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UPDATE: OU President Boren closes fraternity after racist video, may take action against individuals

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Expelled

Parker Rice: A video screengrab shows this student, believed to be Parker Rice, as among those who chanted a racial slur against black people on a bus on Saturday.

Posted: Monday, March 9, 2015 12:00 am

VIDEO: Watch video of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chant

VIDEO: OU athletes, coaches in prayer to demonstrate against SAE video 

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170 comments:

  • Tracy Castle posted at 6:51 pm on Tue, Mar 10, 2015.

    TCastle Posts: 1

    Your comments prove that your thinking or lack there of, is from the father of lies, i.e. satan!!

     
  • Cindy Keith posted at 11:12 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    cindyk-234 Posts: 9906

    wow

     
  • Charlie Brown posted at 10:20 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    liveto-953 Posts: 19

    Nope, HJJohnson, they are not kids. They are 18-22 yr.- olds who have the right to vote and fight for their country. They are not too young to NOT know better. You either have principles you live by or you let other people tell you what to think. A buddy is NOT a friend. A buddy is someone who likes you for what you have and what you will do, not for WHO you are. Every individual must decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong and take a stand and be true to themselves at the very least. This is not an overreaction. This was a timely stupid mistake on the anniversary of the march to Selma. What poor judgement these 'intellectuals' used. Stupid because the video generation still doesn't see the dangers of their ways. Why do they think they won't be caught on tape??

     
  • Johnnie Goode posted at 8:03 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    M3Man Posts: 12

    This really makes me miss the days when Oklahoma sent guys like David Boren to the senate instead of science denier like Jim Inhofe. Back then Inhofe carried only 4 counties. I met them both during that campaign and thought Inhofe was the dumbest politician I ever met. 40 years and 100's of politicians later, that is still a true statement.

     
  • kelsey staley posted at 7:34 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    kjs318-251 Posts: 584

    What state are you from? I doubt you'll answer .....

     
  • Johnnie Goode posted at 7:34 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    M3Man Posts: 12

    Clearly, their parents didn't teach them to not tollerate racism. No one stood up to say "this is wrong." And from the way they all chant, they didn't just learn this song on the bus. It seems obvious that this attitude is just fine inside the SAE house.

    Now its been decades since I was a student at OU, but back then, frat boys were often business majors, who joined frats in part to cement connections they would use in the business world after they got their MBA's. These are the guys who would soon be making the decisions on who to hire. This is how racism perpetrates itself and continues to harm. No wonder we still need affirmative action, because when racist frat boys grow up to run the country, they have to be forced to do the right thing.

     
  • Johnnie Goode posted at 6:24 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    M3Man Posts: 12

    I wish I was shocked be people equating rap lyrics to this racist chant.

    What the chant basically says is "Our frat is a racist organization and we will never let a black person in. We do like the idea of lynching them, though."

    Now find me a rap lyric that says anything like that.

    No wonder the state wants to control the way history is taught. They want to whitewash away all the bad parts, so maybe people will forget that the country was founded by people who wrote in the constitution that blacks were worth 3.5th of whites. SAE seems to agree with the founders on that. Thank God for David Boren. Can you make him governor again?

     
  • aka dusk posted at 5:26 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    akadusk Posts: 1

    That chant sounds like it's been around for a long time! "there will never be a n----r in SAE," As if SAE is something to aspire to be apart of; LOL!

     
  • Donald Cody posted at 5:21 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Donald Cody Posts: 3628

    Smith, The only blacks you like are those with a D beside their names....Blacks with an R beside their names are all Uncle Toms to you and your ilk............[sad][sad]

     
  • Donald Cody posted at 5:18 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Donald Cody Posts: 3628

    John Smith, Would you like to tell us what your credentials are....Surely you're not aping Mr. Young or some other elitist that frequent this web site...Come on and tell us what year you graduated from Cameron.....[wink]

     
  • Donald Cody posted at 5:07 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Donald Cody Posts: 3628

    Dan, If things are the same now as when I was at the university, the SAE house is either owned by the local chapter or the national chapter....A part of their monthly dues goes to making mortgage payments..

     
  • Ron Barrett posted at 5:04 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    dino47-128 Posts: 276

    Let's put aside whatever was said and how wrong it was. What idiot thinks you can do something in public without the probability of it being recorded. Most people carry a cell phone with a recording function. Even if it were one of the members, who thought you could put it up on YouTube for your friends back home without the whole world seeing it? I thought the youth of today knew something about computers and other electronic devices... These guys stepped in a big pile of stupid, not to mention the lack of class they showed.

     
  • John Swofford posted at 5:01 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    johnsw-206154 Posts: 10489

    Deflect all you want is response you're used to, eh Q?

     
  • Jonathan Schwarz posted at 4:55 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    jonsch-177 Posts: 2686

    Acting before investigating? I wonder how other recent events would have turned out? DOODOODOODOO (wavy lines indicating flashback):

    Virginia Tech shuts down fraternity system after Rolling Stone newsish article.

    Duke lacrosse players are expelled from school for an alleged rape that was so badly botched that the State Prosecutor was charged with a crime.

    Darren Wilson was jailed by the Ferguson police department.

    Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston didn't play this season as a result of a sexual assault accusation, which would have prevented him from being suspended for a game after he stood on a table in a cafeteria and screamed out a well-known web meme ("Bleep Her Right in the Bleep" -if you didn't know what it was).

    Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland is banned from the NFL for asking OSU WR Dez Bryant at the scouting combine: "Was your mother a prostitute?" In context, Dez said his dad was a pimp and his mom worked for his dad, seems like a reasonable follow up to me.

    DOODOODOODOO. Huh, five and that was just off the top of my head. By all means, if there was a 10 second video posted online (oh, and if ANYBODY would like to post the lyrics, I couldn't make out any of it - for all I know they were quoting Bruce Springsteen's "wrapped up like a ?" from Blinded by the Light) on Saturday, punishment by Monday is required.
    I've got no problem with Boren's statements about what is acceptable at OU and I recognize that he's got a perception issue that needs to be dealt with, but leadership means doing what's right, not what's popular. And that means he should be conducting an investigation.

     
  • Ray Chiang posted at 4:46 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    gallah-351 Posts: 660

    The national chapter HAS shut them down.
    As they should have.

