Do you find those comments about black males to be offensive?
This is the reason my son is not applying there or to most of the elite colleges. He told me they do not want him: white, male, Methodist, southern… It is sort of funny but pitiful that he really believes this based on recent comments. I believe there were also comments from a Tulane professor as well.
@alh I cling to what I can!
I agree and her statements would not be problematic if she weren’t in a position to award grades to the very population she so disdains. Of course it is only hypothetically problematic for those white males who might find themselves in her classes. Perhaps some might not be put off by enrolling in her classes, but if I were a white male with my sights set on grad school where my GPA wiIl be critical for admission, I would not take the chance.
I think the extent of her disdain is evident when she reveals she avoids frequenting businesses that are owned by white males. That’s a pretty deep- seated dislike.
@Bay “Do you find those comments about black males to be offensive?”
I would say I find them painful.
of·fen·sive
adjective
1.
causing someone to feel deeply hurt, upset, or angry.
“the allegations made are deeply offensive to us”
synonyms: insulting, insolent, derogatory, disrespectful, hurtful, wounding, abusive; More
antonyms: complimentary, polite, courteous
(of a sight or smell) disgusting; repulsive.
“an offensive odor”
synonyms: unpleasant, disagreeable, nasty, distasteful, displeasing, objectionable, off-putting, awful, terrible, dreadful, frightful, obnoxious, abominable, disgusting, repulsive, repellent, repugnant, revolting, abhorrent, loathsome, detestable, odious, vile, foul, sickening, nauseating; More
2.
actively aggressive; attacking.
“offensive operations against the insurgents”
synonyms: hostile, attacking, aggressive, invading, incursive, combative, belligerent, on the attack
“an offensive air strike”
So maybe…
The thing that’s blowing my mind about this is all the people who are treating a Twitter post—Twitter, folks, land of the 140-character limit!—as if it must necessarily be a fully-though-out philosophy of race relations and abilities in higher education in the United States.
@Bay Of course I do. But there can’t be a double standard.
@woodlandsmom Ahhh nothing quite like unrecognized privileges. I mean, really? Trust me. Your son has nothing to worry about. Elite colleges still welcome white Christian men with open arms.
It’s not deep-seated dislike. Grundy “revealed” that she tries to support her black community economically, but finds that there aren’t many black-owned businesses to support that fill her needs.
“I think the extent of her disdain is evident when she reveals she avoids frequenting businesses that are owned by white males. That’s a pretty deep- seated dislike.”
It’s called a boycott! I’ve never thought of that as deep seated dislike. Certainly it is trying to make a statement ( as in “our dollars matter”), but why deep seated dislike?
Payback justifies offensive comments, CaliCash?
If she had mentioned drinking alcohol, I don’t think people would care about her comments, but she didn’t.
If alcohol use is what she is referring to, then her statement is way over broad to paint all white males that way and exclude other races in the college population.
I would not discount Twitter just because each post is limited to 140 characters. It is one of the more powerful social media tools because it reaches out far and instantly. If it was just one Tweet, most would discount it. However, from the articles linked above, it appears that this lady used her Twitter regularly as a platform for spewing racism. Now she made it “private.”
@Bay I’m not justifying her comments. But you can’t be outraged over this comment and then gloss over offensive comments that are said by white people. This happens ALL THE TIME towards black people and the one time an educated woman of color says something, she should get in trouble? That’s ridiculous.
Spewing racism or calling out white privilege?
As in, there are enough white owned stores in my locale I have the choice never to shop at a minority owned store if I so choose.
crossposted with #68- Niquii. My reading as well.
There are pro-black movements that document and spread awareness of black-owned businesses in areas and promote them to the black community. It encourages community.
Yes, her Twitter account should not be discounted. Was she spewing racism? I do not believe so. She freely spoke her opinions and those were an inconvenient truth to many.
@Shrinkrap well I guess I take that “boycott” to its natural extension. She is “saying” one of a few things when she refuses to patronize businesses owned by white males. She does not want to support white males, wants them or their businesses to fail or just dislikes them enough that she does not want to interact with them. Any of the above would be enough for me to avoid her class if I were a white male and as a parent I would advise my white male son to do the same. Would she be able to put that disdain aside and be impartial in a classroom setting? Maybe. But one will never know unless you are willing to contest a grade you might think does not reflect your work in her class.
Why invite a problematic situation when you can probably easily avoid it by enrolling in other classes? When faced with situations like this where the element of control is still available to me, my solution is always to take the path of least resistance.
I don’t do that. Neither are acceptable.
Again, what is this truth of which you speak? What is her opinion of “the problem?” What is it?
It may take a little effort for a white male student to study with a black professor at BU. May not even be possible. May not find a course that works in his major, etc.
About this “boycott” – she was talking about MLK week, for crying out loud. Is it really so weird to make a point of patronizing black-owned businesses at a time of honoring arguably the nation’s most important and influential black man?
Her statements should have been phrased differently, but this seems to me to be a tempest in a teapot. If the only thing standing between “so offensive that it should lose you your job” and “perfectly valid statement” is saying “for one week a year, I try to avoid white businesses” and not “for one week a year, I try to patronize minority owned businesses,” we’ve lost all sense of perspective.
And to preempt the rejoinders: No, this is not as offensive as a white professor saying “I try to avoid black businesses.” Context matters.