Goldsmiths University Diversity officer facing sack

[Fozzie Bear]

Yes. Being a boy is rubbish if you don't particularly like football and fighting, if you cry easily and like learning stuff.

I think things are getting better though?

 

[billy_bob]

I've said it before, but I'm glad the Internet didn't exist when I was younger, I used to say all sorts of stupid stuff. Still do tbh.

Agree for the same (and many other) reasons. I now can't imagine life without it, but I'm very glad I didn't really have to live life on it until I was pretty much sure who I was and what kind of things I thought were/weren't ok to say and do.

 

[cesare]

You and me both.

Aye

I find myself in a conflicting position where I'm critical of her politics but at the same time supportive of her against what seems to me to be an engineered political assassination.

 

[Blagsta]

I think things are getting better though?

Probably, yes.

 

[Nancy_Winks]

M-i-L was taught that deferring to men flattered their ego and made them more well-disposed to you. It drives Greebo absolutely garrity, because her mum is actually a very competent woman - she just always falls back on the "poor helpless me" thing.

I do it tbf

 

[Artaxerxes]

Yes. Being a boy is rubbish if you don't particularly like football and fighting, if you cry easily and like learning stuff.

Aye, had a lot of weird looks for having no interest in either (tbf I'm not a fan of watching any sports really, no problems with people playing the games mind)

 

[ViolentPanda]

Aye

I find myself in a conflicting position where I'm critical of her politics but at the same time supportive of her against what seems to me to be an engineered political assassination.

I feel similarly, although I'm somewhat annoyed that she left those "hostages to fortune" in the first place. First rule of politician club is "leave no traces of the boots you put in".

 

[killer b]

Nobody really has that option anymore tbh. If you've had a social media presence over the past 15 years, and especially if you've grown up with the public/private porousness that SM brings, then I can guarantee that, should someone choose to dig, there'll be something.

 

[cesare]

I feel similarly, although I'm somewhat annoyed that she left those "hostages to fortune" in the first place. First rule of politician club is "leave no traces of the boots you put in".

Absolutely. It's also annoying that this will possibly result in her being propelled into an equalities officer job at some big NGO where the only modification of her politics will be how she phrases them on social media.

 

[Wilf]

Absolutely. It's also annoying that this will possibly result in her being propelled into an equalities officer job at some big NGO where the only modification of her politics will be how she phrases them on social media.

... and if she's particularly good at it, she'll have OBE within 20 years. The process will be complete.

 

[smokedout]

I've got no idea. Why bring Jews into it?

I think this angle is significant. I have no problem at all with the #killallwhitemen hashtag, but she was a diversity office for a large multi-ethnic and international student, tweeting an in joke. how would someone who isn't in on that joke, who's Jewish perhaps, or a white gay man from eastern europe whose first language isn't english feel if they saw their diversity officer tweeting that, would they then feel comfortable approaching for help, what if they had been a victim of racism as many eastern europeans are?

she made her position un-tenable in my opinion, whether she should be sacked for that is for the union, but there doesnt seem to be any awareness that most of the student body are probably not in her clique and its her job to represent them. the media shitstorm is obviously horrible and I have some sympathy, but what she did was stupid because this stuff is potentially very damaging and is racist, not towards the larger white uk population particularly, but to minorities from overseas. she doesn't seem to have thought about that at all.

 

[Wilf]

she made her position un-tenable in my opinion, whether she should be sacked for that is for the union, but there doesnt seem to be any awareness that most of the student body are probably not in her clique and its her job to represent them. the media shitstorm is obviously horrible and I have some sympathy, but what she did was stupid because this stuff is potentially very damaging and is racist, not towards the larger white uk population particularly, but to minorities from overseas. she doesn't seem to have thought about that at all.

The irony is, I suspect the university see it in these terms. I can only guess, but I'd suspect Goldsmiths had no problem with having a (slightly) edgy student equalities officer, in their corporate judgement thought it might fit with being in a multicultural city. However if her actions in any way got in the way of their PR strategy or, even more, put off future 'customers' they'd feel less cosy.

