This story was recently on the local news in North Carolina, and I wanted to get opinions from other parents on their feeling on the matter.
http://abc11.com/society/confederate-flag-photo-upsets-chapel-hill-students/695847/
There is talk of the college these girls got in to rescinding their acceptances. Do you think this is fair?
That article does not mention any college.
Why would it not be fair?
The college I’ll be attending rescinded five incoming freshmen because of racist comments they said on a private GroupMe made to get to know other incoming freshmen. The college wants to protect its image; it’s definitely fair.
A public college couldn’t rescind over statements made. A private could of course.
Kids are stupid, but since when are we a society that does not allow second chances? Why is it always “One strike and you are out” nowadays? Wouldn’t a better alternative be to scare the hell out of them (which apparently has already been done), and then perhaps attend a face-to-face meeting with black students from their school who might ask them, “The South will rise again? Buying yourself a slave? Is that really what you think about me and my race?”
I think that would have much more of an impact than a knee-jerk expulsion, which would definitely kindle anger and resentment over something stupid these girls did and may not have even have realized would be tagged and dispersed over social media.
Did the girls even know this would be posted to Facebook? Waving a Confederate flag at the site of a Civil War battle might not necessarily be racist - sure offensive to many, but were they deliberately trying to do something racist? Did someone take their photograph and then post it on Facebook without their knowledge and consent and then post inflammatory captions and comments under it? It makes a difference!
I don’t think “fair” enters into it. A public school may be able to take action like Oklahoma did. They do not want the bad press from this. They do not want to be seen as tolerant of racism on their campus. Especially in a southern state. The college needs to create a safe environment that is conducive to learning for all students. A racist environment is not conducive to learning.
If there are subsequent incidents on campus, the University President will be explaining why they let these kids stay on the national news. Who needs that worry?
I do think that what happens next depends on the details. Waving a confederate flag at Gettysburg is not racist, in and of itself, in my opinion. Perhaps they also took a pic with the Union flag too. The surrounding comments are what trouble me. Can’t we all just treat one another with respect?
I find it hard to believe that black students from their school would want to gently teach racists why they’re bad people.
Are these “black students” being punished for some other offense or do you imagine colleges keep stock “black students” around to punish where students?
Let’s change the perspective a bit. If we assume these young ladies [sic] were admitted to selective or highly selective colleges, that means someone is sitting on a wait list for those schools while these folks currently have seats in the entering class. Is it “fair” to the students on that wait list or the rest of the college community to continue to hold those seats for individuals who have already demonstrated that they don’t have much regard for the community standard that most colleges ask their students to meet?
This is a few months old and relates to a different (and more egregious) incident at OU, but I think Rev. Hall makes good points about how offending students could be handled differently:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/mariadixonhall/2015/03/a-teachable-moment-how-ou-failed-transformation-101/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Copy%20of%20Progressive%2003%2004%2015%20(1)&utm_content=&spMailingID=48206253&spUserID=MTIxOTg0OTQ0NzgwS0&spJobID=641429710&spReportId=NjQxNDI5NzEwS0%20
I would hope that if an incoming student of color posted something on Facebook that could be interpreted as racist, or sexist, or anti-social, that the school would call the student in for a meeting and talk to him/her, rather than just shut the person out of the school. High school kids aren’t mature, and the college years are supposed to be a period of personal growth.
In 2011, a student at the University of South Carolina Beaufort was told to remove his confederate flag from his dorm room window. He removed it, but fought back. It was determined that it was his free speech/expression right to hang the flag even if others were offended by it, so he was allowed to put it back up. He said he had researched the history of the flag and concluded it was a symbol of southern pride, and as a proud southerner, he wanted to display it.
Fwiw, the student, Byron Thomas, is black. (The following year, the school passed a rule that said all dorm windows had to be kept clear, so then he had to take the flag down again.)
I do not think the students should have college admissions rescinded (if that was even a threat). The girl who posted the photo apologized and explained her intentions. (Can Confederate soldiers not be remembered? 28,000 of them died at Gettysburg.) The photo was not PC, but not offensive in itself. The girl who posted the photo is not the one who made the “slave” comment. Yeah, the “slave” comment was offensive, but this was a kid’s stupid comment on Instagram. We do still have a right to say stupid offensive things. We don’t have a right to “never be offended” or silence people who offend us. If you start policing high schoolers’ Instagram accounts, I guarantee you’re going to find a lot more offensive photos/language than this. And it goes in all directions.
What if that had been Byron Thomas with his Confederate flag at Gettysburg? Free speech? Or rescind his college acceptance? Would you label him a racist because he displays a Confederate flag–like everyone is labeling these girls? The same symbol can mean different things to different people. ( I honestly don’t think these girls were trying to make a racist statement.)
This is so ridiculous. They waved confederate flags at a Civil War sight and now they are racist scum? Bo and Luke Duke must have been super racist and I never even knew it!
The confederate flag is an inherently racist symbol, so waving it anywhere is an inherently racist act.
How would you have felt if they waved a Nazi flag at a Jewish cemetery?
“The photo was not PC, but not offensive in itself.” – That’s highly debatable, @atomom. To many, the confederate flag has very specific connotations that are highly offensive. As do comments such as “The south will rise again” and “Already bought my first slave” – both posted under the picture.
According to whom? I’m not being facetious.
I think it’s important to remember the free speech aspects of this, especially if we are talking about public schools.
It’s the same as waving a Nazi flag. It’s representational of an offensive ideology. Yes, we have free speech, but let’s call it what it is and cut the “southern pride” B.S.
@hunt Confederate flags were thrust into the faces of children trying to integrate schools in the 1950’s. . Of course they’ve been used as a symbol of hatred. That being said no public university could legally rescind these kids acceptances.
honestly, kids can be idiots…they might have held up that flag really having no idea.
But the guns? now that gives me pause…as a mom who likely wouldn’t want these kids staying in my kid’s dorm…