OK - OU fraternity "SAE" sings racist chant on bus

[SuzDuJour]

george desdunes was a brother. meaning he was a member of SAE at the time he drank too much.

He drank too much? He had locked his door, they took him, bound himhand and foot and forced him to drink until it killed him. They left him, unconscious, to die alone. Hazing is illegal, so is underage drinking. This was far more than "he drank too much."

 

[tangelo]

He drank too much? He had locked his door, they took him, bound himhand and foot and forced him to drink until it killed him. They left him, unconscious, to die alone. Hazing is illegal, so is underage drinking. This was far more than "he drank too much."

You have an imperfect understanding of the facts regarding his death. he was a brother- thus not subject to hazing. the so called kidnapping was consensual . as was the drinking.

 

[miimaa]

It bothers me that this thread is still open but the one regarding the little girl and her brother being attacked in an Indianapolis park is closed. Are they not both incidents of racism? The fools singing on the bus didn't pound anyone in the head. They didn't throw a little boy down on the sidewalk. Yet that video is all over the news and very little of the Indianapolis one.

 

[SuzDuJour]

You have an imperfect understanding of the facts regarding his death. he was a brother- thus not subject to hazing. the so called kidnapping was consensual . as was the drinking.

I apologize. As sad as I find the incident, the trio involved was found not guilty, apparently, he was said to be a heavy drinker ahead of this event. He should never have been left alone, particularly bound where he couldn't help himself, but that's my opinion ...

 

[Sonya610]

The fact that anyone would defensively demand to know how this act affects them, as if it doesn't matter because no one was lynched, is a huge red flag to me. How can it not affect all of us as Americans and as humans?

Seems like a reasonable request to me.

There are plenty of incidents where racial slurs ARE used accompanied by extreme violence, and not by frat boys singing on a bus, but during vicious beat downs.

And I am not sure why you use the word "still" as if racism is a thing of the past that should be nearly eradicated by now. It is NOT a thing of the past, in fact there are a whole lot of folks that are rediscovering those beliefs based on their own life experiences, they weren't raised that way contrary to the old myth, they were and are MADE that way by bad real life experiences.

 

[miimaa]

Seems like a reasonable request to me.

There are plenty of incidents where racial slurs ARE used accompanied by extreme violence, and not by frat boys singing on a bus, but during vicious beat downs.

And I am not sure why you use the word "still" as if racism is a thing of the past that should be nearly eradicated by now. It is NOT a thing of the past, in fact there are a whole lot of folks that are rediscovering those beliefs based on their own life experiences, they weren't raised that way contrary to the old myth, they were and are MADE that way by bad real life experiences.

Racism will not be eradicated by legislative mandate.

 

[Nova]

Interesting. I know people of many ages who find it derogatory if not offensive. I wouldn't include you at 61 in the "older generation" though. I meant people old enough to be a generation removed from the era in which "Okie" was an insult. Just curious if you care to share, did your relatives all grow up in Oklahoma? Not that that diminishes their opinions, just curious if they were from there or only went to school there.

I'm not sure where I was unclear but I never thought you were accusing all Oklahomans of being racist, and I apologize if my words came across to you that way. But I've seen attitudes expressed, not on Websleuths, along the lines of "Oklahoma, it figures." Which does convey the idea that most if not all Oklahomans are racist. And ironic since the ringleaders weren't even from Oklahoma. Although I'm sure there were plenty of people on the bus who were.

My relatives were from Kansas, not far from the Oklahoma border. I never heard them say a word against the folks an hour south of them.

But they would have been called "Okies" if they had moved to California in the 1930s. It was a generic term in those days for poor, white immigrants from the Dust Bowl. I'm sorry if the term offends you, but I think Mr. Haggard changed its meaning.

 

[Nova]

Seems like a reasonable request to me.

There are plenty of incidents where racial slurs ARE used accompanied by extreme violence, and not by frat boys singing on a bus, but during vicious beat downs.

And I am not sure why you use the word "still" as if racism is a thing of the past that should be nearly eradicated by now. It is NOT a thing of the past, in fact there are a whole lot of folks that are rediscovering those beliefs based on their own life experiences, they weren't raised that way contrary to the old myth, they were and are MADE that way by bad real life experiences.

