The Real problem with cancel culture

[Berkut]

The war continues. It's latest victim: a racist rock.

https://news.wisc.edu/no-longer-a-memorial-rock-removed-from-campus/?fbclid=IwAR11qFQzBgiWBxUi2rKmfrLnVcZs7SUb0AkNyTj0DHESbyY6apsBlGdfp-0

If someone told me about this, I would not believe them. It has to be one of those "Lets see how ridiculous a story we can invent!" kind of things.

I don't get what the objections to the rock were, but I guess there's really no need for me to know.  Seems like an easy and cheap solution to what seems to have sincerely bothered enough people to motivate the university to move it.

I am skeptical of how "sincere" the objection to a racist rock might be, but I get that the adminstration would rather spend $50k to just move it then deal with being seen as insufficiently sensitive to the outrage of rock racism.

[Syt]

they're mostly from Southern and central Sweden, and overall of not impressive size.

You too?

[grumbler]

The war continues. It's latest victim: a racist rock.

https://news.wisc.edu/no-longer-a-memorial-rock-removed-from-campus/?fbclid=IwAR11qFQzBgiWBxUi2rKmfrLnVcZs7SUb0AkNyTj0DHESbyY6apsBlGdfp-0

If someone told me about this, I would not believe them. It has to be one of those "Lets see how ridiculous a story we can invent!" kind of things.

I don't get what the objections to the rock were, but I guess there's really no need for me to know.  Seems like an easy and cheap solution to what seems to have sincerely bothered enough people to motivate the university to move it.

I am skeptical of how "sincere" the objection to a racist rock might be, but I get that the adminstration would rather spend $50k to just move it then deal with being seen as insufficiently sensitive to the outrage of rock racism.

You seem to know a lot about this, since you are being judgmental about the people complaining.  What facts led you to be "skeptical of how "sincere" the objection" was?  Note that I am ignoring your absurd troll that the rock itself was racist.

[Jacob]

Based on this:

The University of Wisconsin–Madison moved the former Chamberlin Rock, an object that had become a painful symbol of racism to generations of students, to a site off the main campus on August 6.

The rock had sat at the crest of Observatory Hill since 1925. That same year, it was referred to in a newspaper headline by a deeply offensive nickname that included a racial slur. The derogatory nickname was commonly used at the time to refer to any large, dark rock.

... I assume the rock was called something like N-word Rock . If that was the case, I expect the objections were fairly sincere.

[The Brain]

Based on this:

The University of Wisconsin–Madison moved the former Chamberlin Rock, an object that had become a painful symbol of racism to generations of students, to a site off the main campus on August 6.

The rock had sat at the crest of Observatory Hill since 1925. That same year, it was referred to in a newspaper headline by a deeply offensive nickname that included a racial slur. The derogatory nickname was commonly used at the time to refer to any large, dark rock.

... I assume the rock was called something like N-word Rock . If that was the case, I expect the objections were fairly sincere.

Do you think the rock has been slur-free for 96 years? Or do you think the nickname was used after 1925?

[Josquius]

The anti woke cult may knee jerk like "omg all this fuss about a rock!" but conversely...its just a rock and it seems to have some recent history behind it offending some people. So Meh. Move it. Seems to be a solution that keeps all sensible people, the majority, happy.

[Berkut]

Certainly moving a rock is a lot easier then actually addressing actual racism.

If the rock was STILL being called that, then the problem is not the rock, it is the people using that kind of language.

Moving the rock is a clear band-aid.

But there could be more to this - maybe that is being used in that manner all the time, in which case....ok? Although if that were the case, I suspect there would be significant reports of THAT, since that would be a much more serious problem and evoke considerably greater outrage.

But the idea that you are outraged because you found a newspaper article that said that nearly 100 years ago? That is the only actual information we have here. If that is it, then, yes, I am skeptical of the sincerity of any outrage.

[Berkut]

The anti woke cult may knee jerk like "omg all this fuss about a rock!" but conversely...its just a rock and it seems to have some recent history behind it offending some people. So Meh. Move it. Seems to be a solution that keeps all sensible people, the majority, happy.

I would rather see that $50,000 spent on making college more affordable for low income students, myself.

Or funding some actual research into how to better deliver solutions to those who have suffered from systemic racism.

[garbon]

The real problem with cancel culture is that rocks get moved.

[Josquius]

The anti woke cult may knee jerk like "omg all this fuss about a rock!" but conversely...its just a rock and it seems to have some recent history behind it offending some people. So Meh. Move it. Seems to be a solution that keeps all sensible people, the majority, happy.

I would rather see that $50,000 spent on making college more affordable for low income students, myself.

Or funding some actual research into how to better deliver solutions to those who have suffered from systemic racism.

This strikes me as the kind of fallacy populists are fond of. Don't spend money on this thing, what about this completely seperate unrelated thing.
Little regard for how budgets work or that this kind of money, though significant to the average pleb like myself in my personal bank account, isn't really all that much for a large organisation to pay for some minor works.
I imagine they probably have a special budget accounted for in their yearly expenditure for campus beautification or some such which is specifically for trivial stuff like moving rocks and planting new flowers.

[Berkut]

The anti woke cult

Thanks for illustrating how the claim that the woke left attempts to shout down dissenting views by personal attacks is such bullshit.

[Zoupa]

I don't think anyone on this board is BIPOC and attended the university mentioned.

As such, I struggle to see how one can comment on how a symbol can make them feel, and formulate opinions and commentary on how ridiculous the removal of said symbol might be.

[Josquius]

The anti woke cult

Thanks for illustrating how the claim that the woke left attempts to shout down dissenting views by personal attacks is such bullshit.

A cult very much describes how they operate.
You're the one drawing closer to personal attacks calling me "woke".

[grumbler]

The anti woke cult may knee jerk like "omg all this fuss about a rock!" but conversely...its just a rock and it seems to have some recent history behind it offending some people. So Meh. Move it. Seems to be a solution that keeps all sensible people, the majority, happy.

I would rather see that $50,000 spent on making college more affordable for low income students, myself.

Or funding some actual research into how to better deliver solutions to those who have suffered from systemic racism.

I'd like to see the $50,000 spent on making the university a more inviting place for minority students, so that all students benefit from being part of a more diverse student body.

Oh... wait!

[Berkut]

The anti woke cult

Thanks for illustrating how the claim that the woke left attempts to shout down dissenting views by personal attacks is such bullshit.

A cult very much describes how they operate.
You're the one drawing closer to personal attacks calling me "woke".

No, a cult is not at all how people who are concerned about cancel culture and aren't frightened into shutting up about it yet operate.