California has had an awfully ugly last month or so in terms of our state schools and various homophobic and racist situations that have taken place. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Over the weekend last weekend, someone vandalized the LGBT center at UC-Davis and wrote “fag” in spray paint.
Slightly before that, someone carved a swastika into a Jewish student’s dorm room door, also at UC-Davis.
Also last month, 11 students interrupted a talk and protested the visit of the Israeli Prime Ambassador to the United States.
Two gay students at holding hands were attacked by 3 people who were shouting homophobic slurs at them at UC- Riverside.
Last month, here in San Diego a bunch of students held a Compton Cookout party mocking Black History Month and African Americans.
Following that, someone hung a noose in the UC-San Diego school library.
This week, a homemade KKK-hood was placed on top of a Dr. Seuss statue on his birthday at UCSD.
Also this month, someone drew a noose around a black figure in an mural at a UC-Berkeley housing unit.
~*~
We sure do have a LONG way to go. Sigh.
Tami Baribeau is the Associate Producer for Metaplace, Inc, currently working on Island Life. She is also the Lead Editor of feminist gaming blog The Border House, and the National Facebook Games Examiner for Examiner.com. She can be reached on Twitter or by email.
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“We sure do have a LONG way to go.”
Sometimes it feels like we’re moving backwards.
For sure. There is such a mob mentality going on lately.
If the civil rights movement was any indication, it seems to get a lot worse right before things begin an earnest recovery, because the people who feel the have things to lose (worldviews mainly) begin to panic and do horrible things.
I agree with you about most of the issues cited, except for this one: “Also last month, 11 students interrupted a talk and protested the visit of the Israeli Prime Ambassador to the United States.” Even the article you link to points out that the outbursts were minor and did nothing to deflect the speech.
While there are certainly more civil methods to protest a government and their policies, this is hardly on the same level of boorishness and intolerance as the other situations you cite.
Overall I don’t think its happening more often (all hate crimes), we just see and hear about it a lot more with the current media (social and old school). And we get a lot more details when its hate related.
To be fair, the only thing I would point out that students protesting the Isreali Ambassador isn’t necessarily a hate crime.
1. It is a protest and there are legitimate gripes against Isreal from a lot of different places.
2. Reading the posted article shows that they were protesting in probably the least obstructive manner. They allowed the ambassador to speak and even answer questions. They didn’t rush the stage, throw anything or prevent people from hearing it.
I’d question adding it to the list of all the other things which are very explicitly hate crimes.
Frankly, I think a lot of this has to do with Prop 8. Once a government allows for legally sanctioned hate, people who hold hate in their heart start to feel emboldened and start acting out on their hate. Afterall, they feel they are now in the majority and that their hate is popular and accepted.
I don’t understand why the protest against the Israeli Ambassador is included in that list at all. It was entirely within the boundaries of free speech. The article linked to is actually in support of the students.
If anything, I’d turn it around, and say that the racial aspect is that these students are being targeted for wildly excessive punishment because they’re Muslim.
my first thought when i saw the mention of a protest related to an israeli political representative was the settlements situation over there, i don’t have that kneejerk anti-antisemitic reaction