Hate speech takes focus

By Lacee Solis | November 23, 2009

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This past weekend students and members from the Fresno community united for a similar cause, only this time they did not walk out, they stayed in. The group staged a study-in Friday at California State University, Fresno’s Henry Madden Library to extend the library’s hours, wanting more availability to services funded by increasing student tuition fees.

As with the walkout, critics were fast to denounce the movement as news of the event became the top story on local news stations. The Collegian’s Web site provided breaking news updates and photographs to provide readers with inside coverage as the overnight event progressed. And what seems to be a continuing trend with the online comments this semester, The Collegian became a bulletin board for hate speech.

Comments quickly veered away from the demonstration and any relevant issues at hand as derogatory references to particular ethnic groups became the focal point of the online discussion. Hispanics were marginalized, perhaps because the demonstrators chanted “si se puede,” a Spanish translation of Obama’s hope-filled campaign slogan “yes we can,” at the onset of the study-in.

While I thoroughly believe in the right of free speech and open public forums to uphold those rights, I do so with the expectation that individual’s taking part in the discussion will actually provide significant arguments to support their stance. When the only evidence one can gather for their position undermines a certain ethnic group for problems that have no correlation with the relevant issue, it merely demonstrates ignorance on behalf of the respondent.

When did an individual’s right to freedom of speech transform into the inherent right to have reckless disregard for basic humanity? Comments varied from urging immigrants to “go back where they came from” to completely degrading the Hispanic population. What was even more disheartening was the fact that those leaving comments claimed to be fellow Fresno State students.

Education has always been said to be the path to tolerance and understanding. The more one learns about the world around them, the more apt they are to be more accepting of other’s differences. From elementary school to college, we are taught over and over again about the atrocious examples that were a direct result of discrimination and racism throughout history as a means to prevent such behavior from repeating itself.

We learn about the missions of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez and other peaceful activists and how they worked diligently for acceptance of all based on the humane fact that people should be judged on their demonstrated character, not on their unchangeable and predetermined ethnic background.

Yet, if fellow college students are the ones instigating the hate speech then the notion that education helps alleviate prejudices is alarmingly not working. I can only hope that those spouting racist insults, secure behind the anonymity of their monitor and keyboard, are not actual Fresno State students, just fictitiously claiming to be.

While many of the hateful comments have been taken off The Collegian’s Web site, the very fact that people consciously wrote such remarks pertaining to a particular ethnic group shows that, despite the progress our society has made to rid its nation of debilitating discrimination, we still have work ahead of us until we can truly claim to be a nation of solidarity.

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Views expressed in the comments section are not representative of The Collegian unless so specified. Comments are moderated retroactively. Comments that are inflammatory, profane, libelous and/or posted under a false name may be removed at the discretion of The Collegian. Comments may be used in the print edition of the newspaper. Be sure to pick up next Friday’s issue of The Collegian for featured comments.

Comments

  • uh-uh..........
    Its about time someone brings up the race issue....im tired of everyone pretending like there is no racism on this campus when it is evident. The deeper issue is what can students do to hold collegian accountable in making sure the posts are restricted or otherwise, a racist poster can be identified.

    Introduce message boards with necessary CSU email login, the same way the CVIP email and library does. Then you will really shut up the anonymous racists and create better discussion on here.
  • Ok.....then where why were the chants of 'si se puede' necessary if the protesters were out to back the desires, wants, and needs of ALL students?

    The protest seems to have brought race into the issue on its own.
  • Hispanics were marginalized? Do you know have the numbers and evidence to support that claim, little lady? Do you realize how OVERrepresented Hispanic students are on the CSU Fresno campus? Do you realize the number of Hispanic students who are full or partial fee-paying students is substantially lower than the number of non-Latino students? Why do those who fail to pay into the system (and are thereby directly result in the CSU being unable to maintain service levels) march in to the library, let their demands be known, and chant something as outrageous as 'si se puede.'
  • duh
    To Yukmouth: "Si se puede" just means "yes we can." It has no other connotation.
  • Kidd Chris
    At Lacee: your editorial is nonsense - claims of 'hate speech' and 'racism' are easy to make. Truth is that they are used here to divert attention from the facts that protesters themselves infused matters of race into an inherently non-racial matter. What does the plight of the farmworker have to do with extended library hours?
  • uh-uh..........
    YUKMOUTH:

    YOU brought race into the whole issue based on your comment......just because someone says something in a specific language, doesnt mean anything in its relation to a movement which you assume is based on one specific ethnicity. Your prejudice and bias clearly shows. You assume that a movement must be in "English" in order for it to be a movement that speaks for all students. You seperate yourself from the "ALL" because you want it to be in the langauge you deem necessary to fit yourself only. By the way, where the heck do you gt the idea they were chanting "si se puede"
  • David DM
    Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think she meant that the protest was were the "hate speech" and "racism" occurred but on the comments sections of The Collegian (which as she said, a lot it has been removed from the site since then) in response to the articles covering this.

