# How can a racist frat-boy rehabilitate himself? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2015, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820 "2015-03-12T12:05:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/21 "2015-03-12T16:23:32Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Actually, when I posted the OP, I was thinking about the public image side,more than personal improvement. Okay, I’m the one who misread it then. But in my defense _“You do some honest soul-searching, and resolve to change yourself into a decent human being.”_ seemed to be more in line with my interpretation. I have to admit I wouldn’t have a lot of respect for somebody who was more concerned about his public image than his personal improvement. This hypothetical frat-boy has no problem with being a racist; he just doesn’t want other people to think he’s a racist. That’s not self-improvement. That’s just trying to avoid the consequences for your actions. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/22 "2015-03-12T16:26:51Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I think all that shunning and ostracizing those with racist views does is teach them that they’re not allowed to talk about their unpopular viewpoints. Whether that meets the goal of the shunners is debatable, are the racists really changed or do they just learn to shut up? Eliminating racism is the ideal. But while we’re working on that, shaming racists into silence is a worthy goal in its own right. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/23 "2015-03-12T16:51:40Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I think all that shunning and ostracizing those with racist views does is teach them that they’re not allowed to talk about their unpopular viewpoints. Whether that meets the goal of the shunners is debatable, are the racists really changed or do they just learn to shut up? I think racism is one of those things that really likes reinforcement from like-minded individuals. Make people work harder to get the reinforcement and lots of people won’t bother ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/24 "2015-03-12T17:35:05Z")
As a mom and brand new grandma, I hate to think that any young man’s life is ‘over’ at the age of 19. What he did was heinous and inexcusable, but it wasn’t murder or rape and there is an excellent chance that he can learn from this very public airing of his tighty whities and evolve. Problem is, where does a 19 year old expellee go? Right back home, which is no doubt where the mindset he expressed regarding his black brethren came from in the first place. There is, in fact, a certain element out there that would reward him for it. The best thing to do is get him far away from mama and daddy - the Peace Corps is a great idea, maybe even the army (although it has its own problems with racism), or send him to school in France where black and white mingle comfortably. I agree that he should disappear from social media for a while. People will move along and in a couple of years, a 19 year old boy will not only act different, he’ll look different. Hopefully someone intelligent will get a hold of him and set him on the right path. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/25 "2015-03-12T17:39:14Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Cite? 😛 My self is my cite. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/26 "2015-03-12T17:51:25Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > or send him to school in France where black and white mingle comfortably. According to my wife (a black woman who attended university in France), this is decidedly not the case. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/27 "2015-03-12T18:40:52Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > According to my wife (a black woman who attended university in France), this is decidedly not the case. Then I stand corrected. I was relying on hearsay. It’s very possible I got the country wrong. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/28 "2015-03-12T19:01:39Z")
I don’t really have much to add, other than I’m really glad they didn’t have cell phone cameras and social media back during my fraternity days. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/29 "2015-03-12T19:07:38Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > Then I stand corrected. I was relying on hearsay. It’s very possible I got the country wrong. It’s also possible that you heard right, but different people have different experiences. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/30 "2015-03-12T21:13:36Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Killing people is wrong. Naah, suicide is just fine. I’m all for people having the right to off themselves if they see fit. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/31 "2015-03-12T22:58:29Z")
Just enroll in another college, keep your head down, and deny any involvement if it comes up. The world is a big place and people will move on and forget. Heck who knows. Their might be another 9/11 incident which will dominate the news for months. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/32 "2015-03-12T23:12:20Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > According to my wife (a black woman who attended university in France), this is decidedly not the case. I wonder where **is** the best country to go to experience black and white people mixing on equal terms day to day? I hear good things about New Zealand sometimes… ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/33 "2015-03-13T01:27:13Z")
Hands up all those who, without looking, know the individuals’ names? Of the several hundred million people in the USA, how many do you think know the individuals’ names? ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/34 "2015-03-13T01:34:04Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > I wonder where **is** the best country to go to experience black and white people mixing on equal terms day to day? > > I hear good things about New Zealand sometimes… We’re still working on it. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/35 "2015-03-13T01:49:04Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I think racism is one of those things that really likes reinforcement from like-minded individuals. Make people work harder to get the reinforcement and lots of people won’t bother Absolutely agree with this. Racists need validation for their racism. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/36 "2015-03-13T03:25:38Z")
> [@](#): > > How can a racist frat-boy rehabilitate himself? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe by ignoring this politically correct bullshit and continuing with their lives. Wait, too late! That’s what they’re already doing… ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/37 "2015-03-13T11:53:18Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Hands up all those who, without looking, know the individuals’ names? > > Of the several hundred million people in the USA, how many do you think know the individuals’ names? But Google knows. I sometimes meet someone who gives off a “strange vibe”. I Google them and sometimes find out interesting things. It happens. These guys enroll in a different university. Someone at some point searches for their name and the next day their nasty history is common knowledge. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/38 "2015-03-13T12:04:35Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > But Google knows. I sometimes meet someone who gives off a “strange vibe”. I Google them and sometimes find out interesting things. It happens. > > These guys enroll in a different university. Someone at some point searches for their name and the next day their nasty history is common knowledge. Post #2. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/39 "2015-03-13T12:16:22Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Post #2. Yes, but would it work? Has it worked for others in similar situations? If a clerk in the judge’s office Googles the “before” name out of curiousity and tells her husband who tells his buddies… People in the witness protection program (or whatever it’s called) get outed. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820/40 "2015-03-13T12:39:35Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > As a mom and brand new grandma, I hate to think that any young man’s life is ‘over’ at the age of 19. What he did was heinous and inexcusable, but it wasn’t murder or rape and there is an excellent chance that he can learn from this very public airing of his tighty whities and evolve. > > Problem is, where does a 19 year old expellee go? Right back home, which is no doubt where the mindset he expressed regarding his black brethren came from in the first place. There is, in fact, a certain element out there that would reward him for it. > > The best thing to do is get him far away from mama and daddy - the Peace Corps is a great idea, maybe even the army (although it has its own problems with racism), or send him to school in France where black and white mingle comfortably. I agree that he should disappear from social media for a while. People will move along and in a couple of years, a 19 year old boy will not only act different, he’ll look different. > > Hopefully someone intelligent will get a hold of him and set him on the right path. You need a bachelors degree to get into the Peace Corps so that won’t work. Even if he had one, he’d never make the cut. It’s a very competitive program. You don’t just join the Peace Corps and head off to Africa. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-a-racist-frat-boy-rehabilitate-himself/714820.md?page=3)