that this fact has been lost in all this noise. Shame on USC for bowing to all the pressure. They should stand firmly behind Asna as she has accomplished the incredible distinction of being top of her class. Asna Tabassum is the product of a USC education. She is not anything more or less than that on her graduation day and her commencement speech is an amalgamation of her world view after four years of rigorous study and sacrifice. This is her moment to shine and share her thoughts. Nobody gave her the benefit of the doubt that she was going to inspire everyone to think about the issues facing us today. Everyone believed she was going to go all Kanye if they gave her the mic. It’s a missed opportunity to build bridges and another opportunity to listen.
Leave a Reply