Looks like some sort of black lives matter protest happening on campus right now around rudder. 30 or so black people with tape on their mouths being escorted by police. I'd love to stay and watch but I have to get to work.
47 comments · 91% upvoted · other discussions
Ok. It's their right to protest, sure. I'm a bit confused though - Is there something bad that happened locally that they're protesting, or is it just general BLM?
Google "Texas a&m high school racial". We made international news for a racial incident in campus.
Oh that thing. What do the protesters want? AFAIK the racist assholes were soundly condemned by administration and the other 99% of the campus population alike. Are they after something more?
They are also really late to the party on this one. If they did have a problem with the incident it would have made more sense to protest sooner.
There was an incident circulating aggie twitter last night with a video by a girl who was walking on northgate and being called "nigger" by a random group of guys. As a person of color who has experienced similar things, racial incidents like the one with the high school students are a lot more common than the general population of students would believe. I think these students want to bring attention to it.
Fair enough. As the proverbial white guy, I can't really claim to have any understanding of what that is like, and it's awful that it happens in aggieland. I guess my question then becomes: what is the goal beyond general "awareness"? Is there some rule or law that needs changing? Or is awareness (and the accompanying self-policing that would hopefully happen, where other students call the racists out on their shit) enough?
This is me speaking for myself, and not all black people (clarity: a lot of folks take the words/actions of a black person and assume that they're representing the whole race), but I just really want more people to be aware that this stuff is way more pervasive than people think. Like these incidents happen all the time, but because they happen to such a small group of people, they tend to get overlooked or ignored completely. Which is why I think black students get so upset, because they feel like the things they have to deal with, which other people don't, aren't given any thought by most people. People will just say, "suck it up and quit whining" but no one should have to deal with these things. I always thought that words were just words and they couldn't hurt, but I can't even explain what I felt the time when I was personally called "nigger" to my face by two A&M students. Since coming to A&M, I am ALWAYS consciously aware of my color in social situations and how people around me may feel based on that. That's not healthy. I'm not advocating for any laws or rules, I just want people to be compassionate and try to be empathetic. Call out racist shit that you hear, even if there aren't any black people nearby. If you already do this, thank you. I know most of the students here are really good people, but just be understanding of what some of us have to deal with.
Call out racist shit that you hear, even if there aren't any black people nearby. If you already do this, thank you. I know most of the students here are really good people, but just be understanding of what some of us have to deal with.
This is something that I certainly try to do and will try to be more conscious about doing. I think part of the problem is that some white people (myself included) genuinely don't realize this is common because the people we know or hang out with or grew up around wouldn't dream of doing it.
Back home (a suburb North of DFW) I can honestly say that I didn't know anyone who was honestly racist in any sort of overt way (leaving talk of microaggressions etc aside for now since that's not what sparked this recent controversy). As a result, my instinctive reaction when I hear about some racist incident like what happened on our campus recently is disbelief because I on some level just can't believe that there's still people that ignorant in the world. Same thing with overt sexism. The fact that there are is, well, something I'm still having to come to terms with.
My fiancée, on the other hand, is from a small town where that sort of thing isn't only common, it's the norm. She has family friends who are otherwise very nice and kind people who still use racial slurs casually. She has neighbors who are not only Trump supporters but who actually agree with everything he says. As a result, racism and sexism are things she's acutely sensitive to, much more so than I.
EDIT: FWIW, I'm really sorry you and others have had to go through that sort of thing. It's disgraceful that people still perpetuate that kind of idiocy in 2016.
I must run in the wrong places, because I never get to call any of that garbage out.
I'm sorry that happened to you. I've been discriminated against for something different, and it sucks, but it's something I can hide. I can imagine how much it sucks being treated differently for something you can't, and shouldn't have to hide.
If you want to hang out and have a beer sometime, hit me up!
air enough. As the proverbial white guy, I can't really claim to have any understanding of what that is like, and it's awful that it happens in aggieland
Thanks for saying this. The largest frustration with this whole thing is that so many people who don't experience it just think its not there because they don't perpetrate it or experience it.
Do you have a link to the video from Twitter?
https://twitter.com/wolfhaleigh_/status/702733295365128192
The vid is only 5 seconds and is of the aftermath because she wanted to get his face on camera.
I LOVE BEING ON NORTHGATE AND BEING CALLED A NIGER!!!
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Is that a BLM protest or just black people protesting racism on campus?