 

[smokedout]

I'm not sure Goldsmiths themselves have a say, but I can imagine pressure from that direction

 

[Wilf]

I'm not sure Goldsmiths themselves have a say, but I can imagine pressure from that direction

Yeah, just a process of distancing. Already seen it one of the quotes earlier in the thread. Anyway, presumably it's a one year sabbatical, so she'll be finished in a couple of months.

 

[cesare]

smokedout I still think a better example would be (as you suggest) Eastern European men because I don't see why Jews = white assumption (although I do, of course, get the Jews = oppressed angle).

 

[smokedout]

yes, its not the best example, but there doesn;t seem to be any understanding that in Europe (and other continents) then racism is a more complex phenomena both historically and currently than just white racism towards black people, and actually her position is pretty ludicrous outside of a US based context, that it actually dismisses the situation in many countries around the world is in itself anglo-centric

Idi Amin #notaracist
Nigel Farage #notaracist
Adolf Hitler #notaracist

etc

 

[Nice one]

Jesus the libcom facebook page has entered surreal territory

"Racism against white men does not exist...."

"Have a word with some Irish men who lived through the 70s and 80s...."

"What have middle aged Irish men got to do with owt"

Even white posh twat "black vagina" boy chimes in accruing his intersectional points

Happily buy victor a pint. (Or indeed a fruit based drink).

 

[cesare]

I can imagine in terms of "ism = prejudice + power" there may be quite a few individuals trying to add up the power relations of Eastern European men ... deduct some for racism when in the UK, they still have some for patriarchy both in UK and also country of origin... on balance is it still ok to say. NO IT'S NOT

 

[Pickman's model]

Nobody really has that option anymore tbh. If you've had a social media presence over the past 15 years, and especially if you've grown up with the public/private porousness that SM brings, then I can guarantee that, should someone choose to dig, there'll be something.

i have left a gret treasure trove besides which the riches of the count of monte cristo are as nothing.

 

[Blagsta]

Jesus the libcom facebook page has entered surreal territory

"Racism against white men does not exist...."

"Have a word with some Irish men who lived through the 70s and 80s...."

"What have middle aged Irish men got to do with owt"

Even white posh twat "black vagina" boy chimes in accruing his intersectional points

Happily buy victor a pint. (Or indeed a fruit based drink).

It's proper batshit

 

[Wilf]

I can imagine in terms of "ism = prejudice + power" there may be quite a few individuals trying to add up the power relations of Eastern European men ... deduct some for racism when in the UK, they still have some for patriarchy both in UK and also country of origin... on balance is it still ok to say. NO IT'S NOT

I wouldn't dream of entering one of those discussions without one of those hand held scanners you can use to see how much you've spent at tescos. *beep* paper wraps rock... *beep* but rock blunts scissors..

 

[DotCommunist]

or a decoder ring for the wheel of oppression

 

[cesare]

I wouldn't dream of entering one of those discussions without one of those hand held scanners you can use to see how much you've spent at tescos. *beep* paper wraps rock... *beep* but rock blunts scissors..

 

[TopCat]

I was put off going to University because I met loads of students where my older sister studied. I could not envisage spending three or four years in the company of highly opinionated kids who had fuck all life experience. Being a white working class bloke at Goldsmiths could well be a fucking nightmare.

 

[Citizen66]

I was put off university because an apprenticeship meant I could afford to buy drugs.

 

[Citizen66]

And my grades were shit.

 

[Pickman's model]

I was put off university because an apprenticeship meant I could afford to buy drugs.

wouldn't be the case if you were an apprentice now, unless you were apprentice to lord alan sugar of white hart lane.

 

[Pickman's model]

And my grades were shit.

no

 

[DotCommunist]

And my grades were shit.

I got no a levels. Portfolio of written work, poetry and so on, was my passport in. All done while working full time. Never be allowed these days, they ramped up the UCAS points needed for entry at the same time they ramped up the fees.

#proledem

 

[Belushi]

Me neither, I did an access course in my twenties. Wouldn't be able to do that now since the coalition introduced a 4k fee.