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Nov. 17, 2015 - Sargon of Akkad - Carl Benjamin
48:30
A Social Justice Coup
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So while I'm waiting for all the Missouri student protest nonsense to play itself out, I thought it might be worth talking about a video I've been sent from the Claremont McKenna College.
Now, this is one of California's, in fact, I think it's one of America's most prestigious private liberal arts colleges.
This video is a recording of a mass student meeting in one of the main spaces of the college where the students are protesting, I don't know, whatever injustice they think they're suffering.
And they're trying to pressure the faculty into doing what they want, even though the faculty, well, you'll see.
You'll see.
It's quite a long video, and I'm going to try and edit it down to the most relevant points.
But even then, it's still going to be quite long.
So it might be worth grabbing a cup of tea or something as we go through this.
Because you have to see the mindset of these people.
Just the way they view the world is just baffling.
But anyway, let's begin.
We also want to mention that there has been a hashtag.
We want to mention that there has been a hashtag that has been going around on Yikiak at the same time that we posted these flyers.
And if you all don't think that this is emblematic of the student body, then you're wrong.
The hashtag was shush POC.
This is experi- this did not surprise any of us.
This is experience of us on a daily basis at these colleges.
So the student protesters begin with a lie.
There doesn't actually appear to be a hashtag called shush POC.
There is one instance of it being used on Twitter, which links to a Facebook photo.
This screenshot is of three anonymous uses of this hashtag.
So apparently this is emblematic of the student body and this is something that they experience on a daily basis, in very small numbers, without much popular backing.
Personally, I'm happy to chalk this one up as bullshit.
I'm a senior on ASCMC and I've been on ASCMC since my freshman year.
And I am unbelievably disappointed as a representative of this college, as a representative of this student body, by some of the experiences that I've heard.
Holy shit, who died?
What are the casualty figures?
Because in France, we know it's 128.
In CMC, I don't know.
As far as I'm aware, the casualty rate is zero.
But sorry, please tell me about the stories you've heard, and I'll be sure to take them very seriously.
And how complicit, not only white students, but students that hold themselves as leaders on these campuses, complicit in the institutional racism that exists across our nation.
Wow, okay, don't start small, start really big.
Start with white people and people of colour who are part of the university being complicit in the institutionalized racism that's happening not only at your college, but all across the nation.
I mean, this is the default paradigm these people are working with.
Obviously, no one's objecting to what she's saying here.
This is what they all believe.
I have always thought myself to be an activist, a champion, and a supporter of people of colour, of marginalized identities, of identities other than my own, and I, this week, have been broken.
Oh, holy shit, this is like the cringiest thing I've ever heard.
I've been broken.
Oh, fucking hell, come on.
What is wrong with this person?
And who has done this to her?
Who has made her think this way?
Because I realize that I have not done nearly enough to stand And be a senior interviewer and be on ASCMC, an organization that has been cited numerous, numerous times for systematic oppression.
And to not say that I refuse to participate in those institutions, it breaks my heart.
So, summing up then, you're not someone who's very important.
You're not really participating in anything that is very important, and you're convinced that your student union is oppressive and marginalizing people of colour.
It's like the university is being run by the KKK or something.
Got it.
And I don't know what to do.
I believe strongly that being having people who care about these issues at a visceral level makes a difference.
And that there are steps.
But at what point do you break?
I don't know, but I'm going to guess it's way past the realms of common decency and consideration for the feelings of others.
this is just embarrassing to watch.
Oh yeah a mixture of claps and clicks.
You know, good, good.
I totally agree myself.
Yeah.
This isn't the most fucking annoying, stupid thing in the world.
This isn't really cringeworthy.
No, no, no.
This is normal.
Totally normal.
And this is no way about me.
No way about ASCMC individually, but it's about every single one of you on these college campuses at elite institutions teaching at elite institutions.
Think about the people you're bringing into this world.
Confident they can leave this remote world.
Think about that.
Bloody hell.
It's like she thinks the colleges are giving birth to them.
And I guess ideologically, maybe they are.
But this is exactly the problem.
I don't think that these people are capable of surviving in the real world.
I think they're going to require some pretty extenuating circumstances for almost everything they do.
And think about your children.
What if they were born black?
