People love to deflect blame. It’s in our nature to believe what we do is right and what others do is wrong. We surround ourselves with people and perspectives that confirm our own biases.
Various events that have happened over the past several months have been wrongfully blamed on our school. I’m not arguing that UT is entirely blameless. There are absolutely ways that the school could have responded to various things differently. However, by blaming the University of Texas, the actual individuals responsible are not held accountable.
When these events happen, we are quick to blame the commonality we all experience: our school. Being members of the UT community, we misplace responsibility on our school. Students should reassess who is actually responsible.
As a student body, we must reassess our mechanism for blame. Senate Bill 17 is a state law, ratified by the state legislature, prohibiting state institutions from using or promoting certain words. When the bill was ratified, students and alumni protested, claiming that the school had an imperative to support what SB17 took away. The school does have this imperative, and the school, in the various press releases following the ratification of the bill, maintained a commitment to “work(ing) within the law to ensure the campus continues to be a welcoming place for community members.”
By blaming UT for this specifically, we fail to hold the elected members of the state legislature responsible. To be clear, I’m not trying to advocate in support of or defiance of SB17. I would probably still write this article if the bill went in a completely different direction. I’m trying to argue that we have completely missed the mark when determining responsibility. UT is not responsible for SB17 or its aftermath; it simply has a legal obligation to the law. Chastising the University is a poor allocation of effort and resources and foments a disdain towards our school.
Currently, this misdirected accountability toward UT has been exacerbated during the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Many people equate UT’s inability to take a stance to turning a blind eye to this conflict. However, we should only hold UT accountable insofar as UT can actually act upon a certain issue. As it stands, the effect that the University of Texas has on international policy is negligible.
Regardless of where you fall on the Israel-Palestine debate, holding UT accountable doesn’t make a difference, and can cause the community more harm than good. Again, I need to clarify that I am not advocating for a pro-Israel or pro-Palestine stance. I just believe that we can utilize our responsibility mechanism more efficiently.
With how polarized our national discourse is over what’s happening in the Middle East, it’s imperative that we don’t succumb to petty malice and disinformation. There’s a stark difference between blame and responsibility according to Steven Stosny, Ph.D.. “Blame is about causes… responsibility is about solutions.” We should strive to hold the institutions that perpetuate hate accountable. Similarly, we should strive to be curious and understand all sides of a story before acknowledging its plausibility.
As a student body and as individuals living in a society where we have a voice, we must use it for progress and betterment. When we allocate blame to institutions or individuals that have little impact on the actual catalysts behind certain events, we deprive ourselves and our society of solving the important problems of our day.
McCormack is a Government major from Dallas, TX.
