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Aus Uni student faces $200,000 bill in Facebook post racism row

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CryptiK

Member
A friend of mine that goes to the uni just linked me this, its ridiculous

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/que...facebook-post-racism-row-20160415-go7951.html

"Just got kicked out of the unsigned Indigenous computer room. QUT is stopping segregation with segregation," he posted on a Facebook page called QUT Stalker Space.

The post attracted comments critical of both the incident and the existence of the Indigenous-only space.

"I wonder where the white supremacist lab is," wrote another student, Jackson Powell, who is also being sued.

The third student involved in the lawsuit, Calum Thwaites, has emphatically denied being responsible for a post that included a reference to "ITT N-----s" and has produced a volume of evidence supporting his denial.

The trio are being sued, alongside the university and two staff, by the administration officer who asked Mr Wood to leave the room, Cindy Prior.

An Indigenous woman, Ms Prior went on sick leave following the incident and reports she felt unsafe leaving her home because she was afraid somebody would say something offensive to her.

She also says she was unable to return to work in a role that required her to have face-to-face contact with white people.

And its not even an onion article
 
An Indigenous woman, Ms Prior went on sick leave following the incident and reports she felt unsafe leaving her home because she was afraid somebody would say something offensive to her.

She also says she was unable to return to work in a role that required her to have face-to-face contact with white people.

... Really?
 
Our government was meant to fix those laws, when we had tony Abbott as Prime Minister. I think he got cold feet and let them go. And now we have this BS :(
 
I don't get it. Why do they have rooms where only people from a certain race are allowed? Why did the woman take a sick leave and suddenly feels unsafe after kicking out the student? Why is she suing? This story makes no sense.
 

Hycran

Banned
A room for Indigenous students only. Extremely laughable.

You know, it's funny. I often go into neogaf threads and I see people making posts that I feel are a bit overly sensitive, but the posts in this thread so far are absolute garbage. Out of any group, Australians should know that indigenous peoples are so far behind the curve that they need their own special resources. Say what you want about feeling safe and the kind of "safe space" culture that seems to be prevalent at universities across the world, but if there is any group that has a right to one, it is aboriginal peoples.

My experience is also coloured by being Canadian as well as living by a reserve in my younger years. The lack of resources indigenous peoples have is appalling, and we are even in the midst of an aboriginal suicide epidemic in Canada at this very moment because these people don't have what they need to succeed and become fruitful members of society.

Once again, this is the internet so sometimes peoples opinions come out more unvarnished than they otherwise might, but you guys need to get your shit together and show some compassion.
 

Negator

Member
I can't even begin to understand this because it is utterly ridiculous on all levels.

Edit: Maybe I just don't understand the situation. The post above me perhaps adds a bit of context.
 
I don't get it. Why do they have rooms where only people from a certain race are allowed? Why did the woman take a sick leave and suddenly feels unsafe after kicking out the student? Why is she suing? This story makes no sense.

I don't know Australian law, but the implication here is that the Facebook posts cited caused her mental anguish which made her unable to perform her job or function in society.
 
The craziest part of this story is that this lady thinks a university student has hundreds of thousands of dollars up for the taking.

You know, it's funny. I often go into neogaf threads and I see people making posts that I feel are a bit overly sensitive, but the posts in this thread so far are absolute garbage. Out of any group, Australians should know that indigenous peoples are so far behind the curve that they need their own special resources. Say what you want about feeling safe and the kind of "safe space" culture that seems to be prevalent at universities across the world, but if there is any group that has a right to one, it is aboriginal peoples.

My experience is also coloured by being Canadian as well as living by a reserve in my younger years. The lack of resources indigenous peoples have is appalling, and we are even in the midst of an aboriginal suicide epidemic in Canada at this very moment because these people don't have what they need to succeed and become fruitful members of society.

Once again, this is the internet so sometimes peoples opinions come out more unvarnished than they otherwise might, but you guys need to get your shit together and show some compassion.

Safe spaces in general are totally fine, but separating safe spaces by ethnicity or by sexual orientation, etc. is just downright bizarre.
 
You know, it's funny. I often go into neogaf threads and I see people making posts that I feel are a bit overly sensitive, but the posts in this thread so far are absolute garbage. Out of any group, Australians should know that indigenous peoples are so far behind the curve that they need their own special resources. Say what you want about feeling safe and the kind of "safe space" culture that seems to be prevalent at universities across the world, but if there is any group that has a right to one, it is aboriginal peoples.