Oh my fucking lord.
Oh my god.
Oh shit.
She's treating it like it's a disability.
What if they were born with Down syndrome?
What if they were born crippled?
Or what if they were born black?
You know, I mean, fucking hell.
Being born black is not a fucking impairment, you fucking racist.
What if they were born gay?
I can't say this.
Doctor comes to the new mother with the baby and says, I'm sorry, your baby's gay.
Again, it's not a fucking impairment, you idiot.
Jesus Christ.
And I can't believe now we're all gay babies.
But no, what if the baby was born gay?
What if, what if?
What if?
Who can know?
Okay, since we've established that CMC is judging students by their race and sexuality, what is the next logical step?
Annual surveys of the climate of race and ethnicity at CMC.
This survey should be accessible and should guide improvements made on campus climate after these proposals.
Of course that's what should happen.
Regular surveys asking people about the climate on the campus and how it pertains to race.
I mean, that's what people should be talking about more and more.
The more we talk about race, the less racism there will be.
And the more you codify the focus on race into, I don't know, the way that universities and colleges operate, the less racism there's going to be on universities and colleges.
Absolutely.
It's watertight.
To the administration as a whole, we require greater diversity in our faculty and staff.
We want to see an epic racial and sexuality theory similar to that of Skimps College.
Because if you look at Dick Jack, you can tell there's a difference here.
Expose students to systemic oppression through FWS and FHS.
This includes but is not limited to issues of race, sexuality, gender, class, and ability.
The need for such programs to educate the student body is evidenced by the numerous microaggressions felt by students of color.
The cultural insensitivity on campus is further highlighted by race-themed party proposals such as Indian Wedding Party, Colonial Bros, Pilgrims, and Navajo-themed TNC proposals.
Holy shit, where to even begin with this?
Some fucking moronic student with obey written on her shirt is coming out and demanding that faculty members, well, I guess be replaced, be fired, have to resign because of the colour of their skin.
But don't forget the institutionalized oppression from being at such a prestigious university.
I mean, there are a lot of microaggressions happening there.
Some people dressed up as Navajos for Halloween.
We want mandatory and periodic racial sensitivity trainings for all professors.
They want all of their professors to be brainwashed into the cult of diversity.
They want an excessive focus on race or gender or sexuality to be the norm.
They want it to be institutionalized within the university.
Of course it's wildly popular.
And hello to the person wearing the sheave fucking Kuevara t-shirt right next to the girl wearing the t-shirt saying obey.
God, they're like living, breathing clichés.
That's something that we've told the administration before, and you know what their excuse is?
Well, they're tenure.
Guess what?
This is a fucking private institution.
And if you can't force them to do this training, what the hell are you doing?
They just told you they're respecting the concept of tenure.
It's just not what you wanted to hear.
But it's interesting how you've gone about being a private institution.
That'll come up a bit later.
How you expect archival students to learn in the classroom when they don't even feel safe when their own professor, someone who's supposed to be a mentor to them and a teacher, doesn't respect their identities.
Right, so you are saying if someone doesn't respect your identity, then they make you feel unsafe.
Then you think they are going to do you physical harm, immediate harm.
Because if that's not the case, you are full of shit.
But more to the point, what difference does it make?
Why do they have to care how you feel?
That's your problem.
It doesn't change the course.
It doesn't change the information.
It doesn't change the books you're going to have to read.
It doesn't change your timetable.
It doesn't change the likelihood of you actually being assaulted or hurt or anything like that.
It's just your feelings.
And for some reason, you want to make other people responsible for them.
We want more diverse course offerings for critical race theory, community engagement, and social justice issues.
We want improved diversity in speakers brought to CNC, particularly at the Apada.
I tell you what, the last thing any of you people need are more courses about social justice or critical race theory.
That is literally the problem you guys are having.
That's why you're so terrified and afraid of everything.
You're focused excessively on identity politics, and it is about nothing else now than what you are rather than what you do.
The athenaeum of college and research centers should have diversity initiatives.
We believe that when the institution cares about diversity, the student body will follow.
Diversity initiatives include bringing a diverse form of speakers, both on the basis of area of expertise and identity.
Right, so you're not happy that not all students are obsessed with diversity in the same way you are.
