Final Thawt

From: Jamele Adams
Subject: Final Thawt
Date: November 30, 1999
To: allstu@kenyon.edu

Well Kenyon, the "A Thawt" series has run it's course.  For some of you this may be quite the fitting ending, while others may feel the timing couldn't be worse.  It is my sincere hope that the "thawts" you've received over the last year have been the stimulus for meaningful debate, dialogue and self-introspection regarding culture.

The series was started to provoke thought and ignite conversation regarding various aspects of culture.  These "thawts" included, but were not limited to religion, sexuality, ethnicity, cultural influences and the most recent Affirmative Action.  For many of you (students, staff, faculty and administrators), the series achieved it's goal.  For others, the series became the e-mail message you looked forward to deleting or the fuel to further "gas up" your discontent with the ills of others thought processes regarding the given subject of the "thawt."  Regardless, I believe the attention our thoughts gave to culture were in some way increased and challenged.  At the very least we were exposed us to a different perspective on various issues.  Every "thawt" with the exception of one was just that, "a thought." Please except my apologies for the one that was not a thought, but introduced to you as a set of facts, thus taking away the possibility of debate.  The "thawt I'm referring to was that on Affirmative Action.  As a topic, Affirmative Action is very debatable and multifaceted.

If you were ever offended by the "thawts", please forgive me, for that was not the intent.  However, if you felt challenged or read the "thawt" and either agreed or disagreed, thank you for your time and thoughts.

Regarding the title of the series, "A Thawt."  From the beginning the word "thought" was intentionally and differently spelled as "thawt" not as a typo and not to drive you all insane with the "mispelling" of the word.  The reasoning behind the spelling was from it's inception through the VAX to try and challenge our ways of thinking in a new way.  One of these ways was through spelling.  However, some of you may may have misconstrued this and taken it to reinforce a negative stereotype and tie it into slang and Hip Hop culture etc. You received the wrong impression and that error was my own in not explaining this from the beginning.

Thank you for reading this, the "Final Thawt."  As a final "thawt" I submit the
following:  "Should you have to be an embassador for your culture, should everyone else be made to learn about you or should we all just get over it and get along?"  Before you answer, remember everyone of you reading this is part of a culture.  Remember, it's just "a thawt." (however, it is the last one in this series)

jamele