Nobody is MADE racist. People choose to attribute an individual slight or assault to an entire category of people.

Racism will not be eradicated by legislative mandate.

No, but neither will it be eradicated by doing nothing. The impact of racist actions can be mitigated by legal prohibitions.

 

[gitana1]

Q"How were you affected?"

A"Greatly"

The question was really in what way were you affected. Not to what degree you were.

Were you afraid to get on the bus that day for fear of what you may hear being sung? Couldn't make it to the corner market cause your opinion of frat boys was so (greatly) diminished?

Or was it like when hearing the theme from Chariots of Fire always makes me sad?

In your perfect world no one would be allowed to say anything that you by your estimation affected you. Even though you can't articulate how.

and Wow.I don't know where you live but here frats don't make hiring decisions or draw voting districts or pull over & charge anyone. strange.

Nope. That's not true. It affected me and I don't like it. I find it disgusting. But my feelings are not the standard for whether some act or speech may be sanctioned or restricted and neither did I suggest they should be.

But by the same token, neither may something be deemed totally protected by the first amendment solely because it doesn't affect me. Or you.

 

[gitana1]

gitana1, I have agreed with you throughout this thread. I don't know why you suddenly think I'm spouting contrary "nonsense".

I thought I was pretty clear in my post that "group-think" is no excuse for such obnoxious behavior.

But that doesn't mean I'm wrong as to its purpose (however unconscious). Trust me, the misogynist chants and songs (at frats) far outnumber even the racist ones.

Other such "group bonding" tasks including climbing the local water tower, vandalizing the administration building, painting grafitti on the frat next door, stealing a rival school's mascot-statue and so forth. In each case, by joining together to do something forbidden, the group reinforces the idea that those who did the deed "belong" and everyone else is an outsider. Keeping the secret afterwards only strengthens the bond in the name of "trust".

The only way to end such episodes is to integrate such groups.

P.S. Although chanting when one thinks no outside will hear is a long way from lynching, they are not unrelated in motivation. Good (that is, "bad") example!

Hey, sorry Nova. That came out harsher than I meant it to sound!

 

[Trident]

"The University of Oklahoma chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon has hired a very high-profile lawyer after being kicked off campus in the aftermath of the racist-chant video coming to light"
http://www.diversityinc.com/news/fraternity-ousted-over-racist-chant-lawyers-up/

 

[IzzyBlanche]

Despite their obvious stake in the topic of campus racism, the Sooners have little room to stage campus protests or present themselves as an aggrieved party. Racism is horrible. So is violence against women. And OU football has been associated with the latter a little much in recent months for the Sooners to claim some kind of high road.

,,,

I am here to say that the football team’s new act as OU’s campus consciousness falls short of legitimate. Where were the protests when violence struck their fellow female students, some at the hands of teammates?

http://newsok.com/why-oklahomas-foo...nst-a-racist-fraternity-video/article/5402347

 

[Tricia]

This thread is about the OU fraternity "SAE" and their horrid racial chant on the bus. Please stick to that topic and to the facts in the case.

Tricia

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

'I'm so sorry for all the pain I've caused': Oklahoma frat boy who led racist chant meets with black leaders on apology tour ...as lawyer for Sigma Alpha Epsilon says no other members will be expelled

Levi Pettit has apologized to one of his most vocal critics, Oklahoma state Senator Anastasia Pittman

She has arranged a meeting with black students, church leaders and other politicians

Attorney for Sigma Alpha Epsilon announced he had reached a deal in his legal filing against the University of Oklahoma

No other members of the now-defunct fraternity will be expelled

Pettit and another student pictured in the video, Parker Rice, have been kicked out of school

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...t-chant-meet-black-leaders.html#ixzz3VRDKhm4R

 

[wfgodot]

Daily Oklahoman. Boren: We know racism when we see it.

OU president Boren announces results of SAE fraternity investigation

 

[tangelo]

can't find any coverage of any apologies from those making death threats against him & family