And you think that changing the institutions that already host these courses for diversity and critical race theory and, you know, various speakers and all this sort of stuff, you think that's not enough?
What needs to happen is the entire thing needs to be diversified in order to attract the right kind of student and get rid of the wrong kind of student.
Proposals that we gave administration eight months ago.
Yeah, proposals that made you look crazy.
That the administration was obviously like, look, we've obviously got enough of this nonsense going on.
They're acting like they didn't realize this was a problem, but they've already had these for months.
Non-sequitur.
Just because they've had them for a long time doesn't mean they know that it's a problem.
And frankly, I don't think it's a problem.
You look diverse enough to me.
It looks like you already have your social justice courses.
It looks like you are trying to take over the university with an ideology.
This is a way of silencing students of marginalized identities.
It's a way to derail the movement.
Really?
Not getting what you want is being silenced, is it?
You don't look like you're being silenced.
You look like you've got a massive platform from which to speak, but you're not getting everything you're demanding.
Being like, oh, let's start a conversation again.
It's like we've had a conversation for years.
You're just not listening.
Yes, but not everyone is part of your movement.
And your movement doesn't automatically deserve everything that it wants.
These are the most entitled people I have ever seen.
So now, we want a formal commitment in front of everyone, from our administration, to our proposals.
Yeah, but what if they don't agree with you?
What if they don't think your proposals are legitimate?
What if they're like, no, we just don't want to do that?
What are you going to do?
I love the way the idea that they say no doesn't even factor into your plans here.
This isn't something that you've even considered.
Hi, everybody.
My name is Devin.
I'm the Director of Student Activities here at CMC.
We reached out on all of the points that we have specific oversight of, specifically with regard to cultural organizations, increased funding, the mentorship program, and an extended sort of an invitation to start talking about how we would get these developed, and a commitment of funding starting now for any events that students would like to bring to campus.
Thank you, Kari, and thank you, Devin.
I'm honestly wondering whether the lack of enthusiasm for Devon there was because of his message, which was we're cooperating in every way we can, or because of the colour of his skin.
I'm Mary Spellman.
I'm the Dean of Students.
Oh, that's brilliant.
I'm sure you're going to bring some level-headed commentary to the proceedings.
I'm sure you're not going to completely feed into the bullshit coming out of these kids' mouths, are you?
And as I said in my email today, I'm committed to changing what's going on on our campus and being continuing to be part of the solution to the problems that have been identified here and that have been identified before to me.
Oh, actually the total opposite.
Let's reinforce everything these kids are doing.
I think this might be the problem with private universities and colleges though.
The students become customers and they get to dictate the tenor and the tone of the situation to the staff.
There are many things that need to be changed.
Kari and Devin have articulated some of them.
We are committed to having a staff member in our office.
We were working on this long before this past weekend and are committed to that.
We're committed to renewing and creating a better mentor program for students of color and first generation students.
We're committed to spending money to support all the programs described and more as we work forward and figure out what each of those are.
There will be more that come forward as we move forward in our progression as a community.
And I am part of this as well.
And I am sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
That's it.
I'm sorry.
Nothing has really happened.
There hasn't been any injuries or deaths.
And I'm very dubious about claims of systemic or systematic oppression on university campuses when the fucking dean of students comes down and is just like, I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry.
It doesn't fucking fit.
If these students were actually enduring any kind of actual oppression, the people doing the oppression would be trying to at least justify what they did.
But no, we're so sorry.
Look, look, these are all the things we're going to change.
You're so right.
We're so wrong.
This is where social justice is going.
This is fucking mythical.
These are legends.
Oh, I've heard that there was someone oppressed somewhere.
Really, where who?
Well, I mean, I can't point to anyone who's been oppressed, but someone somewhere.
I mean, we've all been oppressed in a small way or something.
I don't fucking know.
How can we change your policy?
How can you change her heart?
As if there's a need to be so fucking melodramatic, but as if she is opposed in any way to what you are asking for.
She's just said yes, yes, yes.
Good God, I'm fucking sorry.
How can you change my heart?
My heart doesn't need to be changed.
I care deeply about students.
How can you learn to identify?
Okay, I want to say something because you know, here we have a lot of faculty, a lot of staff, and we're hearing the same shit all over again, right?