My experience is also coloured by being Canadian as well as living by a reserve in my younger years. The lack of resources indigenous peoples have is appalling, and we are even in the midst of an aboriginal suicide epidemic in Canada at this very moment because these people don't have what they need to succeed and become fruitful members of society.

Once again, this is the internet so sometimes peoples opinions come out more unvarnished than they otherwise might, but you guys need to get your shit together and show some compassion.
The woman claims she feels unsafe because someone might offend her. That is not normal behavior.

Having classrooms for only certain races is stupid. Yes, some groups can do with more help and the government should invest in that so they don't fall behind in society. They should invest in the areas those groups live, to give them access to better education and such. Separating the people already in a university helps nobody.
 

Machina

Banned
I don't know Australian law, but the implication here is that the Facebook posts cited caused her mental anguish which made her unable to perform her job or function in society.

One of my good friends is an Australian, and he has implied in the past that indigenous Australians are infamously lazy.
 

kirblar

Member
She also says she was unable to return to work in a role that required her to have face-to-face contact with white people.
If an employee makes this request about any race of people, doesn't this normally result in an immediate firing?
 

CryptiK

Member
You know, it's funny. I often go into neogaf threads and I see people making posts that I feel are a bit overly sensitive, but the posts in this thread so far are absolute garbage. Out of any group, Australians should know that indigenous peoples are so far behind the curve that they need their own special resources. Say what you want about feeling safe and the kind of "safe space" culture that seems to be prevalent at universities across the world, but if there is any group that has a right to one, it is aboriginal peoples.

My experience is also coloured by being Canadian as well as living by a reserve in my younger years. The lack of resources indigenous peoples have is appalling, and we are even in the midst of an aboriginal suicide epidemic in Canada at this very moment because these people don't have what they need to succeed and become fruitful members of society.

Once again, this is the internet so sometimes peoples opinions come out more unvarnished than they otherwise might, but you guys need to get your shit together and show some compassion.
Completely disagree. These are computer labs not some magical resource heaven. Its simply a computer lab that students can work in the only difference being that only one race is allowed in side and it extremely backward.
 

Zyae

Member
You know, it's funny. I often go into neogaf threads and I see people making posts that I feel are a bit overly sensitive, but the posts in this thread so far are absolute garbage. Out of any group, Australians should know that indigenous peoples are so far behind the curve that they need their own special resources. Say what you want about feeling safe and the kind of "safe space" culture that seems to be prevalent at universities across the world, but if there is any group that has a right to one, it is aboriginal peoples.

My experience is also coloured by being Canadian as well as living by a reserve in my younger years. The lack of resources indigenous peoples have is appalling, and we are even in the midst of an aboriginal suicide epidemic in Canada at this very moment because these people don't have what they need to succeed and become fruitful members of society.

Once again, this is the internet so sometimes peoples opinions come out more unvarnished than they otherwise might, but you guys need to get your shit together and show some compassion.


There is a stark difference between affirmative action and segregation
 
One of my good friends is an Australian, and he has implied in the past that indigenous Australians are infamously lazy.
sound like horse shit to me. Ive dealt with the 'black people are lazy and just want a handout' bs my whole life so naturally I automatically assume this is a very similar situation.
 

Dennis

Banned
An Indigenous woman, Ms Prior went on sick leave following the incident and reports she felt unsafe leaving her home because she was afraid somebody would say something offensive to her.

That seems like an overreaction.
 

Hycran

Banned
Safe spaces in general are totally fine, but separating safe spaces by ethnicity or by sexual orientation, etc. is just downright bizarre.

The woman claims she feels unsafe because someone might offend her. That is not normal behavior.

Having classrooms for only certain races is stupid. Yes, some groups can do with more help and the government should invest in that so they don't fall behind in society. They should invest in the areas those groups live, to give them access to better education and such. Separating the people already in a university helps nobody.

Completely disagree. These are computer labs not some magical resource heaven. Its simply a computer lab that students can work in the only difference being that only one race is allowed in side and it extremely backward.

There is a stark difference between affirmative action and segregation

If I had to guess, I'd bet none of you are aboriginal, or have had any exposure to aboriginal peoples or their concerns. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't empathize or rationalize the situation, but once again, these opinions are flat out wrong.

A lot of these people have nothing. And not just nothing, but they grew up with nothing. Many of them will be the first members of their family to even graduate from high school, let alone go to university. Many of these people have been traumatized by the casual racism that is hurled towards them on a daily basis. In Canada, aboriginal people are commonly called "chugs" due to the prevