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Hypocrisy
The thing that bothers me most about this kind of behavior (nooses at a party) is that the brothers wanted to claim both that this was all harmless fun, and that this was a political expression that shouldn't be squelched.
If they actually believe that it's funny that black people used to get lynched in their university town (this is the most charitable "message" I can get from their actions), why don't they stand up and say so? If this is about freedom of expression, why aren't they defending their point of view? Why don't they rent out the campus square and march in their KKK robes if this message is so important?
Finally, the First Amendment certainly applies to organizations at public universities, but threats and harrassment are not protected speech, and it's not hard to see the use of blackface and nooses as a bald threat to black students. I think the constitutional status of this expression, given its time, place, and manner, is open to debate.
IvySpice
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