So, this is the reason why we call y'all here.
You know, there's a lot of people here.
There's a lot of power here.
There's a lot of you who have institutionalized power.
And we want you to use that to hold these people accountable to what they're saying.
So it is about power.
These people want power over the faculty.
They hold institutionalized power, according to this guy.
And they want to use this to hold these people accountable, to make them do what they say.
I mean, there couldn't be any more cut and dried, really, could it?
They're asking for a social justice takeover of their college.
And they think it's completely justified.
And the faculty are like, oh, yeah, God, yeah.
We're so sorry.
We're so sorry.
Are you fucking crazy?
If you tell them no, do you know what happens?
Nothing.
They go back to their fucking classes, which incidentally are the problem.
This is the monster that you have bred.
Unsurprisingly, you're not good enough for it.
If you're not too male, you're too white.
If you're not too white, you're too straight.
And the quest for diversity marches on.
And also to include us in this conversation, because it's like Denise was saying, 20 minutes before we did, we came here, the president releases that fucking email, right?
So please use this opportunity to hold them accountable and to include us into the conversation.
When you say you're hiring people, we want to be a part of that committee that's hiring these people.
Holy shit, I can only imagine what that email contained if the logical conclusion to it was the students must be responsible or partially responsible for hiring the teachers.
I mean, what was it?
Like, you know what?
Fuck the niggas.
We're hiring KKK Klansmen into every new position.
And they were like, oh my god, we have to do something about this.
And I'm like, yeah, you do.
But I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that that probably wasn't what the email was about, was it?
Telling us what you've done without us knowing doesn't help.
Telling us what you're going to do in the future doesn't help when it's not in the form of, yes, we hear what you're saying and we're going to do it.
Like, we're hearing excuses, but the fact is, it's literally your jobs.
Your jobs to help us, to take care of us when we don't feel safe and supported on this campus.
Holy shit.
You fucking fag at me, honestly.
Oh, you're going to cry.
You're going to have a little few tears about it.
What do you mean you don't feel fucking safe?
You're on a university campus.
They are the safest places in any city.
The safest.
You couldn't be more safe.
And you want to know why?
Because you are surrounded by a bunch of upper-middle-class marshmallows, just like you.
Look at you fucking people.
There's no threat from any of you.
But the idea, it is the teachers' jobs to curate your feelings.
Fuck me.
Are you fucking serious?
How can they do this?
This is unbelievable.
This is unreal.
It's their job to teach you.
It's your job to worry about your fucking feelings.
My experiences haven't been nearly as bad as some of the other people standing up here, but it still hurts me to know that you clearly don't give a shit.
Oh, yeah, they just don't give a shit.
It's like your parents all over again, isn't it?
Your rich fucking parents off earning loads of money, they didn't give a shit about you.
They didn't give a shit about any of you people.
And so now you want your teachers to give a shit, as if that's their fucking job to be your surrogate fucking parents.
You're in your 20s.
Act like a fucking adult.
We talked about transferring.
And we don't want to transfer from an organization like this.
But if we don't get the support that we need as a community, we're going to have to go somewhere else.
Well, well done for breaking the stereotype that black people are badass.
You know, that's what we get from Hollywood movies, you know, outside of the US.
That black people are all fucking street-wise and edgy and they've got guns and they hold them sideways and they use slang like nigga and they're fucking cool, man.
The black man is apparently the most imitated man in the world.
But you're not that fucking black man.
You're a fucking faggot.
Listen to you.
If we don't feel safe, eh.
Jesus Christ, what you're doing, even though you probably don't even understand that you're doing this, is operating as a consumer.
You are exercising the power of boycotting, which is what you are threatening a private institution that needs your money with.
Personally, this is one of those reasons why I wouldn't be against socialized universities.
I wouldn't be against taxpayers funding universities.
Why?
Because then they couldn't hold them to ransom like this.
The people at the university could just go, no, get out.
Because it is not offered here right now, and I want to be a person where I can get my academic pursuits supported here.
And I feel like that's not the place here right now for that.
And there are other organizations that do it much better.
So if you really want to have people go here and you really want us to stay, then you have to really, really make an opportunity and support us as a group of community.
Thank you.
I love the appeal to the market there.
