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[misko27]

Imagine if you were working at a company and you decided to make a "satire" account for your CEO or company owner. I would fully expect you to be fired on the spot once that became public.

On a related note, this appears to be occurring in several US departments under Trump.

By the way, I'm amused to be able to erase so much discussion we had earlier, but everyone who was discussing whether Trans soldiers really cost so much? Wasted your time, because you made the mistake of taking Mr. Trump at his word. Instead, it seems like Trump's decision was made to ease over some budget fight that was threatening funds for his border wall. Warhawks wanted a ban on paying for Sex Reassignment surgery for soldiers, the Republican leadership in the House refused. Instead, the hawks appealed to Trump, and always willing to make snap judgments with far-reaching implications without consulting anyone, he issued the infamous tweets (which explains why he was referencing their "immense" cost). You might say to yourself "Isn't outright banning Trans soldiers a little unnecessary if the only problem is paying for a specific surgery?" And the answer is yes. But simply negotiating with his own party seems like too tall an order for him.

[sluissa]

There's a difference between expressing your views and inciting riots. Difference between protesting something someone else said and putting out false statements under someone else's name(or face) to incite undeserved anger against them.

I don't have time to get into it now, but suffice it to say, I think while there are moments you can cherry pick out of history where student activism was good and warranted and actually caused change. By and large students are dumb children. Student activism is done for dumb reasons for dumb causes. And it's simply getting worse. I'm glad I graduated when I did, because there is no way I would have put up with the environment that exists in many schools today.

[scriver]

I honestly thought it was satire when I started reading that. Then it slowly dawned on me that  it was supposed to be heartfelt

I also loved the part about "euro-centrism" as if Americans ever pull their heads out of America's arse long enough to even notice Europe is a place I'm on the map.

Also the part about pan-africanism and saying Africa only has one people; it really showcases the underlying race nationalism of the American mindset.

[Frumple]

Eh, you're probably running into a language thing with that, scriv. Eurocentrism is used over here to describe a disproportionate focus on western culture in general. Not specifically europe, but more stuff with a historical connection to it. It includes america, and generally most folks using the term over here aren't really thinking much about actual european culture at all. Europe might as well not be a place on the map -- we're going to claim your pre-america(n superpower) accomplishments regardless and there's sod all you can do about it.

I'm glad I graduated when I did, because there is no way I would have put up with the environment that exists in many schools today.

Yeeaah, as someone actually on a campus in the last two or three years, chances are incredibly high you would have just never encountered the hypothetical environment you're talking about unless you were actively hunting for it. Hasn't been a point in the last decade or five that's been particularly different. Most small colleges it doesn't exist functionally or literally. Most bigger ones if it's there at all it's small enough relative to the campus there's been folks that have gone to and from class, on foot, and never noticed a "large" protest was going on. Lotta' people like to massively overstate how visible that stuff is; if it wasn't clickbait there's even odds most of it would make the local news at best.

Or to put it another way, you were probably in the same environment when you went to school as you would be, now, or close enough the difference barely matters. It just wasn't in a subsection of the internet and media's top five favorite masturbation material list, so people neither noticed nor cared. Least until protesters got shot or somethin', anyway.

Wasted your time, because you made the mistake of taking Mr. Trump at his word.

Pretty sure no one actually made that mistake, heh. Just addressing the talking point(s) until it became more clear how much of it was bullshit and/or lies or a half dozen other things.

[Strife26]

I honestly thought it was satire when I started reading that. Then it slowly dawned on me that  it was supposed to be heartfelt

I thought the exact same thing. It's enough time make me despair and cheer and especially re-resolve to never poke my nose into the ucal system, even though I'm in the area.

[scriver]

Have you ever encountered the hypothetical environment of colleges ten, twenty, or fifty years ago, Frumple?

[Frumple]

Ten and twenty, yes, if not as an active student for the latter. Talked with folks that did with the fifty.

[scriver]

I certainly did not think you were a day over thirty, Frumple.

[Gizogin]

Wasted your time, because you made the mistake of taking Mr. Trump at his word.

I want to live in a world where I could argue that taking someone at their word is the only thing we can do, since we have no way of knowing what others are thinking. Ordinarily, I'd say that we should believe what people say unless we have a compelling reason to doubt them. Factual incorrectness, for example, or a known history of duplicity. President Trump, and by extension the climate that allowed him to reach the highest office in the country, is really putting that to the test.

Like it or not, his words have real, tangible implications. We have to take him at his word, even though we know he's quite possibly a serial liar who simply doesn't understand what truth is. And then we get situations like this, where we know that at least part of his statement is false, but what about the rest? Is it a real declaration of policy, a partisan maneuver, a drunken ramble, a distraction, or some combination of these and more? It looks pretty bad to me, and I'm pretty much unaffected; how must it look to the real people who have no idea what they'll be able to do tomorrow, or to public servants and officials who have to keep the country running in the midst of all this?

[Baffler]

“Okay, but seriously, what does College Republicans do besides providing a front for white supremacy,” the submission reads. The post garnered a lot of traffic, and was eventually flooded with memes from the UCSC College Republicans. Both Will and Michael agree the post against the student organization was harsh, but don’t regret the sentiment they expressed. “We posted this in the context of what is going on politically. There is a normalization of things that shouldn’t be normalized like taking away health care, cruel criminal justice policies and voter suppression,” Will says, “I find it concerning that groups of young people support the GOP.”

While Michael, joined the social justice protests, Will stayed away. “While, I am committed to Social Justice, I am still trying to figure out my role as a white ally,” he says. “I feel privileged because of my background, and I want to be careful not to whitesplain. I don’t have the appropriate life experiences, and I want to leave some issues that are better spoken about by other people.”