     
  • Jonathan Schwarz posted at 4:33 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    jonsch-177 Posts: 2686

    Jerome Watkins,
    In the surest sign of how misguided you must be, I agree with you.
    In the ten second video clip, I have no idea how many and which students are singing along with the blatantly hateful lyrics. If the National Chapter wants to shut them down, that's one thing, but when OU, a public University supported by taxpayers and therefore an extension of the government, comes out and does it, that's intrusion of free speech. Hateful, despicable free speech, but free speech none the less. If I were a member of that fraternity, I would be looking for a lawyer who could get an injunction to try and stop my eviction and DEFINITELY stop any suspension until some form of due process, hearing, etc. can occur.
    Because while I disagree with what they're saying, I believe they have the right to say it without repercussion from the government. Now shaming the two or three who can specifically be seen, that's going to be done by the public, and I also have no problem with that, that's the consequences of their language.
    I encourage all racists, homophobes, sexists, etc. to share their views publicly and often, makes it easier to determine who the morons are.

     
  • Ray Chiang posted at 4:31 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    gallah-351 Posts: 660

    Correct!
    http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/03/09/3631366/racist-chant-frat-long-history-racist-incidents/

     
  • Jimmy Wells posted at 4:31 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    gregw-261 Posts: 290

    Nuke it all. This outrage, scourge, must be stopped and the glowing nuclear embers of what used to be western Oklahoma will be a reminder for all to see so that this NEVER happens again!

     
  • Ray Chiang posted at 4:29 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    gallah-351 Posts: 660

    SAE is bigotry to the core. See my post above.

     
  • Ray Chiang posted at 4:27 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    gallah-351 Posts: 660

    SAE was born of racism - and it still is.

    http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/03/09/3631366/racist-chant-frat-long-history-racist-incidents/

    "Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE), the fraternity that was kicked off of the University of Oklahoma’s campus Sunday night after video emerged of some of its members singing a racist chant that celebrates lynching, proudly touts its history on its website. “Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only national fraternity founded in the antebellum South,” the fraternity’s national webpage explains, adding that the frat was “[f]ounded in a time of intense sectional feeling” and that it initially “confined its growth to the southern states.”
    Though SAE had “fewer than 400 members when the Civil War began,” 369 fought in the Confederate army. Only seven fought for the union.
    The video that thrust SAE’s University of Oklahoma chapter into the national spotlight certainly has echoes of the old South. It consists of a segregationist refrain repeated over and over again — “there will never be a ni**** in SAE” — interspersed with an allusion to the campaign of terrorism white supremacists once used to maintain Jim Crow rule in the South: “You can hang ‘em from a tree, but he’ll never sign with me.”

     
  • Scott Headrick posted at 4:19 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    scott_-196 Posts: 507

    She is famous for not taking leadership. Why do you think she is often call Mary No Backbone Fallin?

     
  • Gordon Mills posted at 4:15 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Zyxulu Posts: 8853

    Gary, why limit the action to the OU campus? Extend the punishment across the state with all degrees issued by any Okiehoma university nullified, the state capitol burned to the ground, and the entire state sowed with salt. My guess is that it still would not make the Progressives happy.

     
  • Jody Dalton posted at 4:05 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    jedalt-131 Posts: 479

    You're point would be valid IF ANYBODY on that bus had told he morons to sit down and shut their mouths. Instead NOBODY did anything except try to stop it from being filmed. Therefore, the banning of the entire fraternity is justified.

     
  • James Michaels posted at 4:05 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    mich09-536 Posts: 465

    One big fat fact that explains why we have one person in Oklahoma who happens to be the University President that won't tolerate bigots--Boren is a Democrat.

    Note that Not One Republican Pol has said a word--guess they are afraid of offending their constituency. As for those of you who live in Tulsa--we remember how hard you fought to keep the KKK bigots name on the Brady district! If it looks like a rabbit, smells like a rabbit, looks like a bigot, it is probably a Okie Republican.

     
  • Rick Neal posted at 3:52 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Rick Posts: 3832

    Robert,

    It really doesn't surprise me...

     
  • Lance Rider posted at 3:50 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    sssr98-199 Posts: 1584

    But just like at the classes, if little bubba messes up, mom and dad can't come gripe about the result to the professor. The professor will simply shut them down and tell them they can't talk to them. They are their own people.

    As far as blame, you are correct. The parents can get some blame, but the young men are responsible for their own actions.

     
  • James Young posted at 3:50 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    James Young Posts: 7983

    Finally, an Oklahoma power broker who does the right thing, at the appropriate intensity, quickly enough to matter. Kudos to David Boren who is working to keep the university apace of other classy institutions.

     
  • Gary Patton posted at 3:37 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    gpatto-232 Posts: 1302

    I think the entire university should be shut down, all degrees from OU nullified, the frat house bulldozed to the ground and the lot sowed with salt.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 3:34 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    Ron, you are such a card!

    Don't P.O. Jesus!

    He can hear you!

     
  • John Smith posted at 3:30 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    johnsmith2015 Posts: 572

    John, I think for the local, the mundane, the little things, that may be fine. But this made national news, in typical Oklahoma fashion.

    I think our state's leader has an obligation to comment on a national news story.

     
  • H J Johnson posted at 3:29 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    H J Johnson Posts: 749

    The SAE's were doing this 30 years ago when I was a college student at another school. It just came to a swift end at OU- thanks to social media.

    That being said, they're kids, many of whom are just going along with what their buddies (who are not people they grew up with) are doing- that's nothing new regardless of race.

    I'm not condoning their behavior-all I'm saying is don't overreact.

    The more things change, the more they stay the same.

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 3:25 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    Starve the trolls - some comment sections actually have an ignore button ... it would be cool if they gave us additional choices; i.e. "troll", "not worth my consideration", etc.

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 3:22 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    I think the house should be closed - it is after all university property (I believe) - it seems obvious that everyone in there either was involved or complicit to a degree by association - what would you feel about people who hang around with terrorists and just nodded their head or didn't say anything?

    Anyway it's not your or my call. Choose your friends wisely ...

     
  • John Smith posted at 3:21 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    johnsmith2015 Posts: 572

    Just food for thought, maybe there's more to it (as there often is). I'm going to guess that a chant like that wasn't made up on the fly by a handful of bad apples.

