Asians in the library - Firestorm Ensues over Racist Rant
03-16-2011
- by Opie Winfrey, Staff Mumbler
A lot of Asian people are upset, and for good reason. UCLA student Alexandra Wallace voiced her frustrations on youtube and set off a massive chain reaction that has resulted in her receiving multiple death threats. Since then, the UCLA Daily Bruin has printed Alexandra's apology, and she may face disciplinary action by the University for violating their code of conduct, but that is still being examined.

So what is UCLA to do? On one hand, everyone, yes, even racists, have the right to free speech. But on a college campus, your rights are limited. However, she put something up on youtube; it's not like she ran through the hallways screaming hateful things. So things aren't all that black and white.

Should Alexandra be punished? Should we get over it and move on? It's hard to say, but whether you like her message or despise it, punishing her might just chip away at our right to free speech. Sometimes it's better to let one racist whack-job have their say, rather than taking a step towards censorship. The more we react emotionally, the more power we give the Alexandras of the world over us. Offended as we may be, we might just want to take the high road.

Why take the high road? Think about this. Alexandra has offended millions of people, and this story is still pretty new. Alexandra is going to pay for this for a long time. If you were a hiring manager, would you hire her? If you were a client of her company, would you continue to do business with her? What I'm saying is Karma is a bitch. You can run from it all you want, but it will eventually find you.

If you are looking for a link to the original video, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoLLEZlpUxk

Tags:   asians in the library