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Yes this is them. I posted because I was hoping someone would dig up a little more information because I didn't have enough time to stop and watch. The 4 requests seem not only vague but ill placed in my opinion. If any school is most welcoming of minorities, it's A&M.
"The group’s statement requested four actions of A&M’s administration — develop a plan to support a racially unbiased learning environment, encourage and hold faculty accountable to using racially relevant examples in their curriculum, begin a “cultural competency” training module for all students, and address the barriers that hinder black and other minority students from enrolling and graduating from Texas A&M. "
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You mean bigotry? I agree, we don't need our students being called racial slurs on north gate and bigotry being aimed at visitors to our campus.
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Well I care that you are on campus, making it a worse place for everyone. You sound like a terrible Aggie, bad bull.
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Well at least you've made it very clear that it's not just BLM you dislike, it's all minorities. I prefer my racists to be open about it so I know who to avoid.
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This is what happens when you open your mouth about things you don't understand and can't be bothered to do a modicum of research. You assume that minority students have the same opportunities as white students and thus are being given an advantage. You do this because you can't be bothered to try to understand what minority students go through. You have no clue to the stats that show that minority students are poorer, have far worse schools, have less access to higher education, and have more difficulty when they do make it in for a variety of reasons (having slurs yelled at you on a fairly regular basis not the least of which). You apparently are unaware that minorities lag behind in degree achievement at every level. Minorities suffer systemic racism at every turn within the education system. There's mountains upon mountains of literature on this along with statistical analysis backed up by decades of economic and sociological data. You're unaware of all of this, right?
Actually, you're probably not. Its pretty hard to be this ignorant unless its willful. Your final sentence is quite telling:
"Equal opportunity, not equal results"
Your implication is quite clear. Minorities are receiving an equal opportunity at A&M and other education institutions and just aren't getting equal results. Why are they not receiving equal results, then? In order for one to believe that two groups are receiving an equal opportunity and one group is lagging behind, one must believe that the lagging group is simply deficient. So, whether it is that they are lazier, dumber, or whatever other deficiency you want to make it, the idea that minorities are receiving an equal opportunity but not equal result is about as racist as it gets.
Here's a tip: If you want to fool people into thinking you're not racist, then you should avoid implying that they are inferior within a few sentences. You should also avoid calling them spoiled children for organizing and exercising their constitutional rights. You may want to also avoid doing this after you claim that you "belong here more" simply because you were born into a family with an A&M legacy. In other words, if you want to people believe you aren't racist you probably shouldn't post a bunch of racist shit.
You are not only racist, you are racist as hell and you do a shit job of hiding it. You and people like you are why protests like this one happen and why they are necessary. I guess in that view, I can see why you take it so personally and why are you are so upset by it.
I hope that girl with the Confederate flag earrings says something to them.That's what started this, right? We don't need a protest to make the whole university feel guilty for a tiny group of people's actions. D: I just want to go to class, come home, eat some pasta, netflix study in a panic, and repeat.
Actions don't exist in a vacuum and it's this kind of indifference that lets the problem perpetuate.
Do you think the earrings girl would feel free to make those comments if most of the student body, instead of dismissing her actions as unimportant, took two seconds to give dirty looks to people who do shit like this and give us all a bad name?
I don't feel guilty that she said that. I feel guilty that I belong to a student body in which most people just don't care.
Sorry you're being down voted. You're 100% right.
If they give her attention, it will give her the voice she wants. I pay no mind to dipshits like her - no audience, no growth, no voice for her to say stuff like she has.
If her, or someone like her, began telling me crazy racist belief stuff and saying how cool her earrings are, I'd tell her that's an extremely antiquated mindset and to keep it to herself. If I haven't slept much, I may say more to make her cry - girl to girl.
The downvote button is not a disagree button.
How is attention giving someone a voice? If she's the only one talking about it then her opinion represents the entire student body. If she says something and literally everyone around her makes it clear how inappropriate that opinion is, that's a voice- and it isn't hers.
Your goal shouldn't be to make her cry. Not because she doesn't deserve it, but because we're the Aggie family. When our brothers and sisters do stupid stuff our goal shouldn't be to break them down, it should be to build them up. By letting her continue to think that most of the student body is not opposed to her sentiments, we're giving her evidence to support the notion that those things are acceptable to say on campus. There's no reason to fight fire with fire; instead of a small group of protesters or a single person chewing her out, everyone could simply make their opinion known with a look or a glance.