    I agree that you should be required to log-in with your Fresno State account before posting.
  • uh-uh..........
    WEll David DM, you are right, it is all about the hate speech comments that were posted....somehow YUKMOUTH has taken it to the library study-in with the "si se puede" comments. Totally two different things.
  • Why speak spanish?
    Those who speak a foreign language, or roll their R’s, when they don’t have to, tell me they don’t think too highly of the USofA, or others here. I take offence, and they should understand that and then be more respectful to this country and it's citizenship.
  • Kidd Chris
    ''uh-uh……….:''
    Focus on the topic----what did yukmouth say that was racist?
  • Kidd Chris
    AND they WERE chanting 'si se puede' at the protest-----which has no relationship to library hours whatsoever
  • Bulldog Lifer
    At the editorial columnist, Lacee Solis-----Don't even try to equate King and Ghandi to this overnight sit-in or schools services. Civil rights and the hours libraries are incomparable.

    Have you ever heard of internet trolls? Very plausible that Latino students are trying to get fellow Latinos riled up by posting 'go back to Mexico' comments on their own----but the Collegian's legitimacy drops when it tries to mediate the discourse by deleting those supposed comments.
  • Student Liberation Front
    It is not only "Latino" students that are "getting riled up" if that is their goal. Whoever it is, regardless of their goals etcetera, needs to stop. Hate speech, racism and prejudice is not acceptable in any way, shape or form for any reason.
  • uh-uh..........
    At Bulldog lifer:

    Dont you mean to say "library's hours" not "hours libraries" and also dont you mean "library's" as in the Henry Madden Library, not "libraries" as in multiple libraries?
    You seriously need the Library,

    First you got the words backwards, then second you fouled up using the word libraries........oh my gosh im glad these students are asking for more hours at the library cause you certainly aren't spending enough time in there.
  • BIG PICTURE!
    I think many of us who are commenting are missing the bigger picture. I was not present at the sit in but from what I understand is that some people were being hurtful towards the way a group of concerned students were protesting.
    I think we should just flat out support those students because they are fighting for a positive change that will help ALL OF US!
    Would any one make a foul comment if those students were all white and chanting in German, or any other language?
    In the end, these students are fighting for us all. Why would any one put them down? Why is it such a big deal to some that they chanted in Spanish? This whole issue was very unnecessary.
  • why speak spanish
    I can't imagine why a group of Germans, or for that matter most any other immigrant group, would rather chant in their German in an english speaking country - when they know how to speak English. It's a choice they made.

    Can anyone give me a good answer why these folks were speaking in spanish instead of english? I don't get it.
  • Again
    ''uh-uh……….:”---------you're avoiding the question that was posed to you earlier----
  • Again
    BIG PICTURE! It's the group that initiates such protest-----their affiliation is of concern to many mainstream students----many in question are members from the very racist and extreme left-wing MeChA org. They promote Aztlan and reconquista as a policy mindset ---- many hope to reclaim California, force the US to adopt a policy of amnesty and then open her borders, and finally, through a total takeover of US governance, expel whites to other states----research it!!!!
  • stupid people
    In America you can speak any language you want to speak. English is not the official language. Just because you are too lazy or stubborn to learn another language does not mean that people who speak more than one have to dumb themselves down for you or speak English any time they speak. Damn, if this is what college educated people think and believe about this issue then this country is in for a sad future.
  • A Real Alumnus
    Hey Again--that wouldn't bother me at all. We'd be rid of the redneck trash that populates most of the racist/hate comments on this website!
  • uh-uh..........
    AGAIN: You also need the Library you should read the threads as they begin...the posts were removed by Collegian staff......and on your second post ...where do you get the notion that US is a "her?" if this country was based on matriarchy, we wouldnt be in the economic crisis we are in nor would "her" kids be miseducated, taken advantage of, starved, or would she tell other people of other lands to go home where they came from. If US was a "her' she would open her home and share her resources the way any mother would to any other. dang you keep losing points.
  • Adam
    A Real Alumnus, you sound pretty racist/prejudiced yourself.
  • why speak spanish
    dear stupid people: I asked WHY THEY CHOOSE spanish over english? I did not ask why or how they have the legal right. I also do no make a demand that everyone speaks english, nor expect it. Didn't anyone chanting in spanish ask themselfs "why are we chanting in spanish instead of english?" Seams resonable.

