University president apologizes for hosting black students in his home with cotton decorations

Aside from the ludicrous false equivalence of the condition of nameless/faceless slavery in the ancient world and the situation in the United States with slavery ... here's the thing.

Local determination and "States Rights" is a Conservative value. States, counties, and cities are making the determination that monuments that were raised almost universally to celebrate the Confederacy that was built on two ideas (slavery and White Supremacy) and in support of Segregation and Jim Crow should be removed from public lands.

If anyone really wants to honor the only good part of the Confederacy (local determination and States rights) then it is ridiculous to oppose the will of these communities that choose to rid themselves of these racist icons.

originally posted by: Spider879
a reply to: butcherguy

True. But I find more difficult to identify with..let's say Medieval Mali than say this old lady's grandparents.
Time and context.

Not sure about the time part.
I would wonder what part you are identifying with... did you know the woman personally? Probably not her grandparents though, right?
There really isn't much difference between how much personal connection you have to that woman's grandparents and former slaves in Medieval Mali, all just history that you gathered from sources.

reality check :

any one who is actually offended // traumatised by " cotton decorations " - is not fit to be left unsupervised in the real world

Another reality check:

Anyone who is hosting a group of Black American university students that didn't look at a centerpiece made of cotton-bolls and think "You know, let's put that in the closet until these kids leave" is not fit to run a University.

a reply to: Gryphon66

utter bollox - if you are going to pander to that level of " sensitivity " - you cannot do ANYTHING

originally posted by: ignorant_ape
a reply to: Gryphon66

utter bollox - if you are going to pander to that level of " sensitivity " - you cannot do ANYTHING

He is a professor, look at it this way, if I were planning a dinner for Jews and Muslims, you know what's not on the menu???….freakin pork!! And paintings or sculptures of the divine figure for a center piece decor.
Yes he is not supposed to be some random ignorant dumb ass..he is a University President!!!.. Ppl claimed they hate P.C but you know what?? a lil cultural sensitivity goes along way.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: Liquesence
I'll be sure and put away all my blankets the next time I host a Native American whiskey tasting party...

Hopefully this party is not tied to any type of real estate transaction.

A good deal is a good deal, my friend.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: Liquesence


I'd like to attend, add me to the reservation list.

You should just show up unannounced and uninvited. I'd like to see a photo of Liquesence red faced with embarrassment and awkwardness.

I'm sorry, my theshold for these apologetic enslaved idiots has been long since crossed. Of course the overly sensitive are going to search for offenses everywhere... there's some well meaning imbecile around every corner who will make a fool of themselves begging forgiveness and coddling anyone who's "outraged." Folks like this university president are the fat walleted johns to these offended attention whores. I'm not so sure the whores are the problem anymore. Start going after the ones paying them the attention to actively stop this ridiculousness.

originally posted by: butcherguy

originally posted by: Spider879
a reply to: butcherguy

True. But I find more difficult to identify with..let's say Medieval Mali than say this old lady's grandparents.
Time and context.

Not sure about the time part.
I would wonder what part you are identifying with... did you know the woman personally? Probably not her grandparents though, right?
There really isn't much difference between how much personal connection you have to that woman's grandparents and former slaves in Medieval Mali, all just history that you gathered from sources.

Similar recent collective history for one, .an ancestor 800 yrs ago in medieval Mali, may have been a Prince , pauper or slave , perhaps all three , far removed in space and time, interesting tho the history may be, not as potent as the history of my most common recent ancestors.
Allow me some leeway for a min, and say you are of European extraction, let's say your most distant ancestors built Stonehenge.. Pretty kool right??now despite that, let's say thousands of yrs later your most recent ancestors came through Ellis Island, faced discrimination and all that came With it, stories told from "your" most common recent ancestors, which have more meaning to you..your Stonehenge ancestors, or your Ellis Island ancestors.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

America was full of such lovely roadside attractions back in the day.

Cartoons from the 30's, right up through the 50's, were some of the most racially biased things you'll ever come across. Add to that these lovely eateries, and one can't help but wonder that the civil rights movement was as successful as it was...

Things like that are why I find it amusing when people say that America is more racially divided than ever before... My question is always, "In comparison to what?".

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
A good deal is a good deal, my friend.

The original housing boom.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
You should just show up unannounced and uninvited. I'd like to see a photo of Liquesence red faced with embarrassment and awkwardness.

He may indeed be red faced but I brought my cover charge of $24.

originally posted by: seagull
My question is always, "In comparison to what?".

Good point, what is the benchmark?

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

I've no idea. Given that I don't yet live in the South, and haven't been there in years, or any where else that supposedly race relations are "worse than they've ever been.", I've no idea what the benchmark is at this point in time.

a reply to: seagull


It's cool, that was more rhetorical than anything else. They have obviously improved. Is there more that can be done? Of course. But we are light years ahead of where we were.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Oh, we are way ahead of where we once were.

When the KKK is reduced to a group of twenty or so bigots mouthing off, when they were once



this.

It's safe to say that things have improved quite a lot.

Doesn't mean there still isn't work to be done, but much has been done, and will continue to be done, so long as we don't allow demagogues to derail that progress.