Black student doing a project with a glue gun shuts down a college campus:

[Moonbeam]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-over-race-at-colgate/?utm_term=.085c04a35ea8

Two things about this. Blacks experience racism in America today and one person reporting a black with a gun what wasn't a gun does not mean the campus is racist. A healthy brain can handle two different realities or more at a time. Racism isn't dead in America and the presence of some racists doesn't mean everybody is.

In a world of fear you don't have to be afraid yourself to suffer from the effects.

 

[IronWing]

The epoxalypse has arrived! Guess they couldn't make the charges stick as the student adhered to the law. This wouldn't have happened to a student with a pasty complexion.

 

[imported_tajmahal]

We should all be glad that leftist hysteria, ignorance and fear didn't claim the life of the student who was just doing a project with a glue utensil.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

How the hell does racism play into this? Did a non-black person make the 911 call and say a derogatory term during the call? Or is this just a typical case of overreaction by snowflakes assuming racism was involved otherwise nobody would be concerned about a person carrying a gun on campus? Or is it racism because the police came out in force rather than just sending an unarmed officer to apologize to the potential shooter?

 

[alcoholbob]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-over-race-at-colgate/?utm_term=.085c04a35ea8

Two things about this. Blacks experience racism in America today and one person reporting a black with a gun what wasn't a gun does not mean the campus is racist. A healthy brain can handle two different realities or more at a time. Racism isn't dead in America and the presence of some racists doesn't mean everybody is.

In a world of fear you don't have to be afraid yourself to suffer from the effects.

Are you using the word racism based on the dictionary definition--i.e., belief of superiority over other groups--or using it in a purely colloquial way, i.e. lumping in tribalism and/or any social expressions of in-group/out-group preferences?

 

[Moonbeam]

How the hell does racism play into this? Did a non-black person make the 911 call and say a derogatory term during the call? Or is this just a typical case of overreaction by snowflakes assuming racism was involved otherwise nobody would be concerned about a person carrying a gun on campus? Or is it racism because the police came out in force rather than just sending an unarmed officer to apologize to the potential shooter?

It's the sending an unarmed officer to apologize to the potential shooter, you idiot. How could you be so stupid as to even question that.

 

[Moonbeam]

The epoxalypse has arrived! Guess they couldn't make the charges stick as the student adhered to the law. This wouldn't have happened to a student with a pasty complexion.

Nice tactics. Imagine the the scene between him and cops with rubber bullets..

 

[Moonbeam]

We should all be glad that leftist hysteria, ignorance and fear didn't claim the life of the student who was just doing a project with a glue utensil.

Are you up this late because somebody forgot to warm your bottle?

 

[Moonbeam]

Are you using the word racism based on the dictionary definition--i.e., belief of superiority over other groups--or using it in a purely colloquial way, i.e. lumping in tribalism and/or any social expressions of in-group/out-group preferences?

Well that all depends on what dictionary we may want to look at and which of the choices offered and what part of the country we prefer to derive our colloquial meaning. Basically, I was sort of using the word racism to convey the idea that I was talking about racism. Let me know if you get up to speed on what that is.

 

[IronWing]

Nice tactics. Imagine the the scene between him and cops with rubber bullets..

We must cement our bonds to Constitutional principles and cure our relations if we are to have a strong union.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

We must cement our bonds to Constitutional principles and cure our relations if we are to have a strong union.

I cure my cement with water.

 

[MetalMat]

Author of the article is really trying hard trying to push the racism angle on this.

 

[boomerang]

Would changing the name of this inanimate object from glue gun to glue utensil help? I would say so. Who, in their right mind (left mind?) would report a black man with a glue utensil? A glue utensil is far less dangerous than a glue gun if by nothing else but definition alone. This seems like a simple solution to avert situations like these in the future.

Next

 

[interchange]

I do take exception to the automatic assumption that this event is readily ascribed to unconscious racial bias or overt conscious racism, and I also take exception to the ease of using the term "racism" without greater precision here.