“I’m a supporter of activism when it is for things that I support and doesn’t inconvenience me,” the response reads, “actions to block traffic, and take over buildings….. keep us from doing the important work of exploiting workers, denying basic needs to marginalized communities, and raising tuition.” The message continues, “If the ongoing housing crisis, food crisis, and mental health crisis are any indication, then it’s obvious to me that we have done a fantastic job of protecting students!”

Interesting.

Care to elaborate on the last one? We here aren't exactly up with the situation on the ground there after all. Are UCSC workers un(der)paid? Work absurd hours? What basic needs are denied to what communities? Is tuition onerous or with inadequate relief? Are campus dining and housing over capacity? Student psych services not up to snuff for the traumatizing conditions on campus?

Will on the other hand fiercely guards his anonymity.

Probably the only smart thing you did tbqh. You clearly didn't succeed though.

The two trolls have also vowed to fight any cease and desist order that may come from the administration, and are willing to use any legal maneuvers at their disposal to keep their social media accounts and future merchandise operation running.

Good luck with that.

[Neonivek]

I SERIOUSLY have no idea what happened that has turned social justice into such a caustic and suppressive community.

I mean there are several starting dates one could spout (Which I'll refrain from) since it isn't like it just suddenly happened.

But my personal issue isn't that people are taking up causes and protesting (College and University are perfect times for dumb protests that shouldn't mean anything). My issue is more that these groups get special protections and considerations that they quite often do not deserve (For example criticizing say "The Dragon Protection League" is considered criticizing Dragons as a whole. Giving them a special critical immunity AND a special unearned platform).

I dunno MAYBE people should have to actually listen to what they say, see what they do, and then come up with a conclusion based on the actual trustworthiness they earn instead of being able to leech it off their goals and charge.

---

Maybe I am taking it from the wrong angle... maybe Social Justice hasn't become more crazy...

Maybe everyone else has become more sane. So people aren't taking these things at face value forcing them to escalate to try to soak up the last bit of people and attention they can. Hence why you can get a person prowling a campus looking for someone's hair to cut because it is offensive (While having it audio recorded but not video recorded).

[Draignean]

Expelled for impersonating campus administration and putting out false statements.

Really? Somebody better lock up Diamond Joe Biden's publicist as well in that case.

I did specify expelled, not arrested. I'm not sure whether criminal charges would be merited, but I wouldn't rule it out either. But schools are allowed to police their students beyond simple law. Any reasonable school should consider impersonation of an administration official and releasing statements on their behalf as punishment worthy... I would consider it expulsion worthy, but I would accept a lesser punishment. Any punishment to express how this is "not ok".

Imagine if you were working at a company and you decided to make a "satire" account for your CEO or company owner. I would fully expect you to be fired on the spot once that became public.

Okay, regardless of my feelings on the rest of this, I want to sit down with a moment and make one point.

Not everything should be managed like a company.
 
Universities are not companies. Governments are not companies. Churches are not companies. Orgies are not companies. Do not try and run one like any other. I hate what this has done to so many systems. It's like becoming a company is the holy grail of every endeavor in the U.S, as though company behavior suddenly became the definition civilized behavior.
 
Again, this comment is without regard to the validity of the protesting done, and without concern for the punishment or lack there of for the students involved. I just feel the need to grab people by the shoulders and shake them vigorously every time they make an analogy with an 'in a company...' premise.

While, I am committed to Social Justice, I am still trying to figure out my role as a white ally,” he says. “I feel privileged because of my background, and I want to be careful not to whitesplain

So...

You can sit down at a computer, impersonate a man trying to do his job, push exaggerated tinder into a mess of sparks, fan the flames as best you can, but then you can't actually go out and stand by the very people you incited to action-- because you're worried that your white-privilege and non-appropriate life experience will influence the situation that you created?

Hell, that beats out bone spurs for best made-up reasons not to serve. Can you not see the massive irony here?

People. Are. Not. Different. You're all flesh-tubes and meat-wires strung together. You don't need to have to be black to support black rights, you didn't need to be japanese to oppose the internment, you don't need to be any flavor of LGBTQ to support their right to be who their brain tells them they are. I've never understood people who can look at a problem and say "Wow, yeah, that's terrible and should stop, but I don't feel like I should get involved because I am/am not X".

[Neonivek]

I've never understood people who can look at a problem and say "Wow, yeah, that's terrible and should stop, but I don't feel like I should get involved because I am/am not X"

I mean it isn't like the Social Justice side of it aren't incredibly antagonistic towards people who aren't X and give them all sort of labels.

He did say "Whitesplain" That is all the info you need. (S)he is ALREADY on their side.

---

That is kind of the issue I've been having lately now that I've actually started to look into these groups.

A huge problem is that often that they have to blanket protect EVERYONE under that group and extent their protections to even those who abused those protections.

[smjjames]

Personally, I think the whole -splain thing is dumb and ridiculous because it's meaningless and just means whatever the listener wants it to mean. Also ridiculous in that you can put literally ANYTHING in front of -splain, blacksplain, purplesplain, bluesplain, sciencesplain, mexicansplain canadasplain, texassplain, californiasplain. Or how about this, humansplain.

[Draignean]

Personally, I think the whole -splain thing is dumb and ridiculous because it's meaningless and just means whatever the listener wants it to mean. Also ridiculous in that you can put literally ANYTHING in front of -splain, blacksplain, purplesplain, bluesplain, sciencesplain, mexicansplain canadasplain, texassplain, californiasplain. Or how about this, humansplain.

Canadasplain: "I'm sorry to trouble you, but wouldn't it be better if you tried it this way, eh?"