The wife’s 18ish year old cousin posts the following on her facebook page.
“So many Asians at Miami this year. My tuition is probably paying for 4 of them.”
5 people “liked” it. My wife challenges it with something like “its probably the reverse, and you should be careful making such overtly racists statements on the internet”.
Response, “I have friends of different races so I’m okay”.
WOW, my vote is a bit of both. What’s interesting to me is how someone who is 18 and never wanted or anything (well off, never worked, etc) is already blaming the s. Interested to see what the parents think, but I’m guessing thats where she got it.
It’s the kind of thing you see a lot on the internet. I’d wager most people have some inherent racism that they just can’t shake, but are smart enough to never mention it. You know, the kind of thing that enters your mind before you managed to tell your mind “that’s ridiculous”. The internet just removes that whole inhibition thing because you don’t have people staring directly at you when you say it. So yah, the comment sounds racist, but the person usually isn’t (or at least not any more than most people).
See also, the amount of young idiots on things like XBox Live that use the word “nigger” and “faggot” all the time. It’s the type of thing they never say in the company of people they know because they know how stupid it is, but once the personal stigma gets removed they go nuts.
Which part do you consider racist? At what point are you not allowed to make an observation that includes highligting a person or groups race? At UC Berkeley, you could make a similar statement to the first part (quantity), however the latter wouldn’t be true. As with a lot of colleges or universities, they are certainly increasing the number of out of state and international students, because you can charge out of state tuition.
So, her statement strikes me as an observation (first part), and an incorrect assumption that most are on the public dole. It’s probably the reverse, and they are floating her subsidized tuition.
Just because they are Asians, doesn’t mean that they are not US citizens, or for that matter, legal residents of Ohio. Seems to me that people from Asia were here a long time ago building our railroads.
I guess I am not following…is she racist because she referred to them as Asians? I get the whole “we are all Americans” but I don’t see the issue with her commenting on their ethnicity.
Perhaps its a vastly different ratio than the area that she grew up in. NUns she’s just sheltered?
I guess I am not following…is she racist because she referred to them as Asians? I get the whole “we are all Americans” but I don’t see the issue with her commenting on their ethnicity.
The difference would be if it was a complaint versus an observation. I observed earlier this month that the UPenn campus was full of asians. If I had a good idea what the reason was I could say, “This campus is full of asians probably for this reason,” and I can’t imagine anything racists about it. Actually I could even complain if I thought, for some reason, that they were there unfairly, “these asians are here because of some unfair law,” and it still wouldn’t be racist.
If, however, I was trying to a make a point that I’m surrounded by asians, and that fact alone is a bad thing…then its racist.
Totally agree. However, I didn’t see that distinction in the OP.
Was it “gosh there are a lot of Asians…”
or
"gosh there are a lot of Asians "
Are we not reading the same thing? “So many Asians at Miami this year. My tuition is probably paying for 4 of them.”
You seem to be focused on the first sentence and omitting the second. Complaining about her (and I say “her” loosely as it seems from the discussion none of the money came from her) tuition paying for 4 of them clearly puts it in the second category.
And I will go with mild to moderate racism + lots of stupidity + lots of lack of exposure to the world.
WOW, my vote is a bit of both. What’s interesting to me is how someone who is 18 and was never wanton for anything (well off, never worked, etc) is already blaming the s. Interested to see what the parents think, but I’m guessing thats where she got it.
It was a stupid comment made by the kind of person inclined to make stupid comments. Nothing surprising there.
What is surprising is that a concerned relative would draw attention to it, and essentially call her a racist in a public forum, when a discreet private message of caution would suffice. Of the two offenses, I’m inclined to think the latter was more egregious.