    My guess would be that it's a part of that frat's history, culture, etc., which, as disgusting as it may be, would be relatively unnoticed if they didn't get caught.

    But for all we know, there could be a file folder full of complaints regarding this fraternity, and maybe this was the last straw. If the problems demonstrated by the 'organization' are entrenched in their collective frat culture, then OU figures there's no benefit to letting them linger around. Remember, having an organization like a frat recognized by the univeristy is a privledge, not a right.

     
  • James Williams posted at 3:03 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    jamesw-261 Posts: 395

    Those are good thoughts, but I don't think racism is any more repugnant than terrorism. Only the kids involved should be punished, not the innocent ones.

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 2:54 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    It is called leadership ...

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 2:51 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    Its called leadership ...

     
  • John Elwell posted at 2:47 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    tulsap-200 Posts: 13566

    As if there's not any trolls on the board from the left.

     
  • John Elwell posted at 2:44 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    tulsap-200 Posts: 13566

    Why? ...It's a problem for the University of Oklahoma . President Boren has handled it. The chapter ceases to exist.

     
  • Cindy Keith posted at 2:40 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    cindyk-234 Posts: 9906

    How could they learn a song like that from 3 black men, Donald?

    Your comment makes absolutely no sense to me in regard to this situation.

     
  • Ron Hill posted at 2:34 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    ronhil-261 Posts: 28706

    Wilson, you appear over-the-top delighted at all this. Just read your posts. Then you start talking talking about hating Jesus.

    You are hating the one Person whom you need the most...

    good luck Wilson....

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 2:31 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    For all you advocating anything else ... look at the appropriate response by President Boren.

     
  • M J Sanditen posted at 2:15 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    msugd-504 Posts: 826

    Ferguson peaceful protests have now been justified in light that their police department was a profit center using white cops to ticket the entire AA community utilizing fear and intimidation to manipulate the legal system. Just an fyi, McGivens.

    Everyone needs to read CJ Grants comments ....spiritually correct. I'm amazed at how many tools here don't understand they are intolerant and hateful....I recall being on a local nitwit right wingnut site here NOW in Tulsa 6 years ago signaling out their constant racist remarks pleading with all of them to stand against those hating on the new President. I asked that the web administrators stop the haters by tossing them off. Instead, they threw me off the site.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 2:07 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    I'm fine Tailgunner.

    When you hate on your fellow man, the creation of Jesus Christ, you are hating on Jesus Christ. That's the words of your Jesus.

    Are you okay, Ron? You are the one who feels Jesus Christ will punish those who don't do what he says.

    You say you don't hate Jesus Christ, your words say you do.

    Straighten up and fly right, Tailgunner.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 1:59 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    Mary Fallin's silence is defaning.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 1:45 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    So, any SAE life long members out there? You don't have to be from the OU chapter. Is this little song that all the boys seem to know, something that has been around for many years? What does go on behind those freshly, closed doors?

     
  • Donald Cody posted at 1:43 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Donald Cody Posts: 3628

    Cindy, Rather than learning it from their parents....Perhaps they may have learned it from listening to Al, Jessie or Louis.....Those three 'preach' more hatred and or more divisive than most and the media loves it..........

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 1:41 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    Don misses the days of segregated water fountains.

    He remembers it like it was just yesterday. And fondly, too.

     
  • Rick Neal posted at 1:37 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Rick Posts: 3832

    Grant,

    No, I'm not picking a side. I merely pointed out what I've noticed in our society, and that is not me choosing.
    Personally, I do not condone it, black or white.

     
  • Ron Hill posted at 1:33 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    ronhil-261 Posts: 28706

    Ron Hill does not hate Jesus, no.

    Wilson, are you OK?

     
  • Donald Cody posted at 1:33 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Donald Cody Posts: 3628

    C A, Appropriate punishment might be to send them to OSU..........[smile]

     
  • Ron Hill posted at 1:30 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    ronhil-261 Posts: 28706

    Cindy, I really don't think it is appropriate for you to write those words on this website.

    I just don't....

     
  • Donald Cody posted at 1:30 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Donald Cody Posts: 3628

    kelsie, Apparently what you learned while attending the university could be placed in a thimble....What an inane remark you made....I'm embarrassed that you admit to attending OU.............[sad][sad]

     
  • CJ Grant posted at 1:26 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    christ-128 Posts: 1466

    [thumbup]

    Right, it's not feigned offense at hearing a particular word, it's the horrific message behind it.

    The fact that the whole bus can start singing this all in unison pretty clearly demonstrates this is nothing new, or probably even unique to this chapter. It's systemic racism, and this is why Boren squashed it IMMEDIATELY.

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 1:25 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    Some related thoughts - perhaps the videographer thought badly enough about the behavior of his "bros" that he released the video, this rather tepid response (vs calling the chanter out) may reveal that there were more that a few involved - when you have an idea as repugnant as racism, I don't see how a half-donkey response is warranted.

     
  • CJ Grant posted at 1:23 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    christ-128 Posts: 1466

    But I am saying it's irrelevant.

    People are upset at the content of this video, not merely hearing that word. If these kids had said African Americans, no different. They still would have been singing a song about lynching and excluding them.

    The fact that you think other racism somehow lessens or justifies this, or is even relevant, is what's speaking to your racist tendencies.

    The fact that you even bring up the matter shows your picking sides, based on racism. You're picking to defend these kids, or lessen the impact of the wrong their wrong, solely because of your "similarities".

     
  • V.M. Pendleton posted at 1:21 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    vmpig-546 Posts: 87

    "Pick any random picture of a Tea Party gathering, pick any random picture of a Republican Party gathering; No Blacks" -- Jack E. Smith

    You are mistaken, Jack E. Smith. Pick any random picture of the Republican-dominated Oklahoma State House of Representatives from 1-8-13 until the end of his term, and you would see a Black Republican, T.W. Shannon, sitting up at the front of the room, up on the Speaker's chair, with the gavel in his hand, leading and presiding over the Oklahoma State House of Representatives.

     
  • Donald Cody posted at 1:14 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Donald Cody Posts: 3628

    mister.................[thumbup][thumbup][thumbup] Bam, Bam, Bam!!!!!!!

     
  • Cindy Keith posted at 1:07 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    cindyk-234 Posts: 9906

    It's not just the racial slur, Gordon...

