Matt: After all of the controversy with the Trayvon Martin case, it was unfortunate about what happened at the Hale Center on our very own campus when somebody spray painted "Long Live Zimmerman" on the side of the building. As a school that prides ourselves on diversity, it was an unfortunate event. On April 6th, however, our own classmates gathered at Hale Hall to stand against this violent crime. I am proud that the students at Ohio State did not react in a negative way, but demonstrated how responsible we can be and deal with unfortunate circumstances in a positive fashion. We showed as a student body that even though there may be some students who like to play childish games, the majority of us agree that we should unify and stand up against racism.
John: the vandalism that happened at Hale Hall was unspeakable. its horrible how somehone could even begin to celebrate the life of a man who took another man's young life, and it disgusts me even more that we have people who feel that way on our own campus. i like to think of ohio state as my home away from home, where i can go anywhere and feel safe and at ease. In the aftermath of this vandalism, there are students on this campus who are now probably afraid to leave there dorms everday. i am proud of my university that we had so many people show up to this event in an effort to fight against racism.
Cantus: The side of Hale Hall was spray-painted with three words "Long Live Zimmerman." These words can be cleaned up easily, but it is hard to erode the racial inequality problem we have in this society. Besides, the university is not the place for hate crimes, but this act makes some students feel that our campus is not safe anymore. And it is hard to imagine that someone could vandalize the building to celebrate the tragedy. I'm glad that most people are against racism and this vandalism.
Great choice of article. To get conversation started, here are a few questions to think about:
ReplyDeleteWhat message(s) does the university seem to be sending to students about this crime?
What message(s) do the student organizers seem to be sending to the university and to the student body?
How is this particular article framing the conversation?
What does this situation (the article, the various responses, the comments on the article, etc.) say about the way we talk about race (and other types of diversity) at Ohio State?
Obviously I am a little bit behind, and since I can't figure out how to put my post with the rest of my group, I'm just going to put it here. Sorry about this!!
ReplyDeleteI found this article from The Lantern to be extremely interesting because of the two opposing groups of students that have one large thing in common: they attend the same university. On one hand, we have a group of students supporting Zimmerman’s act of complete unnecessary violence, and opposite of this group, there is a vast majority of young people who have decided to take a stand against it. Attending Ohio State for less than one year, I can already see that this school represents someone from every walk of life. It is somewhat contradictory for someone to post such a hateful message when they are attending what could possibly be one of the most diverse universities in the country. At the same time, the students who gathered at Hale Hall represent exactly what Ohio State is all about. I think we can all agree that their display of courage and ability to stand up for what’s right is exceptionally respectable.
I was unfortunatley not able to attend the meet at Hale Hall, but what they spray painted on the side of the Hale Hall building sent a clear message. No one knows who wrote it on the side of the wall but heads are already turning towards a particular group, we are already starting to jump to conclusion about the situation which in itself causes more controversy. At this moment we assume which is the problem in society today. The worst thing about it is that the building is The Black Cultural Center so what questions does this brings to ones mind? Is this the start racial attack on African Americans at OSU campus? Why do are quick to profile someone that is different but we do not take a look at ourselves first? Unless we change as a society about this idea of "Race" it will still exist.
ReplyDeleteAs an African-American student, the Hale Center is a central part to my experience here at OSU. Many of the events I partake in, the tutoring I receive and so forth are hosted in that building. Over the past couple of quarters, it’s become a home and somewhat a headquarters for my friends and me. I believe hundreds of other African Americans feel the same. I’m shocked that someone had the audacity to write such a spiteful thing on the building. Someone wrote that on that building specifically to voice their racist view against ALL of the African Americans on this campus. Why? Because they’re racist? Is it because they’re tired of hearing about Trayvon Martin on the news? Or is it possible that they’re just that stupid? No one but him/her/they will know. It’s a sad state of affairs to know that in a university as big and diverse as ours, we still have people that are stuck in their ignorant and racist ways. Hopefully seeing the reaction and disapproval among the OSU student body will finally convince some that doing things like this are hurtful, unwarranted, and just not okay.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why anybody would do something like this either. It's completely inexcusable. You have to question the credibility of the person, or people, who did this. You would think that they would be more responsible at a school like this. Ohio State now has a black eye, and people in other institutions may have a different opinion toward all of us. What was demonstrated last week, however, does not reflect who we are at all. We pride ourselves on our diversity. We all interact with people of different cultures here and, for the most part, have grown to understand and accept eachother. It's the right thing to do and hopefully everybody will learn to agree.
