University of Missouri Football Strike

[33girl]

If my RA said "hai no blackface" that would be a suggestion.

But an email from deans and administrators, yes, I would feel I was being ordered not to do this and resistance would affect my schooling.

[AnchorAlum]

On another note, I saw in USA Today that Janna Basler, who is identified as a Greek Life liaison or some such has been suspended after being identified as one of those involved with the Click "pushback' incident.

Any Mizzou folks know of this person?

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I get that you're not calling for or condoning consequences.

But we'll just have to disagree on whether she was wrong. I don't think she created a strawman at all. I can easily see how students might interpret the email from the Intercultural Affairs Committee—signed by what appear to be 13 administrators or staff members, one of whom is a senior associate dean of the College and five of whom are assistant deans of the College—as an "an institutional (which is to say: bureaucratic and administrative) exercise of implied control over college students." I think that as a student I probably would have interpreted it that way.

As for the New Yorker article, I get that claims of "free speech" can be used as a deflection of hard discussions about racism. I don't see that being the case in this email, though.

And for what it's worth, when I get a memo from the Greek Life office requiring us to register all parties with them and to disclose whether those parties will indeed involve any racial or national sort of component, that is more than slightly coercive.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

SHOW ME THE POO SWASTIKA!

But in all seriousness, I've learned never to underestimate the ability of people to make things up.

Exhibit A:

http://krcgtv.com/news/local/missour...se-information

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Really? You would have thought that an email asking you to be thoughtful about your Halloween costume was the university's attempt to control you?

Yes.

Originally Posted by 33girl

If my RA said "hai no blackface" that would be a suggestion.

But an email from deans and administrators, yes, I would feel I was being ordered not to do this and resistance would affect my schooling.

Exactly. They don't have to say "there will be consequences." They are in positions of authority and when they speak, they are understood to speak for the university. It is not a stretch for a student to assume that the university would be displeased if he or she ignored the email, and that that displeasure might lead to consequences of some sort.

I get that there were students who allegedly complained to Christakis, and she was responding, in part, to that. I really believe that it is her duty, as a professor, an authority figure, and a white person, to help dismantle systems of oppression, and validating those students' complaints does just the opposite.

Well, that depends on what the complaints are and whether she was actually validating complaints that were a cover, consciously or unconsciously, for racism. If the complaints were about, say, university administrators using their authority in what was perceived as inappropriate ways, is validating those complaints really opposed to dismantling systems of oppression?

I read her email as saying that this is an issue that's worth having dialogue about, and that there are a variety of perspectives that can make that dialogue more meaningful and productive. Like others, I might not agree with all that she said. Meaningful dialogue allows for an opportunity for others with different perspectives to challenge what she said.

I'll put it this way from a parent's perspective: I understand when the schools my kids attend have rules and expectations designed to minimize racism and its effects on campus, and I sympathize completely with that goal. But I am much happier when, instead of relying on directives and statements from administrators, those schools find ways for students to learn how to talk about these issues, listen to others, consider a variety of perspectives and approaches (and implications), and work things out together.

[FSUZeta]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Exhibit A:

http://krcgtv.com/news/local/missour...se-information

And with all the resignations happening at Mizzou right now, why has he not submitted his?

[robinseggblue]

I've seen this circulating on social media

https://medium.com/@interruptingstar...f-3b853ba0e8f4

Haven't read either article yet but am planning to.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by FSUZeta

And with all the resignations happening at Mizzou right now, why has he not submitted his?

Very good question.

I guess he's the one campus leader who is allowed to make mistakes.

[Kevin]

Harvard couldn't resist.

http://hlrecord.org/2015/11/fascism-at-yale/

But yeah.. I think the fascism label sort of sticks here.

[lake]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Harvard couldn't resist.

http://hlrecord.org/2015/11/fascism-at-yale/

But yeah.. I think the fascism label sort of sticks here.

Yay Harvard! A very well articulated article. It's comforting to know there are still some voices of reason on college campuses today.

[lake]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlum

On another note, I saw in USA Today that Janna Basler, who is identified as a Greek Life liaison or some such has been suspended after being identified as one of those involved with the Click "pushback' incident.

Any Mizzou folks know of this person?

I would love to know this chick's Greek affiliation (please don't let it be Tri Delta!). You know it's more than likely that she's NPC.

I was glad to hear she was put on administrative leave, but she really needs to be fired.

[Kevin]

Click has been charged with assault for her actions in that video. I agree--educators who assault students should be terminated. The other students who participated in the assualt ought to face some consequences as well.

[DTD Alum]

Originally Posted by robinseggblue

I've seen this circulating on social media

https://medium.com/@interruptingstar...f-3b853ba0e8f4

Haven't read either article yet but am planning to.

Articles like this set up a false binary system for critique of activist behavior. You are either in full support of all that activists do, or you are criticizing them in order to maintain an oppressive structure in a manipulative way. It is therefore an implicit position that activists are so free of any fault that if anybody dares to comment on how any aspect of their behavior is incorrect, or even dangerous, or even verging on fascism (which I do agree with), well then that person is using their position of power to manipulate to silence minority voices, because of course there can be no truth in their claims whatsoever. When a group or movement is so free of criticism, dangerous and unchecked behaviors can emerge, and they are certainly emerging.

It is this very assertion that is leading to the problems that many are speaking of.