    "There will never be a ni**** SAE. You can hang him from a tree, but he can never sign with me."

    Deflect all you want, but there is nothing innocuous about the sentiments of the chant.

     
  • Rick Neal posted at 1:04 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Rick Posts: 3832

    Hey Grant,

    I'm not saying it's right or wrong am I? No, I'm not. I'll let OU or the system take care of the problem. By the way, you do not know me from Adam, and to call me a racist is all one needs to see how you think... or don't.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 12:56 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    So, Randy, you agree that Oklahoma has a real problem with people who are not white.

    That's what I thought.

     
  • Greg Simmons posted at 12:54 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    gregtu-167 Posts: 2469

    Wow........ going to be some upset parents.

     
  • John Smith posted at 12:53 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    johnsmith2015 Posts: 572

    I agree with everything you said.

    The sad part is, while this mentality IS very common amongst the anonymous internet trolls like these guys, it speaks to a very common southern mentality of re-writing history to better suit their needs.

    I think they are so far gone, so far brainwashed, that they truly still believe that their ancestors, and as a result they, are the true victims of the civial war, as well as modern civil rights movements. Of course this is a bizarre, backwards theory that no one else around the world, and most of the country support, but it doesn't change the fact that they truly seem to believe this rhetoric.

    It's kind of on par with certain groups who essentially blame the holocaust and war war II on the Jews.

     
  • James Williams posted at 12:52 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    jamesw-261 Posts: 395

    @John Smith, from reading the comments we have trolls on both sides trying to make it a political issue. If there is one thing that we all should agree on, Republicans and Democrats, is that racism is wrong, and it doesn't matter who started what in the past.

     
  • V.M. Pendleton posted at 12:52 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    vmpig-546 Posts: 87

    The top-ranking member of the Republican-dominated Oklahoma State House of Representatives was a Black Republican, T.W. Shannon. Just let that sink in, Jack E. Smith and Robert Wilson.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 12:51 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    Back to your Joe McCarthy line of questioning. Taking an unsubstantiated accusation, turning it into a question and then repeating it until you forgot what the original question was? That's where the name Tailgunner comes from you know. It fits you so well, in so many ways.

    Once again, your Jesus Christ is very ashamed of the way you are attacking his other creations. When you hate them, you hate him. Remember, he is a vindictive one, that Jesus. He has that special place that he sends people that act like you.

    So you hate Jesus Christ, Tailgunner? I didn't her you deny it...

     
  • James Williams posted at 12:51 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    jamesw-261 Posts: 395

    Ron are you condemning all liberals and progressives for the racism that was originated with them in the past? That doesn't seem fair, or right.

     
  • James Williams posted at 12:49 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    jamesw-261 Posts: 395

    I support taking action against the individuals, but not the entire fraternity.

    Punishing the entire organization for the action of a few is EXACTLY what those who condemn all Muslims for the action of the terrorists are doing.

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 12:47 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    It's pretty simple - if you are not African American don't use the word in any context or you run the risk of trying to establish that you had not intended to hurt, belittle, demean or degrade.

     
  • Cindy Keith posted at 12:43 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    cindyk-234 Posts: 9906

    Sad....

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 12:40 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    Taking into consideration your other posts here, Rick, I'd say you think the frat boys are right.

     
  • brad harris posted at 12:31 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bradha-135 Posts: 25

    Or Hip-Hop songs that openly call for the killing of white cops

     
  • CJ Grant posted at 12:28 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    christ-128 Posts: 1466

    Bringing up accusations against African Americans as a defense to what these kids did is irrelevant, and racist to it's very core.

    If you think the word existing in rap lyrics in any way justifies these kids singing a song about lynching African Americans and excluding them from membership, then you're an out and out racist.

     
  • James Michaels posted at 12:24 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    mich09-536 Posts: 465

    Welll...let's see--who is Tulsa's entertainment district named after? Andddddd...who fought to keep in his last name....annnnnnnnndddd why is I-244 a boundry for residential accommodations between the races?? Tulsa Pot, meet Norman Kettle.

     
  • BOB PARKER posted at 12:19 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    rparke-188 Posts: 54

    Jerome, the first three paragraphs of your previous post that began "race issues....." are the most insightful comments on this page. Unfortunately, the reinforcement of discrimination against the specific "out-group", black people, that is taught and shared by family, friends and coworkers in this state is an Oklahoma family value. I don't see that changing.

     
  • John Smith posted at 12:18 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    johnsmith2015 Posts: 572

    Ron, you're such an academic, it really shows. What are your credentials? Do you take breaks from teaching at a presitgious University to post all day every day? What a gig!

    Blaming liberal politics for this kind of situation is traditional southern conservativism - simply change history to suit your needs and turn your opposition into villians - therefore there's no accountability for what your ancestors did, because they were the real victims, and therefore you are the victim today (not that group that was lynched).

     
  • Rick Neal posted at 12:18 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Rick Posts: 3832

    Hey Grant its reality, the word is out there.
    I've heard it from black people more than I've heard it from white people.
    Just saying, take it however you want Grunt.

     
  • CJ Grant posted at 12:17 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    christ-128 Posts: 1466

    That's what being a troll is. They know the truth, and post exactly the opposite to start a "debate" on the subject.

    In 10 years they'll be posting how they were responsible for marriage equality...

    They're best left ignored. A fed troll is a happy troll, and none of us want that.

     
  • John Smith posted at 12:15 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    johnsmith2015 Posts: 572

    Gordon, by that logic, none of us who have watched Pulp Fiction or 12 Years a Slave should be offended or bothered by these guys chanting about lynching blacks.

    I mean, we've already been exposed to the idea through film or music or whatever media you choose, so therefore how could anyone possibly be upset?

    Please tell me that is intentional ignorance/trolling and not your true sense of the situation.

     
  • Randy McGivens posted at 12:13 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    brenna-271 Posts: 7970

    I agree Dan. Ferguson perfectly demonstrated the racist attitude toward the white man and especially those who wear a badge. What about New York where the two officers were killed as revenge killings. Too bad the murders didn't study the victims more closely and realize one was Hispanic and the other was Asian.

     
  • Beau McElhattan posted at 12:08 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Beau McElhattan Posts: 991

    There's another video from the opposite direction on Instagram.
    look up soonerdave25

     
  • John Smith posted at 12:08 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    johnsmith2015 Posts: 572

    The most disgusting part of this are the trolling regular posters here – they know who they are. All you have to do is scroll down. They are so far gone and brainwashed that their response to this kind of vitriol is to claim this is the result of leftist politics?

