<p>I don’t think this is that big of an issue. Miss Peterson acted in a way that wasn’t representative of Lawrenceville’s values and of the position she held, and she was removed because of it. </p>
<p>And while one could contend that there was an overreaction by the administration, I think that they were trying to preserve the values that the school holds.</p>
<p>@greyeyedgoddess In my town people get away with a lot of very racist comments/ideas and nobody ever calls them out on it. If somebody makes a “white guy” joke, everybody suddenly develops a sensitivity. </p>
<p>I personally don’t think either are appropriate, but at least in my area, white on black racism is tolerated far more than black on white racism. </p>
<p>Barack Obama - President of the United States</p>
<p>Maya Peterson - President of the Lawrenceville student body</p>
<p>BIG DIFFERENCE. She is still a kid in high school (when this occurred)</p>
<p><a href=“http://suicidebycat.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2014/07/01/in-defense-of-lawrenceville/”>http://suicidebycat.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2014/07/01/in-defense-of-lawrenceville/</a></p>
<p>Yes, but the analogy can still be made.</p>
<p>You’re still not answering my question.</p>
<p>I think the biggest issue here is her position of authority, rather than what she did. </p>
<p>And @grace - it’s the opposite in my area. If someone makes a white joke, it’s not too big of an issue, where if it was the other way around, there is a huge deal made of it.</p>
<p>@mrnephew what question?</p>
<p>@mrnephew I can see that if you are in a more liberal state. I think some people view white on black racism as a more serious issue because of the real life consequences.</p>
<p>Nope. I am in the only conservative area in California.</p>
<p>in a liberal state nonetheless </p>
<p>but i don’t see the relevance</p>
<p>I don’t see why that matters. It’s a conservative area.</p>
<p>Well, I’m out to dinner, so I’m out of this particularly interesting conversation.</p>
<p>@greyeyedgoddess “In terms of Miss Peterson, I think that what she did was unsavory, but the administration overreacted. I’ve read several times on different articles that students have on occasion seen Confederate flags on campus, yet the administration did nothing about that (note: there were only a couple flags, but even one is inexcusable.)”</p>
<p>This is why you shouldn’t believe everything you read on social media (esp. buzzfeed). My entire two years here, I have only heard of one case like this, and the girl was forced by faculty to take it down immediately.</p>
<p>@MBVLoveless Ok, thank god. I thought I had read the wrong thing when I read that on buzz feed and actually mother article too but I forget which one that was.</p>
<p>Note: idek why i’m posting this comment. but I felt the need to share my thoughts. btw this took me like ten fifteen minutes to write lol
Just to point out, because this irks me to no end, racism is not just rude remarks, or silly jokes. It’s the institutional oppression that goes along with it. No one looks at the name “Emma” and says “that’s a white name, so I won’t hire them”. However they do when they see the name “Monique” and “Tyrone”. If I’m correct, white people have never been enslaved by another race, forced to dress like another race, had their land completely taken over by another race, had their women raped only to have their children forced into slavery as well, been stripped of their language, culture, religion, and customs, been denied education for over 300 years only to be called lazy by the entire country for not performing well in schools, and had to work tirelessly to this day to only be told we’re overreacting when we say we’re not treated fairly. </p>
<p>And I’m not pinning all the world’s problems on white people, I’m simply giving you a brief history of the black experience in America alone, and that’s not even all of it. There are many groups in history who have been battered down to almost nothing, and I just think we should all think honestly about the world we live in. A few hurt feelings is not racism, but simply prejudice. And there’s no such thing as reverse racism, because that would imply that the oppressed could oppress the oppressors. </p>
<p>And sorry for getting into this, but it hurts my heart to witness the injustices committed to all us each and everyday, with people defending those who commit them. And I don’t say this to point fingers at any specific person who has chimed in on this issue. I just feel like we should all educate ourselves so we can learn how to tackle this issue in a better way than we have in the past. That’s all. I’m done for the night (or at least I sincerely hope)</p>
<p>okay don’t hate me for posting that^ comment btw. I know how put of place it really does make me sad to see that people dont get why Maya Peterson said some of the things she did. Sadly I know where she is coming from and although she was terribly wrong in mocking her classmates, there should discussion about her motives as well, not just the outcome. </p>
<p>:(</p>
<p>No, we get her message, and I don’t think it would have become an issue had she not been a school president. But what she did was unbecoming of someone who is supposed to represent the entire school. What sort of leader mocks the people she represents in such a crude way? What happened to her promise of creating a “truly UNIFIED and diverse space”? </p>
<p>Just in January, a white male student got disciplinary action (one out of the two strikes) just for posting a homophobic comment on Facebook. It’s not unthinkable that if Maya were white, she would face the same repercussion.</p>
<p>Some background: Maya and I were acquaintances, and I can say I know her enough to discuss this issue. Most white kids I know DID NOT take offense at the photo!!! In fact, the truly butthurt ones were a small, yet very vocal minority (most of whom are rich, white kids–but that is not to say all rich white Lawrentians constituted the group) who held a personal grudge against Maya and the radical way in which she spoke out for the minority groups on campus. I find it baffling that Maya chose to equate the entire white male population at the school with these select few. </p>
<p>It also frustrates me that she’s doing nothing to refute claims that Lawrenceville as a school is racist. Even as an international student who has felt marginalized in one way or another by the prep American culture, I can say with confidence that “racist” is not an apt term to describe the school. The majority of the students, bar a douchey minority, are accepting and welcoming. Overt homophobia and racism are not tolerated if uncovered. </p>
<p>Lawrenceville deserves better than this.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Wholeheartedly agree.</p>
<p>So… who’s pumped for House Olympics? </p>
<p>Even though it doesn’t start for another two months</p>