re: UC Berkeley students demand building be named after convicted cop killer

Should be the Shakur/Smalls center for drive by studies.

Are you aggies really that stupid or have you never had a job in the real world? Y'all don't understand what protected classes are so I am going to guess y'all are really just that stupid.

quote:

---

You are obtuse. You have no idea what it means to be a minority. Support systems can help.....maybe not renaming buildings, but it can be hard feeling different from practically everyone around you. But..you will never know, because you're too afraid to get out of your comfort zone.

---

Weird that Asian and Indian/Pakistani students are a minority yet you never hear about them bitching like the world owes them something.

I really hate stereotypes. When people have legitimate complaints, regardless if not everyone agrees w/ them, it doesn't make it whining. To say anytime someone brings up something offensive/unjust that happens is just "them" whining is simply not true. You can find any type of group where whining, bigotry, etc. goes on, but could we please stop painting everyone with the same brush?

Also, the groups you listed don't have the same history as blacks do in this country. That's just a simple fact. They have faced bigotry [who hasn't], yet they were able to make strides {as a group] much quicker than blacks. I have gone to professional conferences [heck even at my own school] and have people blatantly walk up to me and assume I'm the janitor. When I hear people say, "I don't see skin color", I just laugh. Maybe they mean they see it but it doesn't effect their opinions, and I can agree w/ that. But people of all groups have small, medium or large percentages who do dwell of race, religion, etc to make judgments.

BTW, I've taught a good many Asian American students and a majority of white students. A sample of those kids do just as much bitching and have entitlement issues, but I'd never say it's all whites, or others.

quote:

---

When people have legitimate complaints,

---

This isn't a legitimate complaint, and neither was what the guy I replied to said.

Remind me not to go to Baton Rouge.

quote:

---

How are "minorities" different besides color? Also, these students likely were given admittance to the University based on race over others to begin with. How about appreciate that they go to one of the best fricking Universities in the world to begin with. If they thought it was anti-skin color alone, then maybe they should have picked another university. I can't even begin to stress how much it has nothing to do with skin color. Skin color does not prevent you from being moral, hard working, or intelligent. If you believe if it does, then you're only being racist against yourself. Stop thinking you are at a disadvantage. I can say as a white American I want fairness for everyone, and prosperity for everyone, but the racism that created the divides to begin with was not created by anyone alive today, so lets stop blaming each other, because none of us are responsible. I can personally tell you I've never taken any fricking pride in any building named after a white person. Have you honestly ever looked at the name of a building and thought....oh shite, im so motivated now! Besides, how many things are Martin Luther King Jr. named? At this point, it doesnt matter, its all childish games, because the heart of the issue isn't in the physical, its in the attitude and mental approach of everyone involved on all sides.

---

Apparently, you didn't read what I typed out. I don't give a flying shite what buildings are named. I am, however, tired of white people acting as if they are victims of the universe. Just kindly shut the hell up and enjoy your privilege. Have you ever been anything besides white? No? Then you have one perspective, and you should stray far away from anything else.

Being white in America is not hard. I am not making excuses for black people, but goddamn...even the yankees blessed you dixie bastards and welcomed you back into the fold. Enjoy it, have a Coke and a smile, and let black people be pissed off. Jesus.

Because as I'm walking down the aisles w/ my colleagues, dressed professionally, the sales reps walked up to me and tried to sell me cleaning products that would make my work life easier at school. Just me, not the others walking with me.

Of course I'm speaking of my experiences. My point was that unless you're blind, everyone notices the color of a person's skin. Not forming an opinion on that is what I think people are meaning when they say they don't see skin color. As it should be. But let's face, many people do base their opinion of a person on skin color, financial status, religion, etc.

Oh and at my workplace, a new staff member was hired and I met the person and introduced myself and what I taught. Fast forward a week later and it's a Mass day. Faculty dresses nicely and I have on a dress, panty hose and dress shoes. I see the new staff member later in the morning and she tells me something about her trash can in her office. I have a confused look on my face so she speaks slowly and asks me if she placed her trashcan outside her office would that help me to remember to empty it. Oh no she didn't. I re introduced myself to her and reminded her we had met the previous week. Yeah, she got bright red. I smiled and left. She must have apologized for a month every time she saw me after that. Just the assumption that the black person had to be the janitor was the first thing that came to her mind.

I've lots more experiences I could share, but I won't. So no, my statements were not at all extreme. BTW, I never said I didn't explain in situations like that my status, but the problem is why people stereotype. She'd forgotten she had met me, the only black faculty member but why did she assume I was there to clean up after her and everyone else?

quote:

---

"We want the renaming for someone -- Assata Shakur -- who we feel like represents us as black students," said Black Student Union spokesman Cori McGowens. "Black students on campus have a feeling of isolation, marginalization. We're at a crisis on campus." The renaming of Barrows Hall is just one of 10 demands the Black Student Union delivered to Berkeley Chancellor Nick Dirks last month. They're also demanding a meeting place solely for black students, $300,371 for two black admissions staff focused on black recruiting, $113,932 for another staffer to handle black retention, two black psychologists who understand the "racially hostile campus," two black advisers to mentor black athletes and a fully-funded 'Get into Graduate School' mentoring program.

---

Wow. Just wow.

I'd like to have a conversation with one of these people.