Undoubtedly, at least unconscious racial attributions played a role in this event, but I don't see anything approaching clarity in how. And what about other unconscious attributions that have nothing to do with race?

The mind works by making mental representations of attributes. No one is free of these biases, so I don't ascribe acting within them as malice. Such biases ought to preclude certain individuals from certain roles (e.g. police work) and provoke procedures and other institutional controls to mitigate them, but entering a discussion on these things under a framework that bias = malice is counterproductive. The only people who comfortably assent to that are those that identify with the victim or those that are in denial of their own biases. This may be productive in identifying and implementing institutional controls, but that is only part of progress. Importantly, such an outcome allows someone to skirt their own individual responsibility in monitoring and adjusting their own assumptions. I don't like people who see no value in looking inward.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I do take exception to the automatic assumption that this event is readily ascribed to unconscious racial bias or overt conscious racism, and I also take exception to the ease of using the term "racism" without greater precision here.

Undoubtedly, at least unconscious racial attributions played a role in this event, but I don't see anything approaching clarity in how. And what about other unconscious attributions that have nothing to do with race?

The mind works by making mental representations of attributes. No one is free of these biases, so I don't ascribe acting within them as malice. Such biases ought to preclude certain individuals from certain roles (e.g. police work) and provoke procedures and other institutional controls to mitigate them, but entering a discussion on these things under a framework that bias = malice is counterproductive. The only people who comfortably assent to that are those that identify with the victim or those that are in denial of their own biases. This may be productive in identifying and implementing institutional controls, but that is only part of progress. Importantly, such an outcome allows someone to skirt their own individual responsibility in monitoring and adjusting their own assumptions. I don't like people who see no value in looking inward.

Das Beste, was du wissen kannst,
Darfst du den Buben doch nicht sagen.

 

[Challenger]

What should the caller have used to describe the student? Dark white?

 

[Atreus21]

The epoxalypse has arrived! Guess they couldn't make the charges stick as the student adhered to the law. This wouldn't have happened to a student with a pasty complexion.

That right there was good.

 

[interchange]

Das Beste, was du wissen kannst,
Darfst du den Buben doch nicht sagen.

This echoing of my signature led me to consider the following thought experiment:
Say you are on a college campus that does not allow guns and you witness a black man brandishing what you perceive to be a handgun. Because of some circumstance, you don't have any opportunity to get another observation but you know they will remain on campus and in this experiment your cousin was a Sandy Hook victim so you certainly believe that reporting the presence of a firearm is unobjectionable regardless of any evidence of intent (provided you are certain of your perception). But in this thought experiment you are a (relatively) enlightened person who is aware that you have unconscious biases that would make you more likely to perceive a non gun object as a gun when held by a black person. Therefore, although you are certain that your mental image is that of a gun, you are not certain if your mental image is falsely produced because the person is black. Do you report your perception?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

This echoing of my signature led me to consider the following thought experiment:
Say you are on a college campus that does not allow guns and you witness a black man brandishing what you perceive to be a handgun. Because of some circumstance, you don't have any opportunity to get another observation but you know they will remain on campus and in this experiment your cousin was a Sandy Hook victim so you certainly believe that reporting the presence of a firearm is unobjectionable regardless of any evidence of intent (provided you are certain of your perception). But in this thought experiment you are a (relatively) enlightened person who is aware that you have unconscious biases that would make you more likely to perceive a non gun object as a gun when held by a black person. Therefore, although you are certain that your mental image is that of a gun, you are not certain if your mental image is falsely produced because the person is black. Do you report your perception?

Speaking for myself there would be no hesitation, I'd report it and give a the best description that may identify the individual. That includes any race, color, sex, any obvious trait. It is a matter of prioritization. If the person did not have a weapon the worst case is that someone would be offended and they move on. Color is irrelevant. If they did have a gun what was the worst? Death, and I would be responsible in part for letting my fear of possible condemnation take priority over the safety of others. Being black changes neither scenario.

