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Would mentioning my first real confrontation with racism in college (involving a friend who admitted he believed black people my be inherently less intelligent) be appropriate, or is it too awkward/comfortable?

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Anonymous User wrote:Would mentioning my first real confrontation with racism in college (involving a friend who admitted he believed black people my be inherently less intelligent) be appropriate, or is it too awkward/comfortable?

I don't think so. Your experiences, both negative and positive, are part of who you are. Showing how you handled the situation in a calm manner or maybe how you managed to change your friend's mind (or at least open it a little) might show the committee how you used "diversity" to influence others. I think they just want to know what you will add to the class. How you handled yourself in this situation might be a good indication.

It's fine if you are black, probably a bit inappropriate if you are not. Nevertheless, it really depends upon the content of your writing as to whether or not any topic is appropriate.

CanadianWolf wrote:It's fine if you are black, probably a bit inappropriate if you are not. Nevertheless, it really depends upon the content of your writing as to whether or not any topic is appropriate.

Agreed. It may come off a little Dances With Wolves if you're not black.

Agree with the others. You need to be black to write about. And even if you are, it's probably not a good topic unless he personally said something directed to you that offended you. There are many dumb people in the world, and deciding to write a PS based on the comments of 1 dumb person probably isn't the best topic for a PS. It's called PS for a reason -- make it personal and about you.

I am black; I didn't say I was basing it upon the incident or making it the central topic...just mentioning it as an example of the broader topic I will be centering the essay on.

Thanks everyone for the feedback.

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