    I've never heard of anyone saying that they had to "dumb it down" to speak english to someone who dosn't know the language, except in France where some of the French refuse to speak english because of their dislike of Americans. Maybe there is a dislike of Ameicans by those who choose to speak spanish over english?
  • Again
    'uh-uh……….: yes, she would simply open her home and let all of those from a third world nation just move in. soon she would not be able to feed or clothe her own-----very apt comparison to the mother.
  • Wes
    a real alumnass-----you don't get credit for attacking racism when your yourself make racist comments----and for the record, minorities CAN themselves say racist things.
  • Jared Harper
    Ok for those of you who are upset about the "si se puede" we get it. You are offended of your linguistic inability to know what it means. No need to keep being upset over the use of another language just cause its not one you feel represents you. If that applies to you then go do your own protest in English and yet there was NO PROTEST, unless your talking about the people on the outside of the Library. It was a study-in. The students were studying and it doesnt matter what language they speak, or studied in, the fact of it is that they all went there to study. That is something all students know how to do regardless of langauge.
    And if you still continue to hate,
    Shall we start discriminating against GREEK organizations because they chant and use Kappa, Chupi, Orgy, Delta, Omega, Chu terms at their events? Shall we start making arguments that what does these phrases or terms have anything to do with education? Shall we start making the realization that there are GREEK orgs on campus of various ethnicities and yet they dont speak GREEK or have any whatsoever ethnic identity to GREECE? So unless you will play fair, make sure you hate on everyone. Not just a specific group of people!
  • A Real Alumnus
    Adam--I call it having good taste. Redneck trash add nothing to society. Frankly, people who have posted the really racist stuff (like Courtney, Tom and Wes) deserve a severe horsewhipping.
  • Naomi
    Collegian, you should begin having us to login to your comments with my username and password for the csu compueter system. Then you wont have such haters posting!
  • m
    jared harper best comment thus far
  • Drunk_Dawg
    Jared Harper: It seems to appear that you are in a greek organization. But doesn't greek organizations are always in competition with each other. Recruiting getting exposed to be the very best. Nobody is bashing on greek organizations it sounds like you want to make a big deal about. The editorial explains the feelings of a person which their is nothing wrong I guess if you can't write about anything that is useful. Let me some people this why is when whites start to have an opinion about a certain subject they are now considered racists but when you have these other organizations coming out blaming the white man. Come on if a certain minority group feels so oppressed then why didn't they do their homework and create their own college like other have throughout history. I continue to say that these students that are protesting continue to claim to be, "Victims of Society."
  • black guy
    Am I racist because I like white women more than black women?
  • Ray
    ...and even more wisdom from drunk_dawg. I am not Mexican. I am not a student at FSU. i am a little confused about the attitude of FSU students in general. lets get to the truth. truth is that the group in the library studying was a very diverse group of students. I was in the library for a short time. if we want to use colors/race, then my question is why are white students under represented in this activism her at FSU? if you look at all the UC protests going on, you see a much broader mix of people of color and white students. does that mean that white UC students are more active/inteligent than CSU white students? not really sure, but i am a little confused about the apathy of the general white student body at FSU. now lets talk about these Mexican students, and I am proud to refer to them as Mexican! mexicans come from an activist heritage, stemming from the mexican revolutionary war to the modern day farm worker struggle. social justice comes naturally to these students. solidarity, a term very uinfamiliar to the general white CSU student body, is also part of these mexican students mindset. i can only guess that white students of privilege, who do not face economic challenges while attending CSU, could care less about anything except what they have or expect to have. this battle over fees and access to education is vital for future generations, white and people of color. Si se puede is a rallting cry for solidarity and social justice. i don't think there is any reason for non-Mexican students to get offended. the reality is that this movement on FSU is led by a coalition of students, ever growing in numbers, with it's core and heart driven by the passion and dedication of Mexican students on the FSU campus.

