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Snowflakes Triggered by “Racist” Banana
A threadline that only makes sense in the Idiocratic America of 2017.
A Greek Life leader accidentally sparked mass hysteria after he placed a banana peel on a tree in the woods — because he could not find a trash can.
The Daily Mississippian reports that three black students found the banana peel — and were apparently triggered by what they saw.
“To be clear, many members of our community were hurt, frightened, and upset,” the interim director of fraternity and sorority life wrote in a letter obtained by the newspaper.
The president of one sorority told the newspaper that “bananas have historically been used to demean black people.”
“The massive discussion session wrapped up as more and more students stood and left the room – some in tears, some in frustration. NPHC members began texting friends to come and pick them up from the camp since no one had been allowed to drive his or her car up to the retreat. The remainder of the retreat was canceled later that night,” the newspaper reported.
Do these people breakdown in tears when they walk into the produce section of a supermarket and see watermelons?
And the university asylum is treating their hysteria as though it is legitimate.
“We are aware of the situation and are working to address it through appropriate channels,” the spokesman told me. “Since we became aware of what occurred at the fraternity and sorority community’s retreat, UM staff acted quickly in an effort to engage in discussion with students.”
What a stupid, stupid, stupid time to be alive.
Published in Culture
True story: this happened in early 1980’s. I was a co-op student, assigned to work with an electrician on making a simple PLC program change. Because the PLC was not part of standard PLC platform used in our factory, neither one of us knew exactly how to perform the task. The electrician however rejected my input, telling me – “what do you know, you’re just a stupid broad”. Yes, one could say that, in that factory, at that time. He was partly right, I didn’t know very much. But not because I was stupid, nor because I was a broad, just young and inexperienced. However, I could read, and didn’t mind reading instruction manuals. [I know most engineers on this site are amazed at that second half of previous sentence. Hey, it works for me!] I modified the program while he took his break. It was a good day!
Thinking back, I would say that I was a little annoyed. And quite motivated to “show him”. But I don’t think I was upset. Somehow, we need to help our young people to grow that thicker skin. Being called a “stupid broad” or seeing banana peel should not be able to disrupt one’s day.
It’s entirely possible that this story is completely fabricated. Just sayin’.
Compare and contrast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Web007rzSOI
Imagination time: I’m in that discussion. I understand that there was a “Banana Incident” at another school. I don’t find it compelling at ‘Ole Miss’ because of the admission of the guy that put it on the tree. It wasn’t a deliberate, racist insult.
Miss McNeil, continues to press that she and all other blacks on campus have been insulted and feel very hurt and offended.
I say, “Well, get over it. It wasn’t an insult and you have no reason to feel ‘hurt and offended.’
Que the conversation “going in an unhealthy direction” as I get up and leave in
frustrationdisgust.Sound like what might have happened?
It might have happened that way.
When I was a teenager, I heard Arthur Treacher tell a college-age feminist that her ideas were a lot of “poppycock”, and that he was grateful to be as old as he was because it insured he’d be dead before her generation made a complete mess of things. At the time, I thought he was an extraordinarily bitter old man. Today, I think he had a point.
I’m retired now, but I still remember my last mandatory diversity/sensitivity training session. I’m also still amazed that I wasn’t “counseled” for my comments. They did change the course of the discussion.
Always follow Woodsy Owl’s advice. While in the forest, never throw your trash on the ground. Just stick it in a tree.
I was thinking the same thing.
It’s not the first time there’s been campus banana panic.
Or the second.
Or the third.
Or the fourth. (This one seems as authentic as those “nasty notes on restaurant receipts” that we were plagued with for awhile. )