More Trumpian degradation
by digby
Let me say upfront that I think these people have a perfect right to say what they want. Political speech is the most protected speech and they were just repeating a slogan of the front runner for the Republican Party, which they are entitled to do. The University agreed and didn’t even release the names of those who did it. (They decided instead to curtail some activities but I honestly don’t even understand doing that. Their memo calling for tolerance and decency seem like the proper approach.)
But that doesn’t mean Trump’s campaign to deport millions of people and his rhetoric calling undocumented immigrants rapists and criminals is not gross and disgusting. This episode illustrates yet again just how Trump and the others are bringing this racist poison to the surface of our culture. Maybe it’s a good thing in the long run and it will allow the infection to drain. But it might just spread too.
Several events for Ohio University’s Greek Week, an annual, weeklong event focused on philanthropy, have been canceled after some Sorority and Fraternity Life members painted “Build the Wall” on an area typically designated for graffiti last week.
The Greek Week events, set to take place between April 11 and 18, were amended after unnamed members of Sorority and Fraternity Life painted the graffiti wall by Bentley Hall, including the phrase “Build the Wall,” according to a letter sent Sunday to sororities and fraternities.
The phrase has been a part of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign to construct a wall between the United States and Mexico to discourage immigration from South and Central American countries.
The letter was addressed to the “OU Sorority and Fraternity Life community and supporters,” and was signed by the Interfraternity Council, Multicultural Greek Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council and the Women’s Panhellenic Association.
“This phrase is offensive and hurtful to many individuals as it is directly tied to the Hispanic/Latino/a community, makes them feel marginalized, and the message was interpreted that they do not belong at Ohio University,” the letter stated.
The affiliation and names of the Greek members involved are not stated in the letter, as it “is not at the center of this controversy.” Those individuals will not face sanctions, and, according to the letter, were within their rights to free speech.
The Post obtained a copy of the week’s highlighted events prior to the changes announced Sunday. Airbands, an annual event in which groups perform skits and dances, a dodgeball tournament and a 90s Field Day were listed on the original schedule but are not listed on the letter.
The governing councils also made the decision to not approve or support any official or unofficial social activities involving alcohol during Greek Week, the letter stated.
The graffiti wall by Bentley Hall was painted over with the words “Build The Wall!!” and “Trump 2016” on Thursday.
In wake of the pro-Trump graffiti, the Hispanic and Latino Student Union at OU held an emergency meeting Thursday in the Multicultural Center, where top university officials such as President Roderick McDavis were in attendance, according to a previous Post report.
The Post could not confirm if the graffiti the letter referenced was the same that prompted the meeting Thursday.
McDavis sent an email to students Friday urging them to learn about other cultures and to be understanding.
“Indeed, this wall is a place of free speech and expression; however, the words painted were troubling because they had a very different meaning to some than they may have to others viewing the message or even to those who painted the message,” McDavis said in the email.
The letter stated that the week’s events are meant to promote the ideals of leadership, service, philanthropy and other values.
I’ve never understood the allure of the fraternity thing but then I’m not much of a joiner. But I know many people really love it and get a lot out of it so my opinion isn’t relevant. But there’s no doubt that “build the wall” is one of the most provocative and xenophobic of all of the Trump’s slogans. If they’d written “Make America Great Again” or even copped the Nixonian “The Silent Majority” it wouldn’t have been as pointed and frankly, racist. Why would fraternities pick that slogan if they weren’t making a racist point?
Anyway, I still defend their right to say it. It’s a political campaign and this is an actual policy being proposed by a leading candidate for president. You can’t suppress it. But people certainly have a right to meet it with more speech. I hope those students who are against Trump and his policies will be equally engaged in the process.
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