# Dispatches from post-racial America. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 9, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618 "2015-03-09T17:45:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/81 "2015-03-11T18:42:35Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Heck, I used to date an Indian girl who was actually taught to believe that blacks were a different species. Yes, really. She didn’t hold this belief herself when we were dating, at least she said she didn’t, but she was a little too willing to excuse those who did for my tastes. I once wore a t-shirt to work with a bit of evolution-based humor. An Indian guy I worked with started to ask me some oddly circumspect questions about evolution, eventually working his way around to asking me if I thought white people and black people were descended from the same animal. :eek: I probably should have said something to HR or my manager about it, but it proved to be a moot point: he was fired within the month for being exceptionally bad at his job. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/82 "2015-03-11T19:03:45Z")
> [@Fallen](#): > > True (unfortunately), and the expelled brats with standing may undertake the years’-long effort to address. Meanwhile the university may be compelled to reexamine how it should address this problem and others. Here, through its ability to discipline a fraternity that engages in discriminatory practices (after all, they and other frats declare in this and similar songs that they’ll never allow a “nigger” to be a member). > > As has been pointed out elsewhere, if the punishment for discriminatory conduct of a frat is to ban that frat from operating at the university, the university might want to examine other types of punishment that might inspire the kids to leave. I don’t know enough about the university to know whether the punishments for such conduct include expulsion. On the law, I think the key point is that the University cannot discipline these students, directly or indirectly, for protected speech outside of their coursework. I’m not sure they can ban the frat in response to the racist song either, to the extent the goal of that ban is to punish the student speech. Like it or not, that is the balance we have struck in American law. We are extremely distrustful of government attempts to regulate speech, even when most of us think the speech is vile and harmful. Apart from the law, I wonder whether removing these guys from the educational environment is the best solution. Surely what they need is more education, not less. I would rather see the University say, “Look, you’ve demonstrated that you are either seriously ignorant or have a serious character defect (or both). To earn a degree from this University, you need to remedy that. Here’s what we would like you to agree to: (1) Take and get a B or above in the following courses on racism and American history; (2) Volunteer at [] for X hours; (3) Apologize, and have your apology accepted by []. …etc. If you agree, then we will let you stay. If you refuse, then we will pursue all available legal options.” Casting them out as exiles paints them as some kind of unfixable aberration, when they are just a few degrees further out than a lot of sheltered, young, white college students. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/83 "2015-03-11T19:25:08Z")
[The CEO of Baton Rouge transit wants more white drivers because black drivers scare the white folks.](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/baton-rouge-transit-ceo-i-would-love-fewer-black-drivers-because-they-dont-match-white-skin/) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/84 "2015-03-11T19:48:31Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [The CEO of Baton Rouge transit wants more white drivers because black drivers scare the white folks.](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/baton-rouge-transit-ceo-i-would-love-fewer-black-drivers-because-they-dont-match-white-skin/) Scared white folks make manageable passengers. ---
**Author:** ![Fallen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@Fallen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fallen)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/85 "2015-03-11T19:53:22Z")
I don’t think the university automatically loses by approaching from the standpoint of how the Dept of Education can hold it accountable for allowing identifiable racists to occupy the same campus as those of a(t least one) race they profess to hate. The hostile education environment angle holds some water. In the end, where caught between racists and Title VI and all the nonsense in between, I think expelling a couple of students is ok; if they want to take the university to court, they’re free to do so and (unfortunately) I’m sure they won’t have trouble finding someone to help. Certainly will be interesting to see what happens. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/86 "2015-03-11T20:05:36Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [The CEO of Baton Rouge transit wants more white drivers because black drivers scare the white folks.](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/baton-rouge-transit-ceo-i-would-love-fewer-black-drivers-because-they-dont-match-white-skin/) My God. White folks are such pussies! ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/87 "2015-03-12T00:27:57Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [The CEO of Baton Rouge transit wants more white drivers because black drivers scare the white folks.](http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/baton-rouge-transit-ceo-i-would-love-fewer-black-drivers-because-they-dont-match-white-skin/) Can you envision the little electronic notification boards? Route 372 Arriving in: 11 minutes Driver: White Route 372 Arriving in: 26 minutes Driver: Black ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/88 "2015-03-12T04:21:10Z")
