Discarded Banana Peel Causes Racial Hysteria at Ole Miss

a reply to: Vasa Croe

The trouble is, the majority of each race DOES fall into generalizations. Otherwise you wouldn't have TV shows targeting these folks, or food chains targeting these folks, or retailers targeting these folks.

Yes, we can, and people can use those generalization or not as they see fit too.

I recall a thread on here about a private school in California where they kids researched traditional soul foods to have for a special meal during Black History Month. They decided to have fried chicken and watermelon. They got pilloried for racism in the national press for that!

But I also recall another story about the cultural dining options at one of the universities, Cornell, I think. They got in trouble for not being authentic enough with their ethnic dining. For example, they made their banh mis wrong with some substitute ingredients instead of the authentic stuff which offended students. They had a long list of offended groups, and one of the was the African American kids who were torqued off that the dining hall was not offering fried chicken at least once a week!

originally posted by: seagull
a reply to: intrptr

Or...

He ate a banana because he likes bananas, they are after all tasty, and after having consumed said tasty treat, he realized there was not a garbage receptacle in which to place his tasty treats not so tasty peel. So he, foolishly, as it turns out, just tossed it into a tree.

Cue total and complete pandemonium over snack time.

Plausible racism... Well that certainly covers a wide gamut of actions, doesn't it?

I would be embarrassed if I was associated with the people seeing this as racism. I used to see rock bottom in sight, now, we have impact.

Good job He didn't sling the remnants of the fried chicken and watermelon he had for his main course into the tree as well.

originally posted by: ketsuko

originally posted by: angeldoll
Wondering which is worse - making a big deal out of a banana peel, or making a big deal out of someone making a big deal about it.

Think about it.

I wonder ... if I go out and put a banana peel on a random fence post somewhere and no one pays any attention to it, does matter what my intent with it was?

Thank about it ...

If a tree falls in the forest with nobody around, does it make a sound? LOL!

Here's an irony if there ever was one ........

Metric tons of Bananas produced in 2000

a reply to: theantediluvian

Ah... deflection, Chapter 2 of the "Hypocritical Politics and You" handbook, I believe.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Either that or raise your hands if you thought that was a racist banana peel ... (The Abyss)

a reply to: theantediluvian

I never said that sometimes a banana peel in a tree isn't just a banana peel in a tree. What you're not allowing for is the possibility that sometimes a banana peel in a tree isn't just a banana peel in a tree.

I am actually. I know there are instances of that being the case. I don't think this one was that. You prove to me otherwise, and I'll change my tune quickly enough.

But did you ever stop to think that context matters? It's easy to read the OP and think the students are just being absurd if you look at this as an isolated event.

Of course context matters. I can see the concern, and even respect it in other circumstances. As I said above, if there is proof that this particular event is racially motivated, I'll change my tune. I haven't seen it yet. As I understand it, there have been other instances on this campus, so yes, I see the context of the entirety, but this event also needs to be looked at on its own.

My point is that it becomes less irrational when you consider the context and furthermore, that mocking students for jumping to conclusions (assuming that's the case) is used intentionally to be dismissive of racism by reinforcing a notion that those who do complain about racism are more often than not "crying wolf.

I don't believe I was mocking it. There is cause for concern over incidents of banana hanging/lynching. I'll not mock that, nor do I believe I ever have.

Why is it that people feel more comfortable lecturing me with "My God, man, get a grip" and similar nonsense but can't muster the character to call out the poster of the quote above?

I think you'll find that I did, indeed, call that out. ...and if "my god, man, get a grip" bothers you, I'll refrain from any further use of it. My apologies.

My own thoughts are this, as you'll no doubt surmise, racism exists, but not every action such as this is racist. Can it be easily misunderstood in the context of larger events? Obviously, since that appears to be exactly what happened here.

I think way too much is being read into this particular event. We're going to agree to disagree on that, I fear.

originally posted by: knowledgehunter0986
a reply to: theantediluvian

I don't condone what he said at all, but to be fair, that isn't racism, that's being prejudice.

Had he said "I hate black people because they are stupid and lazy with no accountability"

That's racist.

"I don't condone what he said but here's some disingenuous hair splitting in his defense."

Why do you feel compelled to post that to me when you won't call out the poster who posted what you "don't condone at all?" You're more concerned with my semantics than his racist remarks? You're not even right about your argument which makes it that much worse.

Prejudice is part and parcel of racism.