My wife and I speak out about white privilege among our family and friends. I see where privilege has affected my life, and attempt to do what I can to rectify it. We contribute our money and time to organizations that help bridge that gap in privilege in our hometown (San Francisco) by supplying marginalized groups of children with the additional tools they need to succeed in school, starting in pre-K and ending with post-college coaching. We are not perfect, we all have biases, and I understand this paragraph is close to "ally theater", but all of this to say I support the goals of the movement and do see oppression and lack of opportunity in our society.

That being said, when we address the issue of "power" with regard to racism, we all too often ignore the "micro" aspect in favor of the "macro". Yes, overall minority groups do not have power in American society, and their voices have been silenced. However, in smaller situations, they (alongside allies) are gaining a strong and powerful voice, which is something to be celebrated. Being able to demand the resignation of high profile campus administrators, and actually see those people resign because of it, is certainly a sign of power. However, in some university settings, as that power grows, I am saddened and angry to see it abused.

The issues I think we are seeing:

(1) A substantial lack of proof of many claims put forward, and the readiness of activists to condemn people and organizations in a highly visible manner without actually examining the proof (or lack thereof) at hand. I think the most recent example of this was UCLA's Alpha Phi and Sig Ep chapters, who were widely broadcast throughout the media as dressing in blackface when no blackface actually occurred. The members of these chapters received death threats of their own and yet nobody seemed to care. And even when the lack of proof was widely known, protests and condemnations continued, and with no apology. The Rolling Stone UVA rape case is an even more extreme version of this. If a story or claim is presented that fits a preconceived narrative, we are seeing aggressive behavior without examining whether or not these incidents truly happened. It is not longer "innocent until proven guilty", but it is on the accused to prove their innocence, and even upon proving it nobody ever seems to care or retract their statements. If you have the power to condemn a person so violently, visibly, and nationally, then you must use that power wisely and make sure something has actually occurred before going forward. People's lives and being played loosely with in an abhorrent manner, but if they are from a cultural group that has power, well then their feelings and lives don't matter at all on behalf of their skin color, gender, hometown, etc and if they get falsely dragged through the mud, "at least a conversation has been started".

(2) Reactionary anger toward having any sort of opinion that does not align with what an activist believes. There are constant calls for dialogue, and yet when dialogue happens that is not complete and utter agreement, no matter how tactful, often instead of engaging, these people are violently silenced themselves in any way necessary. I mean violent in the sense of verbal violence, but with the recent cases of spitting on people at Yale (an actual crime, battery, by the way) and blocking the videographer at Missouri (a clear violation of freedom of the press), we are actually beginning to escalate to (i) culturally sanctioned physical violence and (ii) culturally sanctioned law breaking, but only if the ideology is right. Considering that if the ideology is "wrong", even a well written e-mail can be a cause for resignation, I can only imagine what would happen if this woman at Yale tried to slap a camera out of her face or spit on somebody. NOTE: I am not talking about anger if, say, a person uses a racist slur or something of that note. I am talking about the Yale e-mail in this case, where an opinion was posited in an articulate, tactful, and well meaning way. Engage with it in disagreement, sure. But this has gone way too far.

(3) Invalidation of people's statements based on race, gender, class status, or any other cultural identifier. So, for example, the temptation of many to see what I wrote, look for my cultural identifiers, and upon finding them (white, straight, male, etc) discount my opinion, often times in a very public and aggressive way, not by examining what I say and finding it to be true or not, but by there mere nature of who I am as a person. I understand that as a white man, I do need to let people of color speak about their experiences and not assume my knowledge of their lives is accurate, as well as listen to what they are saying. But I draw the line at an "inclusive" movement that will not accept any critique or comment, especially when it is an inclusive movement that feels fairly comfortable speaking on behalf of majority (oppressive, in their terms, which can often be true) groups on what goes on in their heads, their families, and their communities.

(4) Lastly, violent hate speech. One woman I read on Twitter frequently, because she promotes an exceptionally radical view on race, sexuality, etc that I enjoy learning about (some I agree with, some I do not, but it has certainly broadened my horizons) will frequently go on tirades about the "Rancid mayo" she has to interact with (white people), not in terms of political or cultural discussions, but in every day activities, often not even directly interacting with her but just being near her, but will justify this hate speech because of past interactions with white people. The hypocrisy here is, of course, delicious given that this is the same exact justification that oppressive groups often give when speaking hatefully about minorities ("I'm not sorry for what I called them, in my experience [GROUP] has been [STEREOTYPE]"). And then we just culturally nuance the hell out of it all "No but this hateful speech is OK for [THIS PERSON] because [REASON]".

I support and will continue to support much, if not all, of what these movements are based on. I do think we have a large way to come. However, we should have the right to comment if we seeing disturbing trends, especially if they are contrary to the type of society that these same activists want to bring about. If we cannot comment on the irony and hypocrisy of the actions above, then we are veering toward an extremely dangerous place.

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Harvard couldn't resist.

http://hlrecord.org/2015/11/fascism-at-yale/

But yeah.. I think the fascism label sort of sticks here.

Originally Posted by lake

Yay Harvard! A very well articulated article. It's comforting to know there are still some voices of reason on college campuses today.

That's not at all what fascism means. You two both know better, as does the writer of this article.

Like it or not, calling for someone's resignation is ALSO an exercise of free speech.

[AnchorAlum]

Indeed it is an exercise in free speech to call for someone's resignation, but unfortunately (in my view) if there's not immediate acquiescence, it causes a problem and is interpreted in a manner that serves to further a certain storyline.

I'm an old lady but as a veteran of the 60's on an activist campus, there's just not enough GFY out there when folks make extreme demands. Fetal curl ups abound, however.