“Hi, in America we don’t talk on our cell phones in the library”
You would think that people would be smart enough not to post racist videos on the internet, or to at least know that prefacing something with “I’m not the most politically correct person, so don’t take this offensively” doesn’t exonerate what you’re about to say- but people are stupid.
The alleged student in the video above, Alexandra Wallace (I found evidence in her enrollment at UCLA but after half an hour of searching could not find the original source of the video or anything solidly linking her to it) not only exhibited a lack of cultural sensitivity but also a level of ignorance that is almost hilarious.
While I have never been to UCLA, here in Oregon non-American’s aren’t the only people who talk on their phones in the library. Here at UO, this is mainly curtailed by the lack of cell-service in the library but that’s not the case at OSU and you can ask anyone at OSU and they’ll tell you that everyone talks in the library, all the time, even in the quiet sections.
Perhaps what’s most amusing is that Wallace talks about how her mama raised her to be a “nice polite American girl.” I wasn’t aware that polite and racism were synonyms, silly me and I’m absolutely sure that her parents are very proud of her for making the above video. In fact, right now they’re probably holding a dinner party in her honor and showing all their friends.
Wallace offered offhanded condolences to those affected by the tsunami while noting that they should take their phone calls elsewhere. Yes, talking in the library can be rude but in the wake of everything that has happened this weekend I would presume getting a hold of family is hard and if these students manage to get a hold of their family while studying in the library they damn well deserve to talk to their family. Yeah, maybe they should move outside, but they’re probably caught up in the moment and quite frankly, I would be too.
Final exams can be stressful and people shouldn’t be talking in the library but neither is an excuse for racism.
Note: As the original source has been allegedly deleted, this video could have been taken out of context (it could for example be a part of a film project or a joke). I have attempted to contact Ms. Wallace to clear up this matter and will update you if I get anymore information.
Update: According to UCLA’s student newspaper, The Daily Bruin a UCLA spokesperson called the video “repugnant” and the university is looking into the matter.
Update (7:02 a.m.): The youtube video I had embedded in this blog post has been marked as “private.” I have updated with a new link and will continue to do so every time said link is removed. Dear Ms. Wallace, you were screwed when you put this on the internet, you are going to have to hire a staff to flag and remove every repost and at that, we all already know what you said. If you’re going to make a video at least stand by it and own up to what you have done.
Update (7:39 p.m.): It has been confirmed that Alexandra Wallace is the young lady featured in the lovely film above. The schools administration will be looking into whether or not the video violates any student codes (though I’m not sure how they’d get away with that and it’s debatable what part the university has in this situation).
Wallace released the following statement to The Daily Bruin, a student newspaper at UCLA;
Clearly the original video posted by me was inappropriate. I cannot explain what possessed me to approach the subject as I did, and if I could undo it, I would. I’d like to offer my apology to the entire UCLA campus. For those who cannot find it within them to accept my apology, I understand.
Thoughts?
As a fellow UCLA student, I hope that her actions do not marr the image of our campus other universities have of us. The majority of students that I know actively take pride in the diversity of our campus through various organizations and activities. Her actions were irresponsible, and do not reflect the ideas of the UCLA I personally know. I hope other campuses stand by our side when stating that this type of abrupt and public racism should not be tolerated in any academic setting.
Hi I am Korean student plan to moving to UCLA for study but now I am uncertain. I do not wish to attend a racist school.
I just want you to know that UCLA is not a racist school. Like all schools, there’s bound to be a few/minimal amount of less intelligent or unideal people, but this girl does not represent the whole school.
Jin Ahn, unfortunately whatever school you’re going to go to is going to have some amount of racist people. UCLA is a fine school.
Unfortunately, what this young lady didn’t realize is that when she opened her mouth, she was representing not only UCLA but the college population in general as well as America and I am both appalled and embarrassed.
I know that the majority of UCLA students aren’t the slightest bit racist and am entirely to tired to figure out what I was going to say next.
This one’s pretty funny too, though there is no evidence that she has been expelled:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ07OC-7fZQ&feature=feedlik
How does a girl as dumb as her get into a school like UCLA? :P
Campus pc wankerdom is even affecting that bastion of irrreverent humor and shameless privilege, the ‘Oregon Commentator’. A valley-girl makes a video in which she makes generalizations about Asians. So what? Are all generalizations about ethnic groups false? Remember Duke! First, they came for the lacrosse players…
How does a moron like her get into UCLA? Easy, just look like a bimbo and get a cheerleading scholarship. Unfair, huh? Especially during these tough financial times for public schools.
http://imgur.com/a/e4hop
Oops, I almost forgot to include here bimbo bikini shots.
When we published the list of “Why Women Shouldn’t Have Free Speech” we published it mocking the guys who wrote it, but also upholding the protection of their right to represent their viewpoint. Just because someone says something that’s protected doesn’t give them immunity from mockery.
On a related note, women like her are why I really avoid Southern California. There are enough bleach-blond-ugg-sporting idiots at the UO to make me never want to visit that god forsaken cultural hell-hole.
Well, Ross, I will say that Santa Barbara is a nice place to be…
Even tactless bimbos sometimes have a point. I enjoy the diverse population of America. I don’t enjoy rude.
Check out her bikini pics!
http://coedmagazine.com/2011/03/14/alexandra-wallace-racist-ucla-students-bikini-photos-revealed-26-pics/alexandra-wallace-ucla-asian-racist-10/#9
Did you also notice the “sexy Asian” and her cell phone in the side panel, but NOT in the library…
http://thechive.com/2011/03/10/what-happens-when-you-ask-the-chivers-to-create-a-sexy-asian-post-56-photos/
“A valley-girl makes a video in which she makes generalizations about Asians. So what? Are all generalizations about ethnic groups false?”