But at the end of the day, mate, nothing's ever going to be enough for any of you people.
And we all know it.
There's no apologizing enough.
There is no doing what you want enough.
There is no making you people happy.
As someone who has worked with the Dean of Students before, as someone who has participated in the institution, I urge you right now.
Don't think like a politician.
Don't think don't think about how to make yourselves look good right now.
Think about us and think about how painful it is to be standing right now sharing these experiences and not looking pretty.
I'm not thinking about how I look right now.
I'm thinking about these people.
Okay, but what's actually happened?
How many people have been injured?
What is the body count?
We don't need to hear about what you've already done because it's clearly not enough.
So tell us what you're going to do from your heart.
Why bother?
You already know that's not going to be enough either.
Nothing's going to be enough.
Nothing but the absolute totalitarian dictatorial control of your college and its students will be enough for these people.
Not from the bylaws of whatever dictate what you can say right now, but think from your heart because we these are our hearts right now and that's all we want from you is for you to acknowledge our existence on a level that is say the same as the way you acknowledge those who fit the CMC mold.
Fucking hell, you need therapy.
I don't know who has made you this way, but you need some fucking therapy, love.
Don't ask from the bylaws or any of the rules.
Speak from your heart.
What are you talking about?
They're not your fucking mom.
This is spontaneous for me.
It's beautiful.
I wasn't supposed to be here today, but I was invited.
We had to support the color.
Right, so you are some older guy who was probably an ex-student at this place who has been invited back to encourage the students to carry on doing what they're doing.
Let's see if you've got any bullshit to peddle.
Let me tell you guys something.
Give you a little support.
This is to the students, staff, etc.
Can you hear me okay now?
Yeah, that's it.
This is for everybody here, actually, but mostly for the students, okay?
Bottom line is, is anyone familiar with the University of Missouri's recent decision?
Anybody?
If you have not seen it yet, you should look it up.
Because this is a long journey you're headed towards.
I know all about it, okay?
Look up that and you'll see a president on what you're looking to achieve.
They just got rid of their principal, person of the university.
Just got rid of him.
He's gone.
But he was defiant all the way.
Fucking what?
He was defiant all the way, did you say?
Call me a skeptic, but why don't we check the facts?
Please, please use his resignation to heal, not to hate.
Tim Wolf is answering the call for change at the University of Missouri.
He stepped down from his post as president amid heated racial tensions at Mizzou's main campus.
Students insisted racism is real at their school, and their leader wasn't doing enough about it.
It's a claim Wolf acknowledges.
I take full responsibility for this frustration, and I take full responsibility for the inaction.
Such defiance.
I take full responsibility for this, and I'm going to resign.
So you got to get on it.
It's going to be tough.
But if you take these things that have happened prior to you now on this campus, you can get this done.
And I can tell you now, because I'm talking to people globally on every continent every day in the business that I do.
This whole oligarchy thing is changing.
Yeah, okay.
I can tell you right now.
I see it every day.
I've seen it for decades.
This old, yeah, let's talk again later, like you're saying.
I've seen it and heard it for decades.
Just keep doing what you're doing.
Get out of here and make these people change this.
Because this is not going to persist.
It cannot.
It's a new day and age.
And you're it.
Okay?
You're not alone.
I love non-specific terminology like this.
We want more diversity at our university.
Okay, well, what's that mean?
Well, we want more inclusion.
Okay, what does that mean?
Well, this is a new day.
You're the change.
Is that really?
What change?
Well, it just keeps going.
No real specifics, because if they were to lay out the specifics, they would have to say, well, you're going to have to fire, say, 800 white people from your faculty.
So we can hire people on diversity principles.
But nobody wants to be the one to say, okay, well, what have these people done wrong?
Well, nothing.
Obviously, they've done nothing wrong.
They were just born wrong.
So I've just been informed that President Shodash is standing behind us.
I'd like to call you up.
Present set up. Brilliant.
So the president of the university looks like a timid rabbit caught in the headlights.
I'm sure he's not going to pander to the mob tell you what I wouldn't want to be the white guy standing in a circle of people who believe in social justice.
so I would not feel like I was about to get a fair trial.
No, you can't.
You can't treat them differently than everything else.
It goes against your whole philosophy.