ReplyDeleteLiving very close to the Hale Center I was appalled to see the graffiti on such an iconic building for African American students our campus. The ironic thing is the person who did that most likely is a student on Ohio State’s campus where one of the essay questions just to get in required to specify how you would bring diversity to the college. This University prides itself on the many cultures it contains, and works for the unity and collaboration of these diverse groups. The message was clearly meant to be an attack on the African American race, but what if we took racial groups out of the picture? No human being should freely shoot another for simply walking down the street even if they may look suspicious. Even if both parties were the same race the act of taking a life is what I consider to be the biggest problem. That person who vandalized Hale Hall may have intended to insult and hurt African American students on campus, but the message it really sent out to me was that they were okay with and encourage the murder of innocent human beings. “Long live Zimmerman” shows support to all the criminals in jail who murdered other people, and the racial battle of equality we have tried to end especially at a University so focused on and proud of the diversity of it’s students.
ReplyDeleteI was proud of the way the University handled this situation, with the immediate email of it happening being sent out, and then another one later on being sent. They made it clear that our University is no place for hate crimes and that whoever did it was very wrongful in doing so. The university also made it clear that it won't tolerate crime and especially this preventable one based on someone's thoughts. The comments thus far show that most people realize Ohio State is a very diverse University and that diversity is one thing many people like about it. The student body recognizes this is a horrible hate crime and that there is no place for it here at Ohio State. The article shows how Ohio State students gathered to express their thoughts on the act and shows we have a strong number of people who are against these crimes, and are trying to figure out ways to stop them from happening in the future. Although most people know this act is wrong, there are still a few out there who probably agree with this act, seeing as Ohio State is such a big University and some people are going to have misinformed and wrongful views on race.
ReplyDeleteThe entire situation with Trayvon Martin and his killer Zimmerman caused enough controversy to begin with. As most of the other respondents have stated, there definitely was racism involved with this and with the vandalism at Hale Hall. The words written out could have been painted on any building in Columbus, but the choice of building on campus made an even bigger statement. I agree with James that the person who wrote this wrote in spite of African Americans as a whole. The statement only supported a man who murdered because he was guilty of stereotyping. Just like reading the article about white privilege, many people sadly fall into the hands of stereotyping and wrongly accusing someone who is different than them. Being all apart of the same university, those students came together to stand up against being stereotyped. They stood up against racism and showed that Ohio State is not okay with such hate crimes.
ReplyDeleteI actually saw the writing on the side of Hale Hall on my way to class in the morning. I knew immediately what the writing was in reference to, and I was in shock that someone would do that. Whoever did it showed major insensitivity towards a hot topic in today's news. I am glad that our school has stepped up and is taking a strong stance against hate crimes like this. It shows me that they want to make Ohio State a place where everyone feels welcome and safe. I look at Ohio State as my home so this is important to me. I know that this act does not reflect the views of the majority of people here on campus. I thought it was important that people stepped up right away to say that acts like these are not welcome at our school.
ReplyDeleteWhoever who spray painted the message on Hale Hall must be a very inconsiderate and hateful person. They did not know how big of a impact that would leave on people or how this will fuel a fire that is the a racial movement to even greater equality. I believe that our campus is a very, very diverse place and that everyone is an equal here. When I came to orientation this exact motto was said many times. We pride ourselves being diverse and that we accept anyone that wants a great education. Racism does not need to be on this campus we work with people of all different ethnic backgrounds and cultural differences but yet we are ALL Buckeyes. We all all one family no matter what race or gender. Tim brought up a great point that he was glad the school stepped up and did something about it. We all should band together and demolish racism as a whole on this campus.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to racist acts or hate crimes, I am just disappointed in our society. I expect our society to accept just about anything and understand that racism is wrong. The spray painted message on the Hale Center is just shows that does not exist and gives a reason why I do not understand why people do ignorant things. Do they think that their targeted audience has suffered enough? Now the African Americans and other minorities have to be conscience of what they do just because someone decided to do based off of stereotypes. That why I preach to a lot of my friends who haven't gone through discrimination to "think before you act."
ReplyDeleteI honestly thought before those words were spray painted on the building that my generation would be the one that actually stopped being racist. I guess what I forgot is that racism is learned, not natural. There are still parents out there teach their children racism as they’re growing up. It’s terrible that anyone would spray paint anything supporting George Zimmerman’s actions, but at the same time, they’re just kids. It’s our responsibility to not just root out whoever did this and make them face consequences for their actions, but also make them understand why they’re wrong. Racism is a disease that needs to be rehabilitated and unless we treat those who have been taught to be racist, as well as the teachers of racism, the cycle will just continue.
ReplyDeleteMy question is whether or not they actually found out who spray painted the graffiti on the side of the Hale Center. I mean there are people around the campus area who don't necessarily go to OSU or are even in the demographic of "our generation". I walk by the Hale Center everyday when I go to and from my car and I see all kinds of people from old to young to homeless to what have you. It could be possible that the person who spray painted the center isn't a student, but is just a racist who was attempting to stir the pot.