I hope these two little shits sue. News networks will make them famous, and they’ll never have a job worth holding. If they’re dumb enough to sue, they’re too dumb for a real job. But they’ve already apologized. I severely doubt they will sue, given that. Ha, bitches. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/89 "2015-03-12T04:53:16Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > They see those guys and see stupid frat “bros”. I see those guys and see future managers, CEOs, jury members, teachers, principals, city councilmen, senators, and judges. I see someone who might sell me a car or a house one day–someone who’ll try to take advantage of me because all they see is a dirty nigger rather than a human being. White people can afford to believe these are a small, insignificant minority of the population. Black people already know better. This. Also, I don’t just see the future managers. Those idiots did not make up that song on their own. It was passed down from previous classes. Every member of that frat’s alumni sang and chanted it, and they’re already in business, doing hiring, serving as mayors, sitting on the city council, sitting as judges, etc. They just weren’t filmed. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/90 "2015-03-12T11:44:13Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > To me the bigger question is, however, how soon can we get rid of fraternities? The fraternities have a lot of wealthy alumni members who are very generous with their money. Universities have found it difficult to take broad action against them on issues such as alcohol abuse, sexual assault, and general safety. > [@Mosier](#): > > It’s not fair to blast HR’s ineffectiveness without at least giving them a chance to address an issue. If you need your job, the stakes are too high to give them that chance. > [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > I guess I just don’t want to believe that they truly had that kind of hatred in their hearts. This is one of the big fallacies of the current narrowing of the definition of racism—that to truly be a racist, you must bhave some characteristic in your heart" or if you are somehow innocent “at heart” then you deserve some degree of sympathy. It doesn’t matter what you are in your heart. If you act like a racist, you are a racist. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/91 "2015-03-12T12:11:19Z")
> [@PeskiPiksi](#): > > My understanding is that they weren’t expelled for hate speech, exactly, but because they violated the University’s code of conduct. How was that established? Seriously. I’m not saying the code of conduct can’t be construed that way, I’m just wondering what process the university used to establish that these students broke rules and that the appropriate response was expulsion. It sounds like the decision was made to get rid of them first, identify them second, and justify the expulsion third. That’s also not constitutional, AFAIK. The government can’t make things up as it goes along if it’s trying to take something away from you (which is why the government can’t, say, employ people at will). ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/92 "2015-03-12T12:18:20Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > This. > > Also, I don’t just see the future managers. Those idiots did not make up that song on their own. It was passed down from previous classes. Every member of that frat’s alumni sang and chanted it, and they’re already in business, doing hiring, serving as mayors, sitting on the city council, sitting as judges, etc. They just weren’t filmed. Yup, SAE’s racism didn’t just suddenly appear out of nowhere. It’s clearly a tradition, and one that is probably widely known about on campus and elsewhere. The only thing noteworthy is that their ugliness was caught on tape and shared with the masses. What’s hilarious in a meta sense is the chat’s vehement refrain regarding blacks being kept out of SAE, as if there was ever a time hoards of black men were clamoring to join. Lol. It’s a classic case of reinforcing group identity by presuming others want to be like them. If only they knew how much this reveals the high value they actually place on the opinions of black people. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/93 "2015-03-12T16:13:25Z")
[Pundits are blaming black rappers for the frat boy’s racism.](http://www.eonline.com/news/634799/rush-limbaugh-if-kanye-west-rapped-the-racist-frat-chant-it-d-be-a-hit) Rush says if Kanye West recorded the song about hanging niggers from a tree, it would be a hit. Because that’s what black rappers rap about. Not wanting to associate with niggers so much they’d rather see them swinging from an oak. Now if Kanye recorded a remake of Garrett Morris’ big hit, I’m Gonna Git Me A Shotgun And Kill All The Whities I See-- well then, platinum for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/94 "2015-03-12T16:16:12Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > [Pundits are blaming black rappers for the frat boy’s racism.](http://www.eonline.com/news/634799/rush-limbaugh-if-kanye-west-rapped-the-racist-frat-chant-it-d-be-a-hit) Well, they were apparently fans of Trinidad James. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/95 "2015-03-12T17:48:49Z")
I have no doubt whatsoever that that SAE chant is much, much older than rap. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/96 "2015-03-12T17:51:48Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > What’s hilarious in a meta sense is the chat’s vehement refrain regarding blacks being kept out of SAE, as if there was ever a time hoards of black men were clamoring to join. Lol. It’s a classic case of reinforcing group identity by presuming others want to be like them. If only they knew how much this reveals the high value they actually place on the opinions of black people. That chapter has had black members in the recent past — [http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/10/us/oklahoma-fraternity-black-member/](http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/10/us/oklahoma-fraternity-black-member/) ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/97 "2015-03-12T19:12:41Z")
They should absolutely NOT be expelled. The University should have them all attend a mandatory race relations seminar and have each personally apologize to each and every non-white student they have. [This guy](http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=750326&SPID=127245&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=209396628&Q_SEASON=2015) can supervise the apologies. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/98 "2015-03-12T19:49:07Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > That chapter has had black members in the recent past — [http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/10/us/oklahoma-fraternity-black-member/](http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/10/us/oklahoma-fraternity-black-member/) Yes, at least 1. ---
**Author:** ![get\_lives](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@get\_lives](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/get_lives)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/99 "2015-03-12T20:20:41Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > [This guy](http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=750326&SPID=127245&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=209396628&Q_SEASON=2015) can supervise the apologies. Hingle McCringleberry? ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispatches-from-post-racial-america/714618/100 "2015-03-12T20:32:52Z")
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