Really? I’m not sure what upsets me most about this story, the snowflake’s ridiculously delicate sensibilities that raised the issue or the university’s syrupy placating response.
A few weeks back at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, some of the student leaders at the Law Review constructed a makeshift trophy to celebrate the excellent Bluebook editing that had been accomplished by the staff. Using random materials, they put a wig with long black hair on a football and used miscellaneous items to resemble a face. They then placed the trophy on a shelf where everyone could see it.
The trophy was on display for approximately ten days when a member of the staff went into Karen/snowflake mode and complained about it.
OK, when I heard the description of this makeshift trophy, the first thing that popped into my mind was Mr. Potato Head. In my humble opinion, I’d be willing to bet they were thinking the same thing. Had the snowflake who complained never seen Mr. Potato Head, or was the individual just looking to stir things up? Well, if they were looking to cause problems, the university certainly obliged them.
In a blog post, the Law Review staff immediately fell on the potato head sword: “Although no one involved recognized it at the time, the face resembled images of black face, which historically has been a horrible and humiliating means of degrading African Americans. No one involved intended to make an item that resembled an image with such terrible racial connotations. However, Law Review’s leadership should have immediately recognized what the ‘trophy’ resembled and how it harmed members of the Memphis legal community who viewed it.”
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Then it was Dean Katharine Schaffzin’s turn to throw gas on a fire that never should have existed. In a total overreaction, she penned this memo: “Racism in any form is inexcusable and will not be tolerated. These actions have caused actual harm to students, damaged relationships, and set back our vigorous efforts to teach the cultural competence necessary for the modern practice of law. Moreover, these actions have tainted the reputation of the Law Review, its members, and the Law School itself.”
Apparently, Memphis is news-starved, because KWAM AM 990 News Radio also received a statement from the spastic liberal Dean.
These actions were extremely traumatic, offensive, and contrary to the core values of our law school. Many students were hurt by this egregious incident. I invite any member of our law school community to reach out to me to discuss this matter. Additionally, counseling resources are available to all students.
We have referred the matter to the University’s Office of Institutional Equity for investigation into potential violations of the Student Code of Conduct. We will not wait for that investigation’s conclusion to take immediate steps to address the impact of this incident on our community and to amplify our educational efforts to prevent similar instances from recurring. The law school and several student organizations have been taking swift responsive action and have begun planning to offer educational programs for Law Review and the broader student body, including education in the areas of cultural competence, implicit bias, microaggressions, and upstanders. We will consider additional action on an ongoing basis as these investigations continue.
Wow! Judging by the Dean’s description of this incident, the entire campus needs to be placed on suicide watch. Did you catch some of the adjectives and descriptions that she used? Traumatic, offensive, egregious, implicit bias, and microaggressions, geez.
Look, some students put a wig on a football and then used some random items to make a face. They did it to celebrate a job well done; there were no surreptitious intentions involved. For a university to react like this borders on the insane. Why didn’t someone explain that to the Karen who complained? A lot of this is done for attention because these snowflakes know they can get away with it. The university should have had the common sense to see this for what it was and simply given Karen a pacifier to help her cope.
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