We have been discussing the racist tweets of Saida Grundy, an incoming assistant professor of sociology and African-American studies at Boston University, who used twitter to denounce white men as the central problem at universities and described how she tries not to do business with white people. After an outcry from alumni, Boston University president Robert Brown expressed “disappointment” with her statements and Grundy herself apologized for what she called “indelicate” wording. The response has been withering with many saying that few would view the comments “indelicate” if a white professor encouraged people not to buy things from black people or calling black males as the problem on colleges. She now stands accused of a fairly unhinged exchange with a white woman who expressed her personal feelings over an article attacking actress Patricia Arquette for her call at the Oscars for equal pay for women.
Grundy is now accused of a new exchange with a white woman which combined race and rage in a particularly troubling way on Facebook. The other woman was Maghan Chamberlin who is a rape victim and wrote about her personal reaction to a controversial article on race.
First to the context of the article. Chamberlin was reacting to a screed by Grio writer Blue Telusma who found it terribly offensive that Patricia Arquette had given the following words at the Academy Awards in accepting her Oscar in February 2015. Here is what Arquette said (which is news to me because I would rather drink molten lead than watch the Oscars):
To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights! It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America!. . .
It’s time for women. Equal means equal. The truth is the older women get, the less money they make. The highest percentage of children living in poverty are in female-headed households. It’s inexcusable that we go around the world and we talk about equal rights for women in other countries and we don’t. One of those superior court justices said two years ago in a law speech at a university that we don’t have equal rights for women in America, and we don’t because when they wrote Constitution, they didn’t intend it for women. So the truth is even though we sort of feel like we have equal rights in America, right under the surface there are huge issues at play that really do affect women. It’s time for all the women in America, and all the men that love women and all the gay people and all the people of color that we’ve all fought for — to fight for us now!
That triggered a supernova in Telasum who called it another example of “feminism segregation” and “b.s.” Telasum decides herself as someone who spends her time writing “thoughtful op-eds” while resisting white feminism. She insisted the feminists were trying to assert equality as victims of our society and that was unacceptable:
And before you say “But, Blue, she said women not just white women,” let me be blunt: If you say black people need to stand up for you – that means you are asking every person in the room who is both black and a woman to choose her gender over her race in order to suit your agenda. It’s a very subtle form of feminist segregation that I’ve heard about for a few years now. And it’s complete b.s.
Who does she think nursed and looked after all of those white children during the slave era? Did she somehow miss the last 400 years of race relations? Does she not notice who the nannies are when she takes her kids to the park? Society has made it all too clear that not all women are created equal. So to ask the women who are below you on the food chain to once again lift you up is fifty shades of “You got some nerve.” . . .
Black feminists all over the world have written horror stories about how, when dealing with white feminists, they are expected to compartmentalize their blackness and put it away — while fighting on behalf of their womanhood. That ridiculous (and ironically misogynistic) expectation from their white feminist counterparts amounts to what feels like friendly fire; you’re basically being discriminated against by the very person standing next to you in the fight for equality.
Ok, that is the article that led Chamberlin to react in a very personal way. Chamberlin posted the following statement on a Facebook site run by Frank W. Miller, an exchange later taken down according to Fox News: “I LITERALLY cry and lose sleep over this,” Chamberlin wrote, adding she had been raped as a child and felt that: “what this article did was tell me that I’m not aloud (sic) to ask for help… Because I am a WHITE woman… So when I read this article… you do understand what that does to me, right? It kills me . . . ”
As an academic and a blogger, I would view such a posting as helpful and allowing for a passionate but insightful exchange on both sides. This is an interesting social and political and historical question. However, a person who identified herself as “Sai Grundy” responded on Feb. 25th by attacking Chamberlin and mocking her expression of pain:
“’I literally cry’…. While we literally die . . . try this article. A white woman explaining this issue to other white women . . . who manages NOT to cry while doing it!”
Chamberlin responded by writing “No really. I got it. You can take your claws out, thanks.”
That causes Grundy to explode and accuse Chamberlin of playing the victim in response to her insisting that she and others were facing greater victimization:
“^^THIS IS THE S**T I AM TALKING ABOUT. WHY DO YOU GET TO PLAY THE VICTIM EVERY TIME PEOPLE OF COLOR AND OUR ALLIES WANT TO POINT OUT RACISM. my CLAWS?? Do you see how you just took an issue that WASNT about you, MADE it about you, and NOW want to play the victim when I take the time to explain to you some s**t that is literally $82,000 below my pay grade? And then you promote your #whitegirltears like that’s some badge you get to wear… YOU BENEFIT FROM RACISM. WE’RE EXPLAINING THAT TO YOU and you’re vilifying my act of intellectual altruism by saying i stuck my “claws” into you?”
