Don’t let extremes represent majority“I am ashamed to be white” — this phrase was scrawled in the Free Expression Tunnel Wednesday morning.This is an absolute tragedy. White people should be proud of their race, their heritage, and the contributions that their ancestors have made to this great nation, likewise for ALL races. I fully support the removal of hate speech by the KKK from the Free Expression Tunnel — however, for a white person to be ashamed of these expressions is foolish. The KKK is a radical minority who in no way expresses the views of white people in general. The only reason to be ashamed would be if they actually represented the views of the majority, and in that way were somehow linked to the population as a whole. I would never expect a Muslim to be “ashamed” because of al Qaeda, or a Black person to be “ashamed” because of the Black Panthers. They have no association with either organization, and should not be tied to their actions or viewpoints. As this historic election ends, I hope that from now on people from every race can stop characterizing each other by their color and the past actions of a few people who happen to share that color.Ian Averajunior, mechanical engineeringContinue to push back against hatredWednesday’s controversy at the Free Expression Tunnel was an example of the miniscule segment of the population’s desires to impede progress. The most outrageous aspect of this situation is that, had Sen. McCain been elected on Tuesday, instead of Mr. Obama, most Americans would not have taken to the streets with hatred in their hearts.Instead, most would do what is expected of dignified and moral Americans; we would have hoped for the absolute best from a McCain presidency. We would have wished to see even a Republican succeed, if it meant solving some of this country’s overwhelming problems. That should be the sentiment of all Americans. It must be said that if someone holds vile, outdated and ignorant feelings toward minorities in our community, they are allowed to voice their opinions. However, it must also be duly noted that the voices of unity, compassion and understanding must drown out the voices of hate. The response from the overwhelming majority of N.C. State students and faculty has been appropriate indeed.There is something else to be marked in this whole mess. Notice that the perpetrators of the hate speech painted their filth in cover of darkness, so not to be seen by the eyes of their fellow students and passersby. These misguided individuals were forced scurry in the night like rats, whose sound of clattering claws was replaced by theshaking of spray cans.In that fact, the proponents of progress may take solace. We have come a long way from the era of racism and bigotry and acts of violence being inflicted in the glaring light of day, and our only hope is that someday even the night will be an unwelcome place for this form of hate. The clear and ultimate message I have for the individual or individuals who wrote the message of intolerance on the wall goes as follows: “You are young, my son, and, as the years go by, time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions. Refrain therefore awhile from setting yourself up as a judge of the highest matters.” –Plato.Mitch Bakersophomore, political scienceWork to end culture of gendered violenceI appreciate Jane Moon and the Technician bringing awareness about sexual assault to our campus, but I wanted to correct a statement she made, which speaks to a major concern with her entire column. The Women’s Center made the decision to no longer offer self-defense workshops as part of our regular, on-going programming. This decision was not made lightly or easily. Our office’s intensified focus on education, prevention and advocacy services this past year around interpersonal violence — sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking — has brought about a philosophical shift in our IPV work. Acknowledging that approximately 90 percent of sexual assaults on college campuses are perpetrated by known acquaintances, we now take an approach to educate students that focuses on bystander intervention and culture change for sexual violence prevention. Rather than placing the responsibility on potential victims of sexual assault and recognizing that self defense techniques are not as effective with non-stranger (versus stranger) assaults, we want to change the culture to one that no longer condones or supports a climate of gendered violence. Our focus has turned to being proactive to stop sexual assaults before anyone is ever attacked and give attention to the responsibility that men and women have to actively and consistently engage in ending this violence so that we’re involving the entire community. Shannon JohnsonDirector, Women’s Center