Have some students these days become really this soft??? Some idiot kids write Trump 2016 in chalk in a few areas around Emory campus and this makes other students uncomfortable? I found out about this when watching Larry Wilmore’s Nightly Show and was amazed about this talk of being so outraged by such a minor incident that they want the university to validate their feelings of outrage and send out an email officially validating the students opinions on what they thought of Trump. I am glad Wilmore and his staff made fun of this whining by the students. I googled around and found an article in the Emory Wheel.
By the way, there is also a lot of exaggerated talk about the students reaction including people traumatized, safe spaces, etc, but some of it has been debunked on Snopes. However, the reaction I read in the Emory Wheel seems bad enough. So instead of safe spaces, someone still comments about a feeling of safety. When I was a student, if we saw something that we didn’t like, we turned it around on the other side. We didn’t whine about it.
Come on, those of the Emory students that complained. You are young. Toughen up. Instead of marching and insisting the university prevents you delicate flowers from wilting, why not write something in response in chalk to make fun of Trump? Hell, at least do something as Beavis and Buttheadish like erasing the T to display “RUMP 2016” , even if it’s not exactly the most clever response.
Why perpetuate the harmful stereotype that progressives are soft with such silly demands of the university having to put out an official email so their feelings can be put out in print out there. If it is that important, THAT IS WHAT YOUR GODDAMN STUDENT PAPER IS FOR. Get involved in it. Hell, with the tools we have now, you can come up with your own alternate paper quite easily.
You would think smart kids at a university like Emory would use their brains to ridicule Trump instead of reinforcing the same narrative that empowers a guy like Trump in attracting a certain group.
The description starts off fine as students are at an age where it should be encouraged to protest what they don’t like. But protest, not whine. And in this case, I am even ambivalent about whether even a protest is warranted as to what are they really protesting? That no other student has a right to support the Republican candidate? If you disagree with them, express why and ridicule them if you want. (though they may accuse you of taking them out of their own safe spaces!!!).
Students protested yesterday at the Emory Administration Building following a series of overnight, apparent pro-Donald Trump for president chalkings throughout campus.
Roughly 40 students gathered shortly after 4:30 p.m. in the outdoors space between the Administration Building and Goodrich C. White Hall; many students carried signs featuring slogans such as “Stop Trump” or “Stop Hate” and an antiphonal chant addressed to University administration, led by College sophomore Jonathan Peraza, resounded “You are not listening! Come speak to us, we are in pain!” throughout the Quad.
Here is the one with the “safe” reference. not quite safe spaces. But not that far from it either.
After approximately ten minutes outside from the start of the demonstration, the gathered students were ushered into the Quad-facing entrance to the Administration Building and quickly filled a staircase to continue their demonstration. Pausing in the staircase, a few students shared their initial, personal reactions to the chalkings.
“I’m supposed to feel comfortable and safe [here],” one student said. “But this man is being supported by students on our campus and our administration shows that they, by their silence, support it as well … I don’t deserve to feel afraid at my school,” she added.
How are these students going to cope with real world pressures if they can’t handle some people writing a Presidential candidate’s name(even if he is not a good guy)? Especially a guy like Trump who doesn't even have power yet as he hasn’t been elected.
And then this exchange with the Emory president:
“What do we have to do for you to listen to us?” students asked Wagner directly, to which he asked, “What actions should I take?” One student asked if Emory would send out a University-wide email to “decry the support for this fascist, racist candidate” to which Wagner replied, “No, we will not.” One student clarified that “the University doesn’t have to say they don’t support Trump, but just to acknowledge that there are students on this campus who feel this way about what’s happening … to acknowledge all of us here.”
While Wagner initially stated that he would not be writing a University-wide email regarding Trump, after over an hour of discussion in the board room, he appeared to have decided to begin working on an email concerned with at least the chalkings, at which point he gently wrapped up the conversation so that he could begin drafting it.
Congratulations whiners. You just helped that douchebag Trump recruit a few more people with your whining. And yes, i am not apologetic about the tone of this diary. I was in college too. I know what it feels to be a minority in a sea of white and have coexisted with students whose views i didn’t care for on both sides of the spectrum.
Here are more links — one from the Tab which has an article about some students conversing via the #1969not1836. Sad to say, as someone who is an American of color, I just hang my head in shame at the bubble they live in. I have read the snopes article they link to and which I have provided here and even the factual stuff I have read in the Emory Wheel and the Tab is bad enough for me to distance myself from as a progressive of color.
Sunday, Mar 27, 2016 · 6:33:42 PM +00:00 · pravin
So Emory responded to the students involved. But what caught me was the students response to this. Doesn’t give me any hope for a real conversation with them. I don’t think they get it. We understand how they might find it puzzling that not others share the same urgency in opposing a bigot leader. Still, they don’t get that they have a right to oppose this leader who is not even elected without going overboard in getting everyone to buy in to the same level they are. As far as the accusation that the chalk writings were done near the Latino center, I have read comments from other students that the student center has all kinds of groups there. We can’t know for sure that they looked for a Latino center and just focused on them.
However, College senior Alex Reibman believes that the proposed administrative response will prove to be counterproductive.
“I think the best step forward would be for administrators to engage in discussions with the students,” he said. “They could actually capitalize on this and allow for a better way of freedom of expression.”
He suggested that administrators consider the possibility of implementing “free speech zones” at Emory, which would allow people to voice their personal opinions and for others to counter those opinions. “Hate speech, whether we like it or not, is a crucial part of free speech,” he said.
College freshman Amanda Obando disagreed with Reibman’s view, saying that it dismissed the personal experiences of many who felt offended by the chalking.
“My reaction to the chalking was one of fear,” she said. “I told myself that it was a prank, and that the responsible individual was probably laughing in their room. I told myself that Emory would do something about it.”
Obando felt concerned that no one other than the Latino community and its allies took definite steps to address the offensive implications that the chalkings held. “People still don’t understand that the protest yesterday served not only as an expression against one interpretation of the chalking, but also as a collective manifestation against the fear that a bigot leader can create,” she added.