Chamberlin against responds, in a far more measured fashion: “I am choosing to ‘exit’ this conversation, You don’t know me. I don’t know you. It’s really as simple as that.”
Even that does not sit well with Grundy who taunts “go cry somewhere. since that’s what you do”:
YOU DONT HAVE TO KNOW ME. what you SHOULD know is that you don’t know more about this issue than margenalized women. And instead of entering this conversation with an iota of humility about that, you have made it a celebration of your false sense of victimization. no [sic] go cry somewhere. snce that’s what you do.’
Chamberlin responded: “Will do.”
However, Grundy was not done. She then posted: “am I mocking her tears or am I saying that her tears are meaningless displays of emotions because they don’t reflect at ALL an intention to understand the issue from the prospective (sic) of women of color or queer women.” She then adds “my name is *Sai*, but you can call me Dr. Grundy.”
As with her earlier public statements, I find Grundy’s view to be deeply troubling and overtly racist. However, I still believe that they are protected speech. I do believe that such comments could have been considered (and should have been considered) at her hiring. I would have reservations about the intellectual and professional approach of a candidate who responded in such an intolerant fashion. I would certainly want to question the candidate about her approach to students and colleagues in light of such past positions. However, she was hired and I have considerable problem with firing academics because they take controversial positions, even positions with both sexist and racist overtones. As I explained yesterday in the case of the Duke professor, It is a dangerous and slippery slope. The greatest problem is that the uncertain standard creates a chilling effect on academics, particularly untenured academics in what views will be tolerated. In the academic world, such uncertainty can be devastating and strikes at the very heart of the academic mission.
Various sites have been organized to support Grundy like “StandWithSaida.”
What do you think?
Inga, it’s sufficient to remember that SJWs lie.
All else flows from that.
As such, they will do anything they can to gain power, even hurt each other, as this post clearly demonstrates.
HBC is an acronym for Historically Black College.
Pogo, you sound like you’re trying to be a victim too, of the evil “SJW”s. Does this give your particular ‘tribe’ more power or something? Everyone wants to be a victim, so true.
“it’s odd bringing it into a discussion regarding racial relations and feminism in academia.”
Not at all, of course, because the people being discussed are SJWs, just like you and Max.
I was asked to define it and did so.
You can keep talking about it if you want.
Pogo, please find, then cut a paste the comments in which either Max or I advocated for first graders to be taught about transgender or gay sex. If a child is displaying some transgender behavior in first grade, it’s up to his or her parent to deal with it as they see fit. As for teaching sex to first graders, homo or hetero, I don’t know where you dreamed this up. First of all it’s seriously off topic, secondly it’s odd bringing it into a discussion regarding racial relations and feminism in academia.
@ Tin Ear
Exactly. The professional victimhood warriors, like the SJWs, realized that there are large monetary benefits to themselves in leading “the cause”. Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson are prime examples. They are rich because of their rising to the top of the pile of victims and the fakery of victims. Standing tall on Tawana Brawly. However these types exist in all classes who want to climb the victimhood ladder.. Money, grants, jobs, preferences etc. makes them all try to get the prize. Who is the BIGGEST victim gets the money.
The problem with the professional victims or in classifying an entire group of people such as ALL hispanics, blacks, gays as victims is that it makes invisible the actual real individual persons who are disadvantaged and victimized. There are real people who have been hurt but they are buried under the avalanche of categorizing everyone as a victim.
Michelle Obama always wants to play the victim or racist card, and yes, at some point in her life she might have been slighted or even discriminated against. Who hasn’t? She should listen to these points made by Matthew McConaughey
7 truth bombs.
http://www.ijreview.com/2015/05/324554-matthew-mcconaughey-dropped-7-truth-bombs-that-new-grads-might-want-to-remember-before-getting-a-job/
We shall overcome doesn’t mean that you get things handed to you or things taken from other people and given to you with no strings attached. You learn to overcome and work to overcome.
The more people try to play this game of who is the biggest victim or blame others for their own lack of responsibility….the less and less I care about them or their “causes”.
You don’t recall?
Are you a Clinton?
@Paul C. Schulte
“this woman should not be near a classroom that is racially mixed.”
Oh, come on. Are you seriously advocating Blacks only classes? Besides, after all her racially charged diatribes, what white student in his right mind would take a class from her anyway?
