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I hate when people take offense over every little thing, but this doesn't fall into that category.
Look at the centerpiece. I don't think this is a matter of subtly 'using something that is a piece of southern decor' - this is a blatant in-your-face statement.
Where did they go for these - Centerpieces by David Duke?
It was purposefully done to stereotype, intimidate.....or the President is one of the dumbest Presidents of a university.
They aren't upset about the cotton and collards, they are upset about the intent of the cotton and collards.
Kind of like the whole business with making the Confederate Flag during the Civil Rights Era (yes I know it was the Dixie Democrats -- we all know that --- parties have evolved over time -- lol). The flag wasn't being honored for being a part of history - it was being raised as a statement against segregation.
On the underlined portion, I'll honestly state that I don't think it was done purposefully to intimidate or make the students uncomfortable. I think that the president and his staff were/are just ignorant on the symbolism of the meal and the decor. It would have been something funny for me to talk about that they thought that cotton and collard greens would make blacks comfortable, also talking about how the founder of the university was good to slaves...It is like some sort of alternate reality universe lol.
Often it seems that some whites get uncomfortable speaking about issues of diversity and addressing a larger group of non-white people. They don't want to offend or say or do anything perceived to be "bad" IMO. I think they try to hard. If the meeting was supposed to be a meal and question/answer session, they could have just had some regular dinner and did the question/answer session. Usually universities have a food services team plan and cater these events or an outside catering company and I think they overthinked the decor and meal, probably for the Latino students too. Why would they serve them tacos...? Probably because they felt that tacos would make them comfortable without realizing that Latinos don't need to eat tacos to feel comfortable and blacks don't need greens and mac and cheese and cotton to feel comfortable.
It is hard to describe, but I've personally been in situations like this and I don't think the people who plan them are hateful or racist, I just think they are ignorant and prejudicial and go too far into thinking that people with a particular last name or different hue of skin color are so much different than they are that regular courtesy and respect in their view is not enough "comfort" for those they view as "other" than themselves. Hopefully that makes sense, but I honestly expect this sort of thing for events thrown by non POC for POC.
Apparently using twigs of cotton is a thing since I just did an image search and a lot came up, but I would expect someone in Academia to be sensitive to this. Even when mentioned to him, he sounded like an idiot. He thought it was 'fall-ish' and 'it can't be too bad since we're all wearing it'?
No wonder the black students no longer have a black advocate - who would want to deal with him?
I think the OP should read the social media post of the student. The issue wasn't so much the centerpiece but the fact that they felt that the event was a charade and that they were lied to then had to eat uncomfortably (said there were no chairs for them to sit in) a stereotypical meal.
I found it odd that the day before the Latino students got "tacos" which is stereotypical and then they give black students greens, mac and cheese, and cornbread. It is pretty ridiculously funny to me, but I honestly wouldn't have considered it racist and I don't think the student who wrote that post did.
Note the OP link had a quote as follows from one of the black students:
See the blue. That seems to have been the issue - that they were there under false pretenses and the other stuff was basically icing on the cake. But you all will focus on the centerpiece and the southern meal and act like blacks get offended about them instead.
Amen.
And people wonder if racism and ignorance still exist.
It's hard to say which is worse, outright racists or people who claim to be open minded yet act contrary.
On the underlined portion, I'll honestly state that I don't think it was done purposefully to intimidate or make the students uncomfortable. I think that the president and his staff were/are just ignorant on the symbolism of the meal and the decor. It would have been something funny for me to talk about that they thought that cotton and collard greens would make blacks comfortable, also talking about how the founder of the university was good to slaves...It is like some sort of alternate reality universe lol.
Often it seems that some whites get uncomfortable speaking about issues of diversity and addressing a larger group of non-white people. They don't want to offend or say or do anything perceived to be "bad" IMO. I think they try to hard. If the meeting was supposed to be a meal and question/answer session, they could have just had some regular dinner and did the question/answer session. Usually universities have a food services team plan and cater these events or an outside catering company and I think they overthinked the decor and meal, probably for the Latino students too. Why would they serve them tacos...? Probably because they felt that tacos would make them comfortable without realizing that Latinos don't need to eat tacos to feel comfortable and blacks don't need greens and mac and cheese and cotton to feel comfortable.
It is hard to describe, but I've personally been in situations like this and I don't think the people who plan them are hateful or racist, I just think they are ignorant and prejudicial and go too far into thinking that people with a particular last name or different hue of skin color are so much different than they are that regular courtesy and respect in their view is not enough "comfort" for those they view as "other" than themselves. Hopefully that makes sense, but I honestly expect this sort of thing for events thrown by non POC for POC.
yup. the guy was clueless. if he hated black people why go to the effort of inviting them into his home and feeding them dinner? that makes no sense.
Collard greens was part of an extensive menu. They have collard greens at Whole foods. The cotton swab thing isn't offensive. Cotton was grown all over the world, during the Civil War Britain sourced it's cotton in Egypt. African-Americans need to get over themselves they sound absurd.
I think the OP should read the social media post of the student. The issue wasn't so much the centerpiece but the fact that they felt that the event was a charade and that they were lied to then had to eat uncomfortably (said there were no chairs for them to sit in) a stereotypical meal.
I found it odd that the day before the Latino students got "tacos" which is stereotypical and then they give black students greens, mac and cheese, and cornbread. It is pretty ridiculously funny to me, but I honestly wouldn't have considered it racist and I don't think the student who wrote that post did.
Note the OP link had a quote as follows from one of the black students:
See the blue. That seems to have been the issue - that they were there under false pretenses and the other stuff was basically icing on the cake. But you all will focus on the centerpiece and the southern meal and act like blacks get offended about them instead.
^^^^This. There was nothing wrong with a traditional Southern centerpiece that had cotton as part of it. That is like saying when we have dried corn cobs on the table at Thanksgiving we are insulting the Indians because they grew Maze, right? GMAFB.
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