Uh-oh, don't point out hypocrisy.
He's a white guy.
He's got power.
Of course they should treat him differently to everyone else.
And are you gonna are you gonna honestly open your white mouth and speak whiteness to us?
We have a solution to that.
Excuse you.
This is not the space for you to speak right now.
Excuse you?
This is not the place for you to speak right now.
I wonder why that is.
I mean, I wonder who was speaking.
I wonder if we get to see them.
At all.
At all, at all, at all, at all.
I wonder if there was ever a time maybe on a plantation somewhere where a white person said that to a black person.
And I wonder if you people would find that acceptable.
Okay, Missouri all over again.
Would you like to talk to us?
No.
Do you want him to speak to us in front of the camera?
All I asked was that you allow him to speak like everyone else so that everyone could hear it.
Of course she's white.
Of course she's white.
And of course, she's not allowed to speak based on her skin colour.
Look at these fucking faces.
Look at the obey girl.
Just, oh my god, I can't believe this is happening.
I can't believe a white person has spoken out of turns.
I just ask that you use it.
I just ask that you allow everyone to use the microphone so that everyone can take that hell of space right now.
You are taking up color space right now.
That's literally what the crybaby Asian girl said in order to shut her up.
It's not a rebuttal to what she said.
Sure, they should treat him like everyone else.
It's to shut her up.
Well, you take her up!
As it comes!
As it comes, as it comes!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what oppression looks like.
It's when you're not allowed to speak because of the colour of your skin, even when you are told to speak, you get told off for it.
You are now in the wrong and you get the mob applauding your silence.
Missouri all over again?
With the journalist.
We don't know him.
He needs a mic!
He's spoken many times without a mic.
So please let the man speak.
How ironic.
But yeah, maybe we'll get to hear something from this guy.
Without a mic.
This is a very emotional moment for our colleague.
I can't begin to reinforce the voices that you've heard.
I'm personally moved by them.
I know a little bit of what it took, Iris, and the rest of you to speak up and tell your stories.
I know that.
I'm not speaking as your president in saying that.
Thank you.
All aboard for the fucking feels trip.
The only voices they're hearing, mates, are in their fucking heads.
I want to commit that we will look back on these last few days as a transformational moment in all of us.
Let's stay focused Let's stay focused on ourselves and what matters.
And there you were thinking that ourselves and what matters are two different things for these students.
So I'm just talking.
Talk about our proposals.
The proposals are very important proposals.
And the email was in no intention to derail the movement.
It was to express support for the solid ideas in the proposals and to commit the resources necessary to do the things that we believe are important and that many of you have requested we do.
Those things have been described.
If you want greater specifics, we will give you greater specifics.
As we've said in those particulars, the involvement of each and every one of you is essential, particularly around the issues of more support for students, more support for marginalized students, more support for students of any identity.
So I know that in circumstances like this, it's important to see each of us as human beings working towards shared goals.
We work through different ways in our institutional settings.
I have a particular commitment to you.
I have a particular role here at the college.
I've been explicit about that role of bringing the resources, bringing the capabilities to each and every one of you so that no obstacle sits in your way.
Because they can't even talk about these institutions and how they're helping us, but one of the members of the institution is part of the reason that we are here today.
We have, and each of us, has the right to hold ourselves to the highest standards.
And we will continue to do that at this college.
But what if you're not already doing that?
Then we will address that.
Then we will address that.
We want more right now.
You'll give us a temporary space.
By the end of 2010.
We will not do a temporary space.
We are working on a permanent space.
So what about us now?
We want a formal commitment to a temporary and permanent space.
If you really care about resources for marginalized students, we brought this up to you eight months ago and now you care.
Okay, I know I'll let that play on for quite a while, but I really think it's worth watching that whole uninterrupted clip.
The guy is completely on their side.
He doesn't want to interrupt the movement.
He doesn't want to withhold anything from them.
And yet they still can't be happy with that.
And so now they have to ask for something they hadn't mentioned originally.
A permanent space.
And a temporary space.
A space for what?
I don't know.
I mean, where is this space going to come from?
Who knows?
None of these things are answered or even specified.
It's just they want a commitment to a temporary, which then becomes permanent space.
And the guy's like, sure.