ReplyDeleteThe spray-painted “Long live Zimmerman” shows the fact that racism still exists in the society, though it may not be a mainstream. In our daily lives, we avoid talking about races, but it does not mean the differences of races and the race issues do not exist. Just like the main point argued in the article about white privilege which we read in class, people may be able to ignore the fact of racial difference, however, they cannot deny that white privilege are still there no matter you are aware of it or not. In this society, white, heterosexual, middle and upper class men are regarded as “normal”, which means that a huge number of people who do not belong to this “normal” group of people are “abnormal”. Furthermore, being “abnormal” sometimes is a reason for them to be attacked by others. As a Chinese student, I was shocked when I heard about the murder and the death of two Chinese students in University of South California. And I am glad to see the positive reaction of our school to show support for anti-racism. I really hope that all students can have a safe place to study and live no matter which race you are.
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to hear about the vandalism that took place here at Ohio State. I cannot believe the immaturity of some people to write “Long Live Zimmerman” on the side of the Hale center. I unfortunately was not able to attend the gathering that took place right outside the site of the vandalism, but was very pleased to see the university take some action. I am displeased by all the racism that still exists in our society today. We need to help the people who performed this act understand why it is wrong and as a community help remove racism completely so people can feel comfortable being themselves here at Ohio State. It would be a shame to see anyone feel unsafe or decide to leave Ohio State because of one person or group of peoples immature actions.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked that someone could possibly commit such an offensive crime on Ohio State’s Campus, as to write “long live Zimmerman” on the side of a building. This is only my third quarter at OSU but from what I have seen, this campus is very diverse and accepting. Walking around Campus a person could see a wide variety of races and hear a wide variety of languages, all existing together on campus. It amazes me that anyone on campus could see all of these cultures and groups mixing and coexisting and still commit such a racist act. I also agree with Sammy that this act wasn’t necessarily committed by a student at OSU, it could have been anyone. Either way I am proud to be a part of a Campus that contains such a diverse group of people that came together after this incident and stood up against the racism that was committed.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard about the message spray painted on Hale Hall, I was shocked. Ohio State has a diverse student body and this message does not reflect on our university. It is unfortunate that this act happened at our school, but like others said, it could have been anyone. The fact that students gathered at Hale Hall to take a stand against racism is an accurate portrayal of OSU. The message that the organizers are sending is that racism is not acceptable. They are showing that the spray painting of "Long Live Zimmerman" on Hale Hall was the act of one person, and the whole university stands behind our African-American students as well as all African-Americans in the fight against racism.
ReplyDeleteI think it is sad that I go to Ohio State, a university that has one of the most diverse bodies of students, and we have issues of racist slurs “Long Live Zimmerman” being vandalized on public property. Even though this could have been done by one single person, the whole situation affects the university as a whole. One of the reasons I chose to go to OSU was because I liked the university as a whole, and if students don’t like the diversity that comes with the university, they don’t need to be attending this school. I’m proud of my schools anti-racist actions and the way it tries to rally students together. This situation just opens my eyes more to how the United States is still so racist and how actions need to be made to fix this problem.
ReplyDeleteI think that vandalism found on Hale Hall was out of plain ignorance and stupidity. I can't even fathom why this person is so cynical to paint such a provocative statement on a building at OSU, a school with a big student body, a good portion of which is black. I know that this has personally opened my eyes to the extent of some people's racial ignorance. I've always known that there are very racist people, who I thought were mainly older generations. Our generation has been raised in a society that is more accepting of the different racial groups of the world today, and I assumed that our generation was okay with this, yet still racist. One thing said in the article that really bothered me was "The reference, officials said, is most likely to George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch leader who allegedly killed Trayvon Martin in self-defense Feb. 26 in Florida." I mean lets be honest, it was not out of self defense, it was pure hate against black people. I mean what was Trayvon going to do, skittle him to death?
ReplyDeleteI was shocked to hear someone spray painted the "Long Live Zimmerman" on the side of Hale Hall. I was angry that there is racism on our own campus. But I know the majority of us are against racism when I read about students gathering at Hale Hall to express their thoughts against these crimes.I'm glad to hear that. We come to Ohio State with the same identity--student. Though everyone is different in many aspects, this common identity can never be denied. We need to take the differences in a positive way, make the campus even better. Racism can't achieve the goal.
ReplyDeleteThe vandalism that occurred at Hale Hall was a nasty hate crime that should not have been committed. Now, because some people with an ignorant mentality decided to write "Long Live Zimmerman" our community has come together but still diversified. People do not notice how much of an impact something like that can have on a selective group of people. I was not able to make any events that pertained to speaking out against the hate crime, but it pleased me to know that there are positive people who can retaliate in a positive manner. It brought a lot of people together but it can't erase the fact and thoughts in others heads that this didn't happen and there are still some racist people in the world. Othering a group of people by a hate crime is one of the worst things that can be done to group of people, especially if their the minority. On this campus, we pride diversity and this crime just made our diverse group of students come together and make a difference.
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