Racism and The Return Of Hill-Meyer
Racism is having the Best Week Ever! Imus is going down for his “nappy-headed ho’s” comment, ASUO Exec candidate Ty Schwoeffermann called white rappers “appropriation” and “minstrelry” before kicking off a white-boy rap showdown in the amphitheater between his VP Paul Kammerzelt and ASUO Exec hopefull Ari Lesser, and to top it all off, Tobi Hill-Meyer came back like deja-vu to declare “There is an epidemic of racism in the student senate.” It’s like, the more I hear about it, the less this cracker-ass honky understands racism.
I wrote a guest commentary for the Emerald, in response to Hill-Meyers piece. It was a bit rushed, and I don’t feel particularly comfortable writing on this topic, but I felt like someone needed to respond. My problem with what is going on is that accusations are being made and not explained. Students have to deal with these accusation of racism hanging over their heads, without so much of a shred of evidence to support them.
This smear tactic raises real questions about the motivations of those making the accusations. How are senators supposed to correct their racist ways if they aren’t informed/educated about how they are, in fact racist. If racism is so entrenched a problem as Hill-Meyer claims, why is it only brought up during elections? Is racism, or lack thereof, tied to dollars and cents of Incidental Fee funding? The entire situation has the reek of McCarthyism to it, where the suggestion is made, guilt is presumed, and it is up to the accused to defend themselves from undocumented and nebulous charges. Then, as now, it is incumbent upon the accuser, not the accused, to substantiate such serious charges. Furthermore, if racism is truly a problem on Senate, then there must be a solution other than character assasination. The health and harmony of our political system depends on it.
Good night, and good luck.
Sometimes when I feel that I have drifted long and far from those dear old drunken Commentator days, it’s nice to hear that the kooks that I remember from the “good ol days” still retain the same level of insanity. Of course a group of over-privileged white kids sitting around accusing each other of racism never did cease to amuse the hell out of me. But Hill-Myer…ahh Hill Myer brings the delightful mix of self-loathing and pure, distilled crazy that no human can or will ever quite reproduce.
Some of my favorite passages:
There is an epidemic of racism in the student senate. There, I said it. How do I know that? I was elected to the Senate by campaigning to address and confront issues of racism that existed there
Also, aliens are taking over the highest levels of government. You know how I know? I convinced 100,000 trailer park residents to help me construct a cannon made entirely out of Bud Light cans in order to help fight the coming war.
We have an ethnic studies program on campus; ask them if you don’t believe me.
Ask the pale friendless virgins at the next Science Fiction convention about the aliens. They’ll back me up on this one.
When Senator Gulley accuse other senators of racist behavior, it’s important that those claims be investigated. Instead, he is literally on trial for making such claims before anyone has even asked him what motivated them.
Admittedly I haven’t been following this story well enough to argue the merits of the phrase “literally on trial” although I doubt student government could actually could organize themselves well enough to understand the phrase ‘defamation of character’ much less argue it in a court of law; be it federal state or simply in their own minds. But I digress. Hill Myer is right. I mean, once we lose the right to accuse someone of serious character flaws without any tangible evidence to support said claims, we lose the spirit of spite, hatred and overall betrayal that has made the ASUO the winning organization that I remember.
Also, Hill Myer is an alien.
That sentence at the end should say: The Senate did WHAT it was supposed to do but RARELY does
I wrote out a huge post, but my computer ate it, so I’ll do a shortened version. The “racism” against Eddy Morales that Hill-Meyer says took place at the 2005 Senate meeting is a total lie. What really happened was that Morales wanted to create a committee with the sole purpose of trying to get money for the International Students Association from the President’s Fund. A senator of color liked the idea and made a motion to the create the committee. But other senators thought it would be wise to find out whether creating a committee that benefited only one student group was even legal. So a white senaor made a motion to create the special commitee, but only on an interim basis until the Senate Rules panel could talk it over. The senators supported the second motion, and Morales went on some hysterical rant about how the white senators were stealing the ideas from the senators of color and blah blah blah.
Morales basically took the democratic process and made it about race. The Senate did was it was supposed to do but really does — analyze ideas and come up with the best solution. The hilarious part is the senator of color who originally brought the motion to the table said afterward that he didn’t believe his ideas were stolen, or that the meeting was racist at all.
I want to know what Jethro Higgens has to say on the matter. Remember him? Good times.
Is there an “oppressive vagina” role in the Vagina Monologues? A talking oppressive vagina would have scads of oppressing power over a penis. Because a penis can’t talk. Or can it?
The sad part is that nobody who is actually involved with Senate this year has been able to shed any light on this situation. I know that people who agree with Gulley and Hill-Meyer read this blog… maybe they would like to chime in?
Alternatively, when Hill-Meyer makes the point that “Racism, in fact, is any behavior that supports and perpetuates a white supremacist power structure. We have an ethnic studies program on campus; ask them if you don’t believe me” does he understand that the same ethnic studies program believes that people of color are incapable of being racists? I ask because Gulley accused several students of color of racism.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not necessarily agreeing with that assessment, I am simply curious as to how the people making these accusations reconcile this contradiction.
it’s not an issue of lesbian parenting. Toby is a total attention whore, and Toby, the fact that your penis oppresses you is funny because most people with penises are said to be the oppressor, you see how that works.
E-mail, fellas. Do you have it?
can’t… too much shit to do. I’ll call this weekend.
you want to play golf today?
The fucker broke. It’s gonna be replaced tomorrow.
Ted what’s up with your phone?
Two words, Evan: Gay Mafia
Watch your legs, Niedermeyer.
Yeah, Jimmy, you do need to say more. What does the fact that Hill-Meyer’s parents are lesbians have to do with anything?
Don’t utter that name, it’s like summoning Beatlejuice…or the Candyman.
Yeah, racism, blah blah. Post about Deb Frisch versus Merck!
Yeah, Olberman is already trying to sue me.
Hill Meyer: “When Senator Gulley accuses other senators of racist behavior, it’s important that those claims be investigated.”
Such as in…a trial?
Said accused are innocent until proven guilty…such is true in the American legal system as well as personal accusations.
I won’t have you dragging Joe McCarthy’s good name through the mud, sir!
Oh boy, Niedermeyer, you said the magic word: McCarthyism! Now watch Hill-Meyer threaten to torch your tofu or Gulley threaten to take you down Cleveland-style (aka like Dennis Kucinich…who is probably the weakest looking pimple on the face of North America.)
Hill-Meyer is the product of a lesbian couple raising a child. Need I say more…