Really? Are you trying to justify her? OOOOH CHING CHONG TING TONG LING LONG OOOOH. Oops! Sorry, I guess from my Asian language you know what I am saying because apparently this is what we say all the time. It’s not just the generalization that she makes. It’s the way her so-called speech is portrayed racial to me as well to every other Asian community that have found it offensive. Offensive not like accidentally blurting the ‘F-word’ but the fact she can naturally post a YouTube Video, talk about Asians and their ‘Ching Chong’ in her ‘nice and polite American’ way.
It’s cute that you would like her to be defended or try to shed some good light on her but it’s clear as light as day she’s guilty for her actions no matter the circumstances. I believe you should do more research on it yourself Jay or I guess you don’t really care about the ‘Ching Chongs’ because all generalizations are true.
Like Jin Ahn, I am a Korean student living in Korea. This video scares me and I am uncertain I want to go to school that has people like her.
“…it’s clear as light as [sic] day she’s guilty for her actions no matter the circumstances.”
Guilty? GUILTY? This student may not be the brightest lamp in the library, but are you really ready to call in a swat team from the speech and demeanor police?
No, I am not declaring that we should call in swat team but I am declaring that her actions are not ‘justified’, so please excuse my poor word choice and usage of ‘guilty.’
I did my Ph.D at UCLA, and also worked there as a TA. I’m totally shocked by this video, because this is so unlike the spirit of the campus. Yes, there are bigots and racists everywhere. There are cliques at UCLA like at any other school. But if you are considering going there don’t let this idiot deter you. It’s a great school where people enthusiastically exchange ideas and are genuinely interested in other cultures. This is evidenced by the huge number of UCLA alums and students–Asians and non-Asians alike–who have come out to voice protest against Alexandra Wallace. And Los Angeles has its problems, but I love that a black girl like myself can go to the Han Kook and get my bulgogi fix. Most people you encounter at UCLA will feel the same.
This just in: stupid people are everywhere. (If you want to avoid them, you might not want to go to any school anywhere.)
Life’s too short to dance with fat chicks
This is why everyone loves me more than you, Reeses.
Couple of things:
Clearly the girl is vapid and stupid, but racist? That’s a bit of a stretch in my book. She wasn’t depicting them as buck toothed, slant eyed, monkey faced, subhumans. She certainly displayed some prejudice and a despicable lack of tact, but a bit of prejudice doesn’t mean she believes that asians are inherently wretched. Broad generalizations of a negative nature does not equal racial hatred.
Also, after a recent intimate encounter with a beautiful asian women I can say with certainty they, in fact, do not have sideways vaginas.
Finally, while I agree that life is to short to dance with fat chicks. I believe it to be ok to fuck them for exercise.
This dumb bitch has the right to say whatever she wants.
But the Commentator also has the right to expose her for the tool she is.
Are you implying that Asians are ‘bucked tooth, slant eyed, monkey faced, subhumans?’ Those are rather interesting choice of examples to compare whether or not her words depict racism. Even I have to admit your examples are a bit stretch in my book as well.
I mean, I suppose it’s okay to generalize that all Asians speak with the same ching chong language. As well as have my brothers, sisters, mother, father, and every other relative to come and visit me at my apartment because apparently I cannot fend for myself. I guess because I have friends and family in Japan that are facing the earthquake and tsunami that I shouldn’t be trying to call to make sure they’re okay and that the remaining billions of relatives I have should know the situation. My bad. I guess I should take advice from this polite and nice raised American because it seems my status as an Asian don’t live up to her standards.
Ohh oops.
If this wasn’t at all racist or offensive video, then this whole situation would of blown past us long ago when she posted it last Friday. Instead she offended many, many, many people. Asians, UCLA students, non-Asians.
You don’t racially hate on 1.5 billion people without some death threats. It’s beyond ucla’s campus. I feel sorry for her, there are tons of Asian thugs in LA. Time to move Alexandra. Wonder if they will have Asian race riots on campus.
“This is evidenced by the huge number of UCLA alums and students–Asians and non-Asians alike–who have come out to voice protest against Alexandra Wallace.”
That sound like a giant, giant waste of time. She’s not implementing a dictatorship and taking away our internet, she’s just dumb. What are they protesting? Her existence? I really hate self-proclaimed activists sometimes.
Some of the comments here are Misogynistic. Should they be condemned as well?
Something tells me she is wearing some of those dumb sweatpants with JUICY written in big letters across her fat ass.
I don’t think she was being racist and was hardly offensive. I looked beyond her choice of words and considered her subject matter. There could have been more tactful ways for her to approach her problem in the library. My first reaction would be to politely tap the person on his or her shoulder and put a finger on my lips. If the problem persisted, I would ask the person to please go downstairs in the lobby or foyer where he could finish his conversation over the cellphone.
We could also be a bit more tactful in our posts. Aren’t we all university students, and shouldn’t we conduct ourselves as such?
Talking like a valley girl doesn’t necessarily indicate dumbness. I once overheard two girls on the Berkeley campus talking about subatomic physics. They were all “He’s all, like, it’s a particle, and, like, it’s a wave” and it was clear they’d grasped the content of the subject, but were expressing it in the style of their, like, generation. The juxtaposition was hilarious.
If you’re looking for tact and a sprinkle topped Sunday I might suggest another website, maybe lol cats?