He's not even against them, but they're not fucking happy with him just capitulating to everything.
I was accused of breaking demonstration policy after getting the administration to sign that I was going to protest the Palestinian occupation of my people by Israel.
Do you know what Spelman said to me?
That I was going to be expelled.
Do you know what I said to her?
You make me feel unsafe.
Do you know what she said to me?
Nothing.
Oh, how very dare she.
Look, you had said, look, I'm going to go and do something that will end up getting me expelled.
She said, look, that's going to get you expelled.
And you say, well, I don't feel safe.
That doesn't change anything that she said.
There's nothing she needs to say after that.
You have not provided a different argument for her to respond to.
Now you're just saying, well, I don't feel safe.
Well, don't feel safe.
You'll be expelled shortly, so it won't matter.
She gave me a blank stare, and time and time again, everyone I have spoken to has said Spelman has done nothing for them.
Now she puts it in words.
She says, I don't fit in the mold.
She says, Chloe doesn't, Nicole doesn't fit in the mold.
No one here fits in the mold unless we're white, unless we're conservative, unless we're rich.
What is it?
What is this mold that you're talking about?
Well, it's obviously not going to be being white and conservative.
And honestly, who here comes from a poor family?
Yeah, I thought so.
And why is it that you tell us we don't have a space for ourselves when you have enough money to afford yourself a $65 million gym, the most expensive gym in this nation for a D3 school?
This is how it works.
You could also use the gym, but you want a space where some people simply will not be allowed based on their race or gender.
Do you see why what you're asking for is a problem and getting a gym is not?
I will not fundraise for a school that is diseased towards us.
You have no idea.
I don't know if you do, but if you did, I think you would be acting much differently.
Just listening to her talk makes me think of the words prissy, bossy, and entitled.
Oh yeah, and I'm sure calling your college racist is a completely accurate characterization.
Because these people, we have feelings.
We are students.
We pay tuition here for professors that curse at me and call me a cockroach.
Are you joking?
Really?
Your professors swear at you and call you a cockroach.
You're gonna have to you're gonna have to forgive me for not believing you.
You're going to have to forgive me for thinking that what has happened you have either misinterpreted or taken massively out of context.
Or maybe you're just flat out lying about it.
I don't know, but I don't believe that your teachers swear at you and call you a cockroach.
I just don't believe that.
And you're right, you do pay for this.
Well, Daddy probably pays for this.
I can't.
I can't.
I'm shaking because it's ridiculous.
You stand here like a man in front of me and you can't tell me you can't afford a space for us to feel safe.
This hub isn't a space for us to feel safe.
You can't transform this for a little bit until you can afford a more proper space for us.
No.
No, he hasn't said that, you fucking loopy bent.
He said, yeah, sure, I'll give you a space.
We're not going to make it temporary, though.
It's going to be permanent.
And this isn't fucking good enough for you people.
I would love to transform this.
Then thinking people do it.
Let's do it.
Let's do it.
I'm sorry, my friend.
You're going to have to disagree with what they're saying so they can properly indulge their righteous indignation.
Because if you agree and just say, hey, yeah, that's a great idea.
Let's do this.
Then what have they got to be angry about?
You've trained them to be activists.
I've always supported a central space on the campus.
I am on a public strike right now, and I will not get off of it until 7 o'clock, until Spelman is gone, because as a dean of students, on your website, she goes or you change the website that says it's a welcome and open community for us.
Thank you.
If you advertise to these people who are coming to pay for your school, then we're open and welcome.
We're not.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
I mean, let's just change the goalpost.
Now you have to change the website.
Or this person's leaving because, you know, you advertise opening and welcoming.
It's not, which is why you need to make the space.
Nothing's fucking good enough for us.
We're not.
I also love it.
Dean of students said it.
Yes.
We are together on a hunger strike.
I'm not eating until something changes.
I'm sure daddy will care, pumpkin.
Fucking hunger strike.
As if you're suffering some terrible injustice right now.
Jesus fucking Christ.
I'm sure you remember our meeting in August when I was really upset.
And I was like, I don't believe there's no temporary space.
And then what you replied, actually, there was a room in the basement, but we didn't feel like it was good enough for you.
So then you gave us nothing.
Weren't you the ones saying that it doesn't matter what they did in the past?