    I mean, it’s one thing to agree or disagree with the racist message (you’d hope everyone here would disagree but we know that’s not true) – but you really only make your true feelings known when you inexplicably call out the same groups of people who have worked tirelessly to prevent this kind of attitude, as the ones responsible? You’re either incredibly uneducated, misguided, brainwashed, or ignorant, and probably a bit of all of that.

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 12:07 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    To be clear, I also believe that the entire state of Oklahoma is not racist - how any could make this charge based on what little I said is their problem with hyperventilation, not mine.

     
  • Steven Fate posted at 12:07 pm on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    slfate41 Posts: 17

    I am told other SAE chapters use that same chant. If true there is widespread racism at SAE and the national organization needs to start looking deeper into their ethos.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 11:59 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    Kelsie, what you and Dan have said is both true.

    The state of Oklahoma has taken a tremendous public relations hit today. It is a cumulative total of Red State ranting, bible based legislating and raw racism, the latter shown on YouTube last night. Lasting images that will take a long time to erase from the minds of the rest of the nation.

    David Boren and even some of the coaches of OU's athletic teams have started a program of immediate containment.

    Not a peep from our Governor or any of the Republican elected officials from this state. They sanction the beliefs of these young men from SAE, by their silence.

    I believe, like Kelsie, that the entire state of Oklahoma is not racist. But, just read some of the comments attached to this article, to find that there are many here, who vehemently are racist.

     
  • Rick Neal posted at 11:56 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Rick Posts: 3832

    Not to say these frat boys are right or wrong, but Gordon does have a point.
    The "N" word is thrown around pretty loosely, and not just in this particular frat house.

     
  • CJ Grant posted at 11:56 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    christ-128 Posts: 1466

    Gordon:

    Really? So any behavior by any African Americans anywhere that you disagree with can be used to justify hatred towards them as a race?

    This isn't even thinly veiled, you're just racist. And jealous you're not allowed to be more open about it, apparently. Disgusting

     
  • Dan Franklin posted at 11:56 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    DFrank-405 Posts: 6

    As a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, I am disgusted and saddened by this video. I fully support the actions of President Boren. This kind of behavior cannot be tolerated.

     
  • CJ Grant posted at 11:55 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    christ-128 Posts: 1466

    Well, that totally justifies, and is remotely related to, these guys singing a song about lynching African Americans...

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 11:53 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    The idea that an implication was made that the entire state of OK is racists exists in your mind not mine.


    Add this episode to the litany of embarrassing of legislative gaffes and you have the public relations problem that I was referring to.

     
  • Randy McGivens posted at 11:53 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    brenna-271 Posts: 7970

    Wilson, the Dems cannot name their minority officials in high ranking positions within Oklahoma.

     
  • Beau McElhattan posted at 11:51 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Beau McElhattan Posts: 991

    Disgusting and barbaric behavior.

    Someone should look into this fraternity's membership rolls and see how many non-white members there have ever been, if any.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 11:47 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    Gordon, you are another relic from the past.

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 11:44 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    Really - no racism existed during the good old Medieval days? Or prior to the Enlightenment? Your entire thread makes no sense - liberalism breeds racism - racism and anti-antisemitism are societal vogues.

    If there were no incontrovertible evidence of systemic racism as shown in Ferguson and in this video, your criticism of any opportunistic characteristics of Mr. Sharpton's might have some weight. I call red herring.

     
  • Rick Neal posted at 11:43 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Rick Posts: 3832

    I've heard the word plenty of times in music, movies, and directly from the mouth of black people calling their black or white friends by the word.

     
  • Ken Hill posted at 11:40 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    lhill2-832 Posts: 1

    As an OU grad, I very angry and embarrassed that any organization at my Alma Mater would do something like this. Those students should be expelled. There is absolutely no place in today's world for this kind of stuff.

     
  • Ron Hill posted at 11:40 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    ronhil-261 Posts: 28706

    So you are supporting them? I didn't hear you deny it....

     
  • kelsey staley posted at 11:39 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    kjs318-251 Posts: 584

    Dan-
    I agree that what those punk racist indiviuals did is beyond appalling and definitely casts a horific light on the SAE Fraternity in Norman. But to imply that the entire state of Oklahoma is racist and that now no innovative, forward-thinking businesses will ever want to comne here is irresponsible. The entire state can not possibly be held accountable for a group of ignorant morons because I promise you, whereever you're from, there is racism present in your state also!

     
  • Gordon Mills posted at 11:30 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Zyxulu Posts: 8853

    Any protestor who has listened to Black Rap music with its racist language has no reason to be offended or protest the Frat boys conduct.

     
  • Randy McGivens posted at 11:29 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    brenna-271 Posts: 7970

    Cindy, the conditions you wrote about did exist and might still exist today. If somebody is still discriminating in the workplace they are begging for a lawsuit. Sadly, what started off as good intentions turned into quotas and companies passing up on hiring people based on qualifications.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 11:27 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    V.M., please name another black member of the House during that time.

     
  • Randy McGivens posted at 11:24 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    brenna-271 Posts: 7970

    Jack, the African Americans that are members of the Republican Party are racially attacked by the Democrats as being called "Uncle Tom's".

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 11:23 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    He is still packing his laptop.

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 11:22 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    More hateful bigoted behavior from OK - read about it on CNN ... try attracting innovative, forward-thinking businesses now.

     
  • Randy McGivens posted at 11:21 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    brenna-271 Posts: 7970

    Jay, you need to read Ron's comment.

     
  • Mona Lowe posted at 11:15 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    ccole5-195 Posts: 2351

    An appropriate punishment would be one in which they have to confront their prejudices and find a way to work past them. I agree, this reeks of ignorance, alcohol, pack mentality and ingrown prejudice. There should be a productive punishment for these young men.

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 11:13 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    Stereotyping: a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment.

    A bus full of idiots singing a song with the "n" word in it - fact not opinion.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 11:05 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    Oh Tailgunner, there is no hope for you, is there.

    You are a relic from the past.

    Jesus Christ is very ashamed of you and the way you treat your fellow man.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 11:02 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    Do you need an extra box to get your things out of the SAE house.

