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Originally Posted by patteeu
 So much bullshit. There is no climate of racial bigotry at Mizzou. At least there wasn't until this nonsense took off. We do these children/young adults a disservice by reinforcing their misguided belief that they are victims. |
Quote:
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut
So again, if someone 'feels' bad, it's time to start letting them dictate terms?
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Patteeu, this is why the two of us can't have a constructive dialogue about this issue. Black students say they feel unwelcome on campus, through treatment from the school and from slurs said at them by fellow students. Some white persons say back to them that they have a victim complex (as if it's their fault they are recipients of bigoted slurs & racist treatment, or as if those things are not happening in the first place). It's not in me to side with the persons who are telling students that they are making it up.
Like, I'm a teacher. I care about my students, and because of this I listen to them. I taught (as a grad student) at a large state school for 5 years and heard many, many painful personal stories of racial mistreatment from my students. The grad student council would try to put forward suggestions to meet the concerns of our students; sometimes those gained traction & sometimes we were shrugged off. But we listened to our students and we tried to work within the system to help them. A few UA students just released a video as part of a class project the other day. Their stories are very common, and speak to experiences that black students have at, I'd safely guess, the majority of big college campuses:
As a teacher at my current college, I teach mostly students of color. I listen to them. The campus environment is a bit different because of the racial demographics and the size of the school, but my students know they can count on me to try and fix problems, should they occur. Because I listen. It's not in me to NOT listen, which is what your position requires. It requires a literal willful ignorance of what students are saying they experience. I can't do that.
DJ, again nothing started out as a protest. Dictating terms came late in the process.