You know that what he said was wrong yet you can't bring yourself to tell him that. But you have no problem trying to correct me when I do. What is that if not weakness?

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
a reply to: theantediluvian

Ah... deflection, Chapter 2 of the "Hypocritical Politics and You" handbook, I believe.

Your abject hypocrisy never fails to impress. Anything to deflect from calling a racist a racist.

originally posted by: xuenchen
Here's an irony if there ever was one ........

Metric tons of Bananas produced in 2000

Freakin Indians....most racist group alive according to that chart. /sarcasm

i think it's time we nationalise universities and remove the ability of private interests and over sensitive people to usurp the constitution constantly like this.

this trend is starting to become dangerous and it needs to stop regardless of how people feel or what they want before it destroys america.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
I don't believe it. This cannot be the world we are now living in.

Just when You couldn't think the world could get any stupider a liberal comes along and raises the bar.

a reply to: theantediluvian

So because the context is there for them to misunderstand, it makes it OK for them to just go off on someone absent of any other proof, especially given the current national atmosphere surrounding this?

Cue all the special SNOWFLAKES who can't live a day without being outraged by something.

Get a life people.

originally posted by: namehere
i think it's time we nationalise universities and remove the ability of private interests and over sensitive people to usurp the constitution constantly like this.

this trend is starting to become dangerous and it needs to stop regardless of how people feel or what they want before it destroys america.

You realize most of the universities are already state schools?

originally posted by: LSU0408
Ok, that made me literally laugh out loud while I sit here at work... Would you people listen to yourselves? We're talking about a banana peel for f#cks sake. A BANANA PEEL.

so you didn't read about the earlier incident with bananas hanging from nooses. thanks for clearing that up.

a reply to: seagull

I am actually. I know there are instances of that being the case. I don't think this one was that. You prove to me otherwise, and I'll change my tune quickly enough.

I no idea why that banana peel ended up in the tree. From my perspective, it seems innocuous.

Of course context matters. I can see the concern, and even respect it in other circumstances. As I said above, if there is proof that this particular event is racially motivated, I'll change my tune. I haven't seen it yet. As I understand it, there have been other instances on this campus, so yes, I see the context of the entirety, but this event also needs to be looked at on its own.

Fair enough and I can agree with that wholly.

I don't believe I was mocking it. There is cause for concern over incidents of banana hanging/lynching. I'll not mock that, nor do I believe I ever have.

That wasn't directed at you specifically. I was speaking in more general terms. And I'll expound on that a bit. We'll get a thread like this, derived from right-wing media I'm sure (without looking back at the source) but will the same source report on or the same poster post about, actual incidence of racism at Ole Miss? I highly doubt it. That sort of cherry picking serves a very obvious purpose imo.

People make mistakes. People misunderstand. But by ignoring the times they didn't and focusing exclusively on the time they did, then it's easy for the peanut gallery to go off half-cocked about "crying wolf."

I think you'll find that I did, indeed, call that out. ...and if "my god, man, get a grip" bothers you, I'll refrain from any further use of it. My apologies.

If it happened, my apologies to you. Again, I was expressing a more general disappointment with the posting in this thread as a whole. And please, no need to apologize to me. I'm not really all that easily offended.

My own thoughts are this, as you'll no doubt surmise, racism exists, but not every action such as this is racist. Can it be easily misunderstood in the context of larger events? Obviously, since that appears to be exactly what happened here.

Quite possibly, even likely. I think you've gathered by now what I actually take issue with. I don't even know that we have to agree to disagree as it sounds like we're probably mostly in agreement about quite a bit of this.

Perhaps the key difference is that I feel that the reason this thread was deemed worthy of posting by the op was simply to push an agenda whereas you perhaps see it as neutral.

The president of one sorority told the newspaper that "bananas have historically been used to demean black people."

And they make a peanut butter sandwich taste amazing. This is thin skinned idiocy. So much idiocy out there have to "label" it.

a reply to: theantediluvian

I'm sorry Ante, I didn't know I was supposed to be the police here. But that's how you handle ignorance, let it roam free to expose itself.

I see a people say ignorant thing's all the time, every single day, you don't expect me to call every single one of them out do you?

Only reason I chose to respond to you is because you kept asking the thread the same questions and screaming racism, and like I said I don't think what he said is racism. Ignorant, morally wrong, very prejudice, sure. But racism comes from the heart.