    Remember, you have to be completely out by midnight.

     
  • Dan Beyers posted at 10:56 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    daniel-134 Posts: 768

    Not even remotely comparable - your comments sound like those of a racism apologist.

     
  • V.M. Pendleton posted at 10:55 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    vmpig-546 Posts: 87

    Jack E. Smith, You apparently don't know much about the Republican Party. Our past Speaker of the House elected to the Oklahoma State House of Representatives was T.W. Shannon, a Black Republican.

     
  • CJ Grant posted at 10:55 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    christ-128 Posts: 1466

    No, it's not comparable at all.

    Race is not a choice.

    Choosing to join a social club, when you know what's it's primary focus is (partying and exclusion), is in no way similar to being a member of a minority racial group.

    I can also "broadly paint" the KKK as racist, that's not a stereotype either. Just another fact.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 10:47 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    Lance, mom and dad are paying for little bubba to steep in "white" house.

    Shoot again.

     
  • Ron Hill posted at 10:47 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    ronhil-261 Posts: 28706

    Yes Cindy, and those conditions you speak of were prompted by members of the Democratic Party...

     
  • Ron Hill posted at 10:46 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    ronhil-261 Posts: 28706

    Are you supporting their actions?

    Incredible....

     
  • Ron Hill posted at 10:45 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    ronhil-261 Posts: 28706

    Jay, I think Randy is spot on, and you are confused. Liberalism, in particular progressivism, has bred racism from the beginning of it's existence just after the period known as The Enlightenment.

    Now that in our modern times racism is not "in vogue" (although anti-Semitism still is) liberal/progressivism must put a superficial mask over their bigotry in the form of "race-baiting" of which Al Sharpton and company are supreme...

     
  • John Dark posted at 10:42 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    jjsoon-340 Posts: 299

    I sincerely hope that each and every person who participated in this is expelled based on the conduct clause. Having been in the military and college, I am shocked that this sort of thinking is still around. The guy in the center of that video holding the mic should have his picture plastered everywhere, his name released and made public. His parents should be ashamed and disgusted.

     
  • Jack E Smith posted at 10:36 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Jack E Smith Posts: 298

    Nice try Randy! Pick any random picture of a Tea Party gathering, pick any random picture of a Republican Party gathering; No Blacks

    They sing the same anthem the SAE frat boys do! [sad]

     
  • Jay Wood posted at 10:27 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    jdwdc-123 Posts: 16

    Randy, you seem a little confused about the world of Liberals. They support equal rights for all Americans, not just for the rich white folks.

    It would be the Conservatives who participate in racial and gay bashing.

     
  • CJ Grant posted at 10:27 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    christ-128 Posts: 1466

    A system where wealthy, white males are taught their friendships and partying are more important than the health and safety of everyone else on campus results in racist, close-minded, and elitist behavior? Say it ain't so...

    Let's rid our campuses of these blights already. Sexual assaults and alcohol abuse will decrease, and students will be forced to form actual friendships, instead of buying into ones that look the most like them.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 10:26 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201


    Tailgunner,
    What occurred on that bus was not race baiting or perpetrated by liberals. Those boys were all Young Rethuglicans and the words coming out of their mouths were long held beliefs.

    Quit being an apologist for such despicable beliefs. Just because you believe your Jesus Christ whispered in your ear that what those boys said was "OK" doesn't make your words any less crazy, this morning.

     
  • Cindy Keith posted at 10:24 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    cindyk-234 Posts: 9906

    If you are as old as I am, Randy, you would understand the merit of affirmative action at the time it was adopted..... It always saddens me to see people look backward and forget what conditions prompted programs for advancement of minorities.....very much saddens me.... Now is a far cry from then.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 10:20 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    It's hard to achieve with a foot on your throat.

    Your denial of this incident is conspicuous, Randy.

     
  • Lance Rider posted at 10:19 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    sssr98-199 Posts: 1584

    They are adults. They made their own choices. Leave the parents out of it.

     
  • Ray Chiang posted at 10:02 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    gallah-351 Posts: 660

    Your white sheets are dirty.

     
  • Ray Chiang posted at 10:00 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    gallah-351 Posts: 660

    [thumbup]

     
  • Ray Chiang posted at 9:59 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    gallah-351 Posts: 660

    Stop excusing bigotry.

     
  • Randy McGivens posted at 9:59 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    brenna-271 Posts: 7970

    I think the picture that touches me is the African American women with the red duck tape over her mouth. I understand her silence in the world of Liberal thugs and Nazis.

     
  • Ray Chiang posted at 9:57 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    gallah-351 Posts: 660

    meanwhile the bigots are not even a little embarrassed. KKK lives.

     
  • Randy McGivens posted at 9:56 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    brenna-271 Posts: 7970

    That's YOUR song Jack, not the Tea Party's. [wink]
    Your probably for affirmative action because you look at blacks and women as inferior and cannot achieve on their own merit.

     
  • Glen Kissel posted at 9:45 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    gkissel Posts: 1

    And meanwhile...
    the Holder Justice Department vigorously supports states that check the skin color of their citizens, and then hold those citizens with black skin to a different standard, a lower standard, in state contracting, state hiring and university admissions.

     
  • Jack E Smith posted at 9:40 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Jack E Smith Posts: 298

    Same sing-a-long at every Tea Party function! [sad]

     
  • Mary McKnight posted at 8:50 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    hambe-136 Posts: 1

    It is a basic premise of psychology that if you want to encourage good behavior you offer positive reinforcement. For bad behavior, negative reinforcement to extinguish the actions. SAE members identified as participating in this incident need to be suspended, if not expelled from OU. It will send a message to not only those directly involved, but to the entire OU community that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated in any way, shape or form.

     
  • Ivan Vaz posted at 8:39 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    intell-260 Posts: 697

    you don't magically overcome 18 years of indoctrination. Stop being naive.

     
  • Ivan Vaz posted at 8:38 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    intell-260 Posts: 697

    no, they will all just get better at not being caught....

     
  • M J Sanditen posted at 8:31 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    msugd-504 Posts: 826

    Wow, the Tulsa World minimized their impact on the story by not putting it front and center this morning on their home edition.

    No surprise. You need new guidance as well as new staff in the editor department.