    the collegian absolutley has to change this blog by taking away the ability to post anonymously. we should be held accountable to what we post.

    perhaps si se puede was a little alienating for non-mexican students, but that was not the intention. if they chanted yes we can, then I am sure they would be branded as Obama fascists anyway. there is culture in this student movement, folks, and i am thankful for that. i would think that in 2009 we could get beyond hatred, but it is obvious that there still is a lot of underlying racism in this country.

    i encourage all students to get involved in this movement. put aside your fear and get active. it really is for common good and the future of education. it is a debate that absolutely has to occur
  • twomper84
    I find it intensely interesting that all of the earlier comments were deleted. Surely, there had to be some merit to some of the comments left.

    That said, I think that racializing any discussion about a 24 hour library is a bit trivial. Perhaps the author should revisit the origin of "Si Se Puede" and remember that it is not, as she said, a Spanish translation of Obama's campaign catch-phrase (although that is a nice coincidence) but has long been affiliated with the struggles of Hispanics in general, starting with the United Farm Workers in 1972.

    "Si Se Puede" also happened to be the chant that an estimated 1,000,000 individuals (some documented, and others undocumented) used in the 2007 "Day without a Mexican" marches.

    To suggest innocuously that "Si se puede" is an inert translation of Obama's campaign catch phrase, and not a more racially and politically charged motto, is doing a disservice to the phrases origins and intent.

    Some of the commenters on this board have been, and will continue to be, out of line. Many individuals have not fully integrated the concept tolerance into their patterns of speech and behavior, but this is not a one sided argument. Perhaps the Hispanic students at this event should have realized that utilizing a catch phrase originally associated with unionizing farm workers and advancing their social status to fight for extended library rights might seem inflammatory to some.
  • ray2535
    twomper: i appreciate your comments.

    i would like to thank the collegian for changing this format.
  • ray2535
    again, i am not a student. however, i was at the library sit in and witnessed the chanting outside. the people outside the library were mostly non-student, community supporters. "si se puede" was NEVER chanted by students that were participating in the study-in inside the library. The people OUTSIDE were chanting "si se puede"
  • mrsjhernandez
    I am a little late with my comment because I just heard about the ugly problems that all of the comments have created regarding the study-in. And yes ray2535 "we" who were outside are the ones chanting "Si Se Puede". And to twomper84 the phrase has lived in my family way before Chavez ever had the idea of starting his movement. Just as it has been in all latino households for almost "forever". It is a phrase that we begin to tell our children from the moment they begin to learn to walk, feed themselves, tie their shoes and so on. I was outside of that library in support of my student son who is being bashed for doing something he felt was right, and "I" felt it was right also, that is why I and only one other parent slept outside of the library door that night in the cold of night! Yes, we began to chant "Si se Puede" but then again, two small children who were there in support of their parent began chanting "I want to read a book", and we followed them in their chant. Those same children also began to chant "I want to study", and we joined in. It was a bilingual "support". I personally know most of the kids who participated in the study-in - unlike President Welty, the door to my home is open to all of them and any other student who needs a home away from home. I cook for them, they sit at my table and eat, if it is hot they can come in where it's cool, or come in to warmth when it's cold outside. They have kitchen liberties, I allow them to be "at home" while away from home. I love all these kids as if they were my sons and daughters and I will continue to support them in every way possible. Oh and for the record, the students that come to my home are of all races, genders, religions, etc....And for those who would like to contact me personally, I will not hide behind a made-up name or fake email...I am not a coward.
  • arealalumnis
    Fresno State has a long history of hate on campus: violent assaults on Latinos during the Cesar Chavez/UFW era, similiar violence against Middle Easterners in the late 1970s and 1980s, gay bashings and booth burnings in the 1980s and early 1990s, and sprinkled throughout was more violence aimed at Latinos.
  • joshua4234
    I'm just sad race is even still an issue for anyone. We are all humans with varying degrees of skin pigmentation, which should be entirely irrelevant to anyone. Race is just a useless human construct that only aids tribalism and fighting amongst ourselves. Why can't we all see that we are all the same race, the human race, and are all stuck on this planet together and would be better off working together in peace? I suppose it's just too logical for mankind.
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