I'm simply not so important that I would not report something potentially life threatening because I may have some bias or deficiency. The safety of others takes priority over my fears and sensibilities. I would without hesitation apologize to anyone I had falsely reported, however insult can be gotten over but life lost can never be regained.

 

[Moonbeam]

I do take exception to the automatic assumption that this event is readily ascribed to unconscious racial bias or overt conscious racism, and I also take exception to the ease of using the term "racism" without greater precision here.

Undoubtedly, at least unconscious racial attributions played a role in this event, but I don't see anything approaching clarity in how. And what about other unconscious attributions that have nothing to do with race?

The mind works by making mental representations of attributes. No one is free of these biases, so I don't ascribe acting within them as malice. Such biases ought to preclude certain individuals from certain roles (e.g. police work) and provoke procedures and other institutional controls to mitigate them, but entering a discussion on these things under a framework that bias = malice is counterproductive. The only people who comfortably assent to that are those that identify with the victim or those that are in denial of their own biases. This may be productive in identifying and implementing institutional controls, but that is only part of progress. Importantly, such an outcome allows someone to skirt their own individual responsibility in monitoring and adjusting their own assumptions. I don't like people who see no value in looking inward.

This is quite true but I would just add a couple of things. I do not know what it is like to be black. I don't experience racism based on the color of my skin, at least not yet or at least not in my formative years. I therefore, upon introspection, am forced to conclude that I don't have any idea as to how bad racism is for black people. I know that people who have been tagged as inferior for some reason can become sensitive to anything mentioning that even imagining that is what is implied when it isn't. I also don't know how black people respond to racism. It may be that many of them are much more comfortable in their skins than I would be if I suddenly now as an adult had to endure some kind of similar attack on my persona.

What I do know is that black people seem to be upset about something they describe as racism and I'm inclined to give them, I think, a greater benefit of the doubt than you seem to. I find it quite rational to assume the caller was influenced by the person's race. And if not here, then in many other cases.

I would add to what Hay said that if I called I would make it clear that if I could not identify the object in the man's hand as a gun with certainty, I would say that also and tell them not to rush in with guns blazing but make sure it really is a gun.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I would add to what Hay said that if I called I would make it clear that if I could not identify the object in the man's hand as a gun with certainty, I would say that also and tell them not to rush in with guns blazing but make sure it really is a gun.

That is a good point and I would automatically do so. The safety of people is involved including the "gun" holder and that carries a mandate of accurately recounting as best as possible what one believes they saw. Report observations accurately, but not assumptions.

 

[1sikbITCH]

We should all be glad that leftist hysteria, ignorance and fear didn't claim the life of the student who was just doing a project with a glue utensil.

Leftists? Leftists are not the terrified pistol packing gerrymandering Muslim banning gay bashing still segregating wall building pussies scared of everyone who is not a white Christian.

The leftists are the blacks, Muslims, gays, Hispanics and snowflakes that cause you to rock yourself to sleep cradling your shotgun. Not sure where you guys stand on Jews these days because Trump stands with Israel. That's gotta hurt. We love them though along with the Palestinians too.

 

[boomerang]

What should the caller have used to describe the student? Dark white?

Human, just human. No color, no gender. Describing clothing could potentially be biased so no description of that. Describing someone by using the pronoun 'ze' is very appropriate.

 

[alcoholbob]

Well that all depends on what dictionary we may want to look at and which of the choices offered and what part of the country we prefer to derive our colloquial meaning. Basically, I was sort of using the word racism to convey the idea that I was talking about racism. Let me know if you get up to speed on what that is.

So, every definition there ever existed? Has anyone ever gotten "up to speed" on all knowledge on a topic? I'm curious if you have any examples of any individuals who know everything on ANY topic, since you are interested to know my progress towards that goal.

 

[imported_tajmahal]

Are you up this late because somebody forgot to warm your bottle?

Your _______ is doing a great job of warming my bottle, thanks.