     
  • Ron Hill posted at 7:42 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    ronhil-261 Posts: 28706

    In my opinion, an example needs to made of these kids. They should be punished to the full extent of whatever rules they abide under at the University.

    There is a time for second chances and mercy, but this may not be one of them. It may need to be a fairly expensive lesson...

    That's the way I feel about it right now. With racial relations in this country being at a low (which I blame on the current political environment and race-baiting from liberal/progressivism), these kids may need to feel the full brunt of accountability for their actions to let others know this despicable behavior is not appropriate and not tolerated in a civil society.

     
  • Deb Kay posted at 7:02 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    dlesch-128 Posts: 1896

    Pretty sad that young people allegedly pursuing higher levels of education remain so ignorant and cruel. Evolve already!

     
  • John Elwell posted at 6:56 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    tulsap-200 Posts: 13566

    Stupid! It not only hurts the OU chapter, it hurts all the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapters.

     
  • Charles Harrington posted at 6:47 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    parame-128 Posts: 3

    These are our future law makers, birds of a feather. Thankfully, some of them will get past this ignorance. Unfortunately, it'll never be enough.

     
  • Dean Jenkins posted at 6:39 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    D Jenkins Posts: 2081

    Excellent response Dawn.

     
  • kelsey staley posted at 6:30 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    kjs318-251 Posts: 584

    Awful! I'm embarrassed to call myself an OU alum at this point!

     
  • bernie cremin posted at 5:13 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bernie-172 Posts: 1001

    Of course it is Robert; we could ascertain that just from reading some of the comments right here and if not here--just go to facebook and read comments and if that does not surprise you than just read the comments on Yahoo or any other place where people can comment without being face to face.


     
  • bernie cremin posted at 5:10 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bernie-172 Posts: 1001

    Not only that, but you'd be kicked off the Tulsa world comments page.

     
  • Dianna Smith posted at 2:57 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Dianna Posts: 4676

    Well, Good for the National headquarters of SAE for shutting down so quickly. The NFL and the NCAA could learn from the swiftness of this decision. The students abused their code and their rules, so they lose their rights. I hope they learn from this that all people are created equal and all people deserve the same respect.

     
  • Dawn Croft posted at 2:51 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Dawn Croft Posts: 3

    Uhhh huh. yep yep.

     
  • Tom Lynch posted at 2:16 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    thomas-164 Posts: 158

    It is always amazing how many apologists write in to give cover while blaming "liberals" for all the wrongs in society. Our state is on a roll lately with so much bad press for our politicians and now this. Hard for some people to admit our state deserves the bad publicity it has so justly earned. My child finished college and beat a path to a better and more prosperous state as soon as she could. Smart move on her part.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 2:15 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    Hey Jerome, your junior chapter of the KKK/SAE is shut down.

    Save your cut and paste skills for the letters to President Boren, pleading for your academic life at the University of Oklahoma.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 2:12 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    From the mouths of babes...

    These entitled morons learned this behavior someplace. Let's see, to follow the logic of many of our staunch conservative posters on this site; young privileged white boys are raised by both a mom and dad, who both instill their deeply held beliefs into the moral fabric of their offspring.

    Racism is alive and rampant in Oklahoma.

     
  • Robert Wilson posted at 2:00 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    bdiwil-929 Posts: 2201

    ^Carpetbagger^

     
  • Rob Cypher posted at 12:49 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    robcypher Posts: 1

    "Jerome" suspiciously sounds like a plant from the fraternity trying to seed "doubts" in folks' minds. It ain't working, All them boys deserved a groove in their chest (not physically, just mentally) for talking that lame ish.

     
  • Charles Azih posted at 12:48 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Texan85 Posts: 1

    Jerome, Im not sure what point you are trying to make. You refer to them as kids as if their actions should be excused. They are college students not little children on playground. Im pretty sure they know right from wrong and what they were saying was wrong. Im not saying ruin their lives or anything like that but there have to be consequences for their actions. Racism should not be tolerated in 2015 black white, mexican, asian, indian or any race. University needs to make statement so that others on campus know that Racism is not tolerated. Just out of curiosity what would you think is an appropriate punishment?

     
  • Dawn Croft posted at 12:28 am on Mon, Mar 9, 2015.

    Dawn Croft Posts: 3

    Jerome, let me just say in many less words than you used: shameful, bigoted, racist behavior is to be corrected, and yes I mean IMMEDIATELY. We are not talking about an eye for an eye here, we are talking about not allowing our children to laugh and joke about "hanging" anybody. White, black, purple, disabled or shy for that matter. This Frat should be shut down for a year (with a road to come back) and these "children" should be discredited for this semester and allowed to come back in the spring. There is always a road to redemption, but not without a penalty. BTW, don't you dare assume I would feel any different if it had been black students discussing hanging a white student. I can't even imagine how you are that nuts that you would even think up such a thing.

     
  • Jerome Watkins posted at 11:17 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    JeromeWatkins Posts: 5

    Your simplistic analogy is overwrought and probably considered child abuse by today's standards.

    You believe that the best way to change people's thoughts and perceptions is to punish without thought and immediately. Do you realize how authoritarian that sounds? If you think the wrong way or speak the wrong way then you will be punished? I realize that Free Speech does not mean freedom from consequences. But these children are in college - that is a term for school if I am not mistaken. They are not employees. They are students.

    So instead of addressing wrong thinking in a school environment we shall clap shut the books and dismiss them out of hand? Doesn't sound like a scholarly approach to learning.

    And what if this is reversed and black students are caught speaking ill of whites or hispanics or asians? Will you be just as adamant in your demands for dire punishment? I doubt it.

    The fact of the matter is that this vengeance-driven agenda seen on tumblr, twitter, facebook and other mass media outlets is the result of frustrated and angry people that are frustrated, angry and equally bigoted. Did Dr. King demand that all the people who had done wrongs be fired or shunned? No. He asked us to be Christian and forgive those who trespass against us. Mahatma Gandhi preached the same non-violence and forbid retribution.

    Hate and anger can never extinguish hate and ignorance. If blacks were to embrace these young white men, go to their door and knock and ask to speak with them, then lives and attitudes could be changed. If a black man or woman stood before them and said he or she forgives them but explains how hurtful and cruel their words were, I would bet money that 9 in 10 of those young white boys would change their attitudes for life. There will always be recalcitrant bigots of all colors. Hate will never go extinct. But what you suggest, eye for an eye, hurt careers for hurt feelings will never solve the issue. If retribution and violence are the only solutions to different thinking then we as neighbors and inhabitants of Earth will never see the end of war.

