Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Vol. CLIV, Issue 6
Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Check your irony at door

Last week, the Backpage published a Twitter-themed piece degrading women and indigenous, LGBT and black peoples. I assume Adam Brayton intended to be ironic by speaking in the fictional voice of “that douchebag you hate,” but this does not alleviate his responsibility for publishing offensive material. This piece seems to excuse the author from what is inexcusably offensive, using what bloggers and activists call “hipster racism.” Regardless of intent, this piece used racist, sexist and homophobic material in jest. At an institution committed to diversity, this should not be tolerated.

In the “Whitman bubble,” we often interact with a like-minded audience, but what our peers think is ironic may actually be offensive. Moreover, these jokes risk becoming normalized if they go uncontested. Whitman students are in positions of immense privilege by default of being educated here, but we should not rely on that privilege to excuse questionable irony. Whitties must take responsibility for when our actions and words offend. By doing so, we can be better representatives for the critically aware student body that our community tries so hard to cultivate.

I would love to see more creative humor that doesn’t rely on using offensive material.

Sincerely,
Meghan Bill ’12

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    Eliyahu RooffNov 3, 2011 at 6:30 am

    Ben, it’s not about banning material or ideas; rather, the concept which needs be internalized by the writer (and by the rest of us) is using discretion and good judgment about what we write and publish. While each of us has a right to be as offensive and crude as we like during our trek through this life, it doesn’t necessarily work to our benefit to do so. The fact that I have a right to make a comment or statement is not the best indicator for actually doing so, especially on the Internet where things can last seemingly forever and affect us in years to come when someone does a search for them, whether it be an employer, new friend or neighbor, or relative. While we may later hope to write things off as “youthful indiscretions”, others may see them as indicators of our basic character and attitudes even if those attitudes change or social acceptability of ideas changes. The last thing anyone wants on leaving college is to find that an erstwhile employer was ready to hire him or her, but found a piece in the Pioneer or other social networking site that made a red flag pop up. We have the freedom to say what we like, but with that freedom comes consequences which may not be the ones we expected or hoped for.

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  • B

    Ben MenziesNov 2, 2011 at 6:02 pm

    Okay, this is absurd. The problem with the piece is that it wasn’t funny, not that it made random offensive references in the voice of someone the reader is SUPPOSED TO HATE. The thinking here suggests that we ban any material that contains an objectionable viewpoint, whether it is presented critically or not. It should be a red flag for you when you are making the same arguments that religious conservatives make at school board meetings dedicated to banning books all over the country.

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  • L

    Let's Think About This...Oct 31, 2011 at 10:27 pm

    Actually, I think Adam is to be commended here. Students at Whitman are fundamentally over the whole “staying away from potentially offensive things” thing and have moved on to merely laughing at them in their sheer ridiculousness. We need to stop holding ourselves back and realize that intellectually mature people such as ourselves understand the irony and humor of ridiculous prejudices in which we take no part.

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  • M

    Mehera NoriOct 23, 2011 at 11:52 am

    AGREED 100%.

    For those wondering about hipster racism (or any other -isms), the following link provides a good definition.

    http://meloukhia.net/2009/07/hipster_racism.html

    Reply
  • E

    Ellie NewellOct 20, 2011 at 1:08 pm

    Thank you, Meghan. Well spoken, needed to be said.

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