I’m sure it isn’t the first time BU has hired an intolerant bigot with likely substance abuse issues, and won’t be the last. Academia is full of clowns like her, who think a sheepskin and a job entitles them to say whatever pops into their soused heads and then hide behind the false shibboleths of academic freedom and institutional credibility when their inanities are inevitably challenged.
The race, gender, religion, politics of the speaker is not the underlying issue. The real problem is the ease with which professional standards in higher education are tossed aside in the name of advancing those whose messages happen to coincide with the intellectual fashions of the times.
Same as it ever was….
Ponacrates – I would take her class just for the fun. 🙂 She is easy pickin’s.
“The inability of most white people to ‘get’ just what perks and passes they receive”
Sweeping generalizations warrant dismissal out of hand.
Name the perks and passes.
Be specific.
Show your work.
“…because of their complexion suggests some congenital brain malfunction.”
You are being racist, suggesting that whites have an inherited brain disorder.
But SJWs are usually racist, so it fits.
“…implies the violence many will use to enforce their privilege.”
1. What violence has enforced thuis imaginary privilege you speak of?
Give specific examples.
Show your work.
2. Who commits the most violence in the US today?
Hint: They live in Baltimore, Ferguson, Detroit, St. Louis, and Chicago.
Pogo,
I don’t recall either myself or Max advocating the teaching about transgenders and gay sex to first graders. Why lie about that? That makes you appear unhinged.
The inability of most white people (I know it well since I’m one too, and it’s often unfiltered around me) to ‘get’ just what perks and passes they receive because of their complexion suggests some congenital brain malfunction. That “true, but better left unsaid” comment earlier in the thread implies the violence many will use to enforce their privilege. Nasty business.
Thanks for completing my ‘ better left unsaid’ thought.
DBQ: I don’t know that anyone has ever performed a cost/benefit analysis of victimhood, but there is a reason that people are competing for Most Favored Victim Status – it pays excellent benefits in terms of jobs, educational opportunities, and the like. I don’t know that anyone, prior to the 1960s, clambered to be viewed as a pathetic victim. But once jobs were awarded based on membership in a “victimized” group, and coveted college admissions were awarded based on who could write the best sob story, the competition began. And now that so many belong to one or more victim groups, the groups have to compete among themselves for top billing on the victim hierarchy.
Well, I probably am an SJW as well, though I prefer to think I don’t lie. I also have no intention of teaching any first graders about transgenders or gay sex, though I have had the conversation (with three year olds) about why a class mate has two mommies. They asked, so I explained as simply as I could.
Yup. Inga and Max are the resident SJWs here.
The move to teach first graders about transgenders and gay sex is classic SJW.
“Social Justice Warrior” makes way more sense than what I came up with on my own (Single Jewish Woman). I take it Grundy is an SJW?
SWJs are Social Justice Warriors.
One key fact about SJWs: they always always lie.
What is SJW? or “HBC”? I will allow that at least I know who MLK is. Otherwise, I’m acronymically challenged today.
RcCarol – HBC = Historically Black College.
I can’t understand why anyone would even remotely take seriously the ramblings of an Oscar winner to begin with. They made her comments “important” by decrying them.
I have seen white feminists try to tell women of color to put their color aside. It has never made sense to me, since I can’t see me putting either my color or my gender to the side. Both of these are integral to my identify.
Nor do I understand Chamberlin’s response, necessarily. I took the overblown response to Arquette’s ramblings to be a commentary on how white feminists forget that not every female has the same experience as the white woman. And white feminists run feminism.
But Grundy’s attack was completely uncalled for. You’re really going to tell a woman who was raped as a child that she has no right to claim she was victimized? I really don’t remotely see how that helps your cause at all. Further, you have alienated all the people you allegedly want to educate. Of course, education is not really her goal.
Duke had a white male professor just fired because the Chinese won the MLK award not a black.
But if you look at it. Blacks do not follow in the foot steps of MLK, The follow Islamic beliefs like Malcolm X taught. But look at Al Shapton and Jesse Jackson, riots create a cash flow tfor those preachers.
Fire Grundy and any other teacher who fills the youthful minds of the students with this hatred.
Why did she become a teacher and then teach like the “Stomp on Jesus” ones did in Florida.
Or like the teacher who told her students she would fail each one who did not vote Democratic also in Florida. Maybe it is time to narrow down the teachers and replace them with robots.
I do not advocate restricting this woman’s right to free speech.
I do, however, advocate restricting this woman to no more than two glasses of red wine before blogging.
Ponacrates – this woman should not be near a classroom that is racially mixed or anything she can type on.