     
  • Dawn Croft posted at 10:55 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    Dawn Croft Posts: 3

    Jerome Watkins and others that decry the punishment of these students, get a grip. If you acted this way at your job you would not expect to be excused for your nasty behavior right? What better way to teach these "kids" then to punish them NOW for their cruel and stupid behavior. And your excuse for them is if you punish them they will hate black people forever so forgive them and they will love black people? What the heck are you thinking? If your child says something like the N word, you stick a bar of soap in their mouth immediately, you don't think... SO... if I put this bar of soap in his mouth, he will hate black people forever so its better if I let him say the N word again. There is no logic to your argument and you sound like you are making excuses for these poorly behaved "children".

     
  • Jerome Watkins posted at 10:40 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    JeromeWatkins Posts: 5

    One incident documented and personal anecdotes means that 1300+ chapters of fraternities and sororities should be closed? Even the historically black ones?

    I realize you are speaking dramatically and without thinking; that is sad and oddly similar to what these children were doing. Speaking and chanting without thinking about what they were saying and how a black man, woman, or child would feel if they heard this.

     
  • Eric Snodgrass posted at 10:28 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    erics7-261 Posts: 75

    That is pretty tame compared to the things I saw at OSU. Anything that comes from a fraternity no longer surprises me. I think the whole greek system should be shut down.

     
  • Jerome Watkins posted at 10:20 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    JeromeWatkins Posts: 5

    The ignorance, willful or otherwise, of your statement is saddening. This is an unfounded statement devoid of understanding and fact. People are inherently prejudiced as I stated above your comment and each of us helps to reinforce those views with our actions and words.

    Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. In your life, you have never uttered anything resembling, "Those [people/political party/race/religion/oddly dressed people] are so...." ?

    I doubt any of use can claim to be without sin in the realm of prejudice. If you believe that racism or prejudice is taught, then is it the fault of these children? Or is it the fault of the attitudes and preconceptions that keep whites suspicious of browns and blacks; blacks and browns resentful and angry towards any white person they see?

     
  • Jerome Watkins posted at 10:11 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    JeromeWatkins Posts: 5

    Race issues are not a liberal/conservative dichotomy. How many "liberal" people have been caught making fun of blacks when no one was looking? The President of Sony Pictures was exposed as doing so in emails during the Sony Hacking fiasco. She donated to Barack Obama and the Democrat party consistently. This is an "in-group" and "out-group" issue. There are studies, I shall quote one:

    Last year, a study revealed that the human brain may actually be hardwired to form, and act on, preconceptions we may not even know we have. Sylvia Terbeck, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, administered an implicit association test (IAT)—designed to measure buried beliefs—to a group of patients before and after giving them a drug called Propranolol, a beta blocker commonly used to treat heart conditions. She found that the drug significantly reduced their racial biases. Why? Because Propranolol may have limited the fear responses of the amygdala.

    http://www.womenshealthmag.com/files/prejudice/index.html

    It is a primal response formed as a precautionary measure. It is either reinforced through experience or lessened due to amicable exposure to other kinds of people. This is what President Obama was referring to when he spoke of the school cafeteria and Sunday Church congregations being the most segregated places in America. People choose to be with their "in-group" naturally because it is comfortable. It can be overcome but it takes effort on both groups, not just the majority one.

    For people screaming for these teenager and 20-21 year-old heads, how do you think that will affect their lives and attitudes? They will most likely look at race relations as something that caused them irreparable harm. They will carry a chip on their shoulder for the rest of their lives that blacks were responsible. I will say this on the liberal/conservative dichotomy, I have noticed that my liberal friends tend to say, "We should use this as a teaching moment." or "We need to create a dialogue." But when it is an overwhelming majority of white kids/men involved then the gloves come off and the hanging ropes are grabbed.

    These ARE children. Good God, Almighty, if I was held to account for the rest of my life for the words and actions of my youth in perpetuity, well, I would not be a very happy person or a very forgiving one. I would likely not have a job, a family, or a positive view of living in America.

     
  • Ron Hill posted at 9:57 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    ronhil-261 Posts: 28706

    Judgmental....

     
  • Cindy Keith posted at 9:48 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    cindyk-234 Posts: 9906

    "Always casting blame".......says the one who blames liberals for everything....

     
  • Dean Jenkins posted at 9:41 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    D Jenkins Posts: 2081

    You are absolutely right Cindy. By the time kids make it to high school, their prejudices are already established. Parents love to accept the credit when their kids do something good and act bewildered and blame everyone else when their kids do something bad. You can bet these Sigma Alpha Epsilon nuts didn't fall far from the racist tree.

     
  • Jerome Watkins posted at 9:39 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    JeromeWatkins Posts: 5

    Hey, kids said something dumb and hurtful! Let's ruin their lives because they hurt my feelings!

    Hey this young black man sold half an ounce of marijuana! He is young and made a stupid mistake! Let's not ruing his life over it!

    Hypocrisy, news at 11!

     
  • Ron Hill posted at 9:38 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    ronhil-261 Posts: 28706

    Always casting blame...

     
  • Cindy Keith posted at 9:35 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    cindyk-234 Posts: 9906

    But you're right. It's premature to blame parents ...... and besides, these aren't kids... these are young adults.

     
  • Jennifer Hodges posted at 9:25 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    Jennifer918 Posts: 126

    These students should be expelled. No excuses.

     
  • Cindy Keith posted at 9:24 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    cindyk-234 Posts: 9906

    I guess my point is kids aren't born prejudiced.... and the greatest influence is usually parents......

     
  • Bounty Hunter posted at 9:07 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    dave_s-142 Posts: 3285

    Cindy, we can't blame parents for all that goes wrong with them. They more than likely learned it from some of their group at the fraternity, or from their boyhood pals.

     
  • bernie cremin posted at 8:41 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    bernie-172 Posts: 1001

    Unbelievable

     
  • Cindy Keith posted at 8:03 pm on Sun, Mar 8, 2015.

    cindyk-234 Posts: 9906

    Their parents must be proud. I mean, they learned it somewhere, didn't they?

     
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