I've just walked away and awkwardly not made eye contact a few times because I haven't wanted to get involved in a few situations, and then a few times I've had enough and tried to make up for it by aggressively responding and feeding the problem. But the most effective treatment I've seen of stupid opinions is when the entire room just stops, turns, and makes it clear they can't believe what they just heard. That is the voice of the student body drowning out one aberrant opinion.
Also, this is a complex situation with a lot of factors. I don't feel guilty for what she said either, but I don't feel like it's my fault either. I belong to a student body that is large and diverse. I love that. Most of us are good people, I would say a lot aren't looking for confrontation. So brush her off. She can't be arrested for what she said, so don't give her what she wants - attention. If you have any suggestions, they are welcome. I would report her to someone if I knew who to report to! I just feel like students unrelated t the incident shouldn't have to feel shame when they have no connection to it in any way! I bet you're a good student! I don't blame you for this! Those who could have made an impact know who they are, but the moment has passed. We should learn and move on. It's been over for weeks. The majority of students just want to continue with the days focusing on school. They shouldn't feel shame for picking a great university because of a few bad turds.
Thanks and gig'em. ,:3
The downvote button isn't the disagree button.
I just gave you a suggestion: give her a dirty look. By refusing to acknowledge what she says, you've just told the entire world that it doesn't bother you and it's not your problem. Both of those things, clearly, are false. It clearly bothers you to attend a school that is being judged for being racist, and it clearly is your problem since you have the power to fix it.
I agree that there should be a better system in place for reporting these people, but it's also important to give her feedback. This doesn't mean shouting at her or fighting hate with hate, just making it clear with a look or a few words that she is not representative of the student body. Because, right now, the student body seems to be saying "not my problem", and that's just objectively false.
I'm not ashamed of picking TAMU. I'm not suggesting that we need to be ashamed of being Aggies, or that it's our fault that it happened. It's always the fault of the person who actually acted.
But inaction is shameful. I was walking in the rain last semester and a girl in front of me slipped and fell in a puddle near Evans. There were fourteen people on that stretch of the sidewalk, and fourteen people gathered around her to help her to her feet, hand her her possessions, even offer her a dry shirt. Obviously not all fourteen people could be helpful, but we all asked "are you alright?". Another time a guy crashed his bike and six out of eight people on that sidewalk came over to help him pick up his things and go to Beutel's. I'm tremendously proud of being an Aggie, and yeah, I'm a little proud of helping out too. It's tremendously apparent that Aggies don't mind taking thirty seconds out of their day when another member of the Aggie family needs it. What's wrong with taking those thirty seconds to, literally, just give a dirty look to someone who just make a racist comment? I'm not even suggesting you say something, just make it clear to everyone that she isn't the only Aggie with a opinion.
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I thought it was Bureau of Land Management protest lol
peterlafleur 12 points · Feb 2016
thought the same thing. the ag thing got to us ;)
RangerRhino 21 points · Feb 2016 · '15
How dare they manage our public lands?!
[deleted] 2 points · Feb 2016
What public lands? This is Texas.
CleverDuck 8 points · Feb 2016 · Alumn
That's what I thought glancing at this title. Haha
"That's weird.... the only federally owned land in Texas is Big Bend Nat'l Park."
RangerRhino 3 points · Feb 2016 · '15
Texas is over 95% private land, but there's actually a lot more federally owned land in Texas than just BBNP. If my memory serves me there's something like 14 national park units in Texas.
Edit: http://www.nps.gov/state/tx/index.htm
CleverDuck 2 points · Feb 2016 · Alumn
....National preserves, historical sites, and seashores, not actually parks. And I'm not sure BLM manages those, but I'm too sleepy to look it up.
I didn't realize there were that many nationally recognized protected areas.
Neat.
RangerRhino 2 points · Feb 2016 · '15
I realize they are not parks. That's why I said national park "units." NPS units include all the things you mentioned and are managed by the NPS. There are no BLM managed lands in Texas that I am aware of. Could be wrong there.
EDIT: words. I'm drinking...
Edit 2: it is pretty neat. I wish there were more public lands in Texas. There's a lot of beautiful places in our great state, but aren't accessible due to them being privately owned.
CleverDuck 2 points · Feb 2016 · Alumn
Ah, I totally missed your "units."
I should be drinking (die, P-Chem, die....).
RangerRhino 1 points · Feb 2016 · '15
Damn, good luck with that.
[deleted] 2 points · Feb 2016
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CleverDuck 2 points · Feb 2016 · Alumn
Owned by land management, not bases....