Much controversy surrounds the use of the N-word. Different variations of the N-word are commonly tolerated in society today, especially as it makes appearances in various types of media. Many song lyrics include the word such as "All Gold Everything," the song from the video of the SAE fraternity mom singing, where the word is repeated continuously throughout. This word is highly offensive to many people; however, it is deemed okay to be used throughout the entertainment industry. Although the approval of its use throughout media does not justify the SAE students' actions, I believe that it does create a blur between the fine line of right and wrong.
I do agree that these students should be responsible for their actions. They have badly represented their fraternity and even their University. Clearly, the people in the video are college students that should have already been culturally and socially educated which their actions were not representative of. Their actions may have been severely misguided, perhaps merely out of good fun or just pure ignorance; nevertheless, we may never know their true intentions. We do not know whether their chant was a result of malicious intent, but the students from SAE have been branded as racists.
Some people consider the decision of expelling the students that partook in the video to be unconstitutional with explanations about the infringement of the first amendment and how the expulsion was not legal. I don't believe I have enough knowledge myself to have any say about that matter; however, I do believe that after all the attention that this issue has brought, these students will have learned a lesson of some sort. Unfortunately, it is merely the amount of media coverage that has brought this situation to light, and these types of occurrences happen a lot more often than recognized. Furthermore, the issue of the use of the N-word brings about much more discussion. Personally, I feel that social media has begun to take variations of the word without a demeaning connotation; however, we must continue to remain culturally conscious and respectful of its offensive nature.
I do agree that these students should be responsible for their actions. They have badly represented their fraternity and even their University. Clearly, the people in the video are college students that should have already been culturally and socially educated which their actions were not representative of. Their actions may have been severely misguided, perhaps merely out of good fun or just pure ignorance; nevertheless, we may never know their true intentions. We do not know whether their chant was a result of malicious intent, but the students from SAE have been branded as racists.
Some people consider the decision of expelling the students that partook in the video to be unconstitutional with explanations about the infringement of the first amendment and how the expulsion was not legal. I don't believe I have enough knowledge myself to have any say about that matter; however, I do believe that after all the attention that this issue has brought, these students will have learned a lesson of some sort. Unfortunately, it is merely the amount of media coverage that has brought this situation to light, and these types of occurrences happen a lot more often than recognized. Furthermore, the issue of the use of the N-word brings about much more discussion. Personally, I feel that social media has begun to take variations of the word without a demeaning connotation; however, we must continue to remain culturally conscious and respectful of its offensive nature.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/11/us/oklahoma-fraternity-house-mom/index.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/03/10/no-a-public-university-may-not-expel-students-for-racist-speech/
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/10/us/oklahoma-racist-chant/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/09/us/oklahoma-fraternity-chant/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/03/10/no-a-public-university-may-not-expel-students-for-racist-speech/
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/10/us/oklahoma-racist-chant/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/09/us/oklahoma-fraternity-chant/