Because it clearly wasn't good enough.
If that's the case, why the fuck are you bringing this up, Porky?
Oh, that's right.
Because capitulating to everything you demand isn't good enough.
So I don't believe there's no budget.
I don't believe you're not able to give us a temporary space.
If he hasn't already agreed to it, I'm sure he will.
You're not arguing against an opponent.
Because we deserve it.
I have got no doubts.
You think you deserve a lot.
Why don't you tell the class about the hardships that you've been through?
We have been fighting so long.
We have done what the administration should have been doing.
We've sacrificed our academics and our mental health.
Finally, a point we can agree on.
Oh, it should be fast!
Every single college, every other Claremont college has a resource center, has a space for marginalized students.
Why does our institution value our students so much less?
Your silence on this for the past six months is oppression.
Is violent.
No, it's not.
And the reason he's not saying anything is because he's agreed to everything you want.
You fucking melodramatic crybabies.
Okay, I just want to speak on behalf of parents.
I don't know how many parents are here, but I saw this throughout social media.
I follow the parent and alumni association relations email.
Because I am the sort of overbearing and meddling parent that raises a fucking millennial.
I bet she's got loads of money as well.
She's not out working like most fucking parents.
No, she's there meddling in her child's life.
I'm really proud of everybody that is here standing up for what you need to fight for for, you know, just things you can't really define because there's nothing really that you're actually fighting for.
Because you're not fighting against anybody because nobody is on the other side of these issues.
Non-discrimination and a safe place.
My daughter expressed some very disturbing and I'm very disturbed to see what's going on here.
You and me both.
the campus.
I'm really disturbed to be watching Dean Spelman partially falling asleep during this.
I was shocked to see her standing here with her eyes closed, dozing in and out.
So it's a when I read the email that some of the students did not fit the CMC mold, I was very disturbed because what is that is just a bold statement of what she or the administration believes.
Okay, I think it's finally time to actually have a look at this email to see if all of this offense is justified.
So the email was a reply to a student from Mary Spellman, the dean.
Thank you for writing and sharing this article with me.
We have a lot to do as a college and a community.
Would you be willing to talk with me sometime about these issues?
They are important to me and the DOS staff, and we are working on how we can better serve students, especially those who don't fit our CMC mold.
I would love to talk with you more.
Best Dean Spellman.
Are you fucking serious?
This off-the-cuff comment that clearly is not meant to insinuate anything other than there are people we realize we're not catering to.
How can we help them?
Are you fucking serious?
To be put into words and to hear the stories of the students and how they have had to interact with her on an individual basis coming to light.
So I just want to encourage you to continue to speak to your parents, to reach out to the alumni, because that's where all the funding is coming to the And there we have it.
So I think that pretty much is everything from the video that's important.
Apart from one last thing, the last sane student on a liberal arts campus.
That's Julia as an Asian-American.
Sorry, I can just yell.
I came to this country five years ago when I was 15, alone, to a boarding school in Pennsylvania.
And what I heard all this, if you don't speak English, go home.
If you don't speak English good enough, go home.
I don't date Asians and I'd like to have sex with a girl from all the continents.
That's why I want to date you.
And I was walking downstreet from my high school to Lawrence, I was walking with three of my friends from both China and Taiwan.
And suddenly, while we were walking, the green light was on.
And when we were crossing the crosswalk, there is a car just rushed through us, driven by an African-American shouting that, go back to your home.
Like, go back from where you are from.
Something like that.
I don't remember exactly.
And then a car, a white lady, just parked right by us and said, Are you okay?
Are you hurt of anyway?
We're not hurt.
It's just shocked and scared of our safety.
And this white lady kindly asked, Can I call the police?
Can I do anything for you?
We're like, It's okay.
Thank you very much for your care.
The point I'm making here is that we should not distinguish people by their race or gender or anything.
Black people can be racist, white people, sorry, I just mean that we have to look at people individually.
Racism is prejudice.
There are people.
Sorry, maybe I don't articulate myself good enough.
There are good people and there are people who are not that embracing to other cultures, who may be, who may not live up to standards of proper behaviors.
But we have to look through hearts.
We have to look into this person and see what she or he really is.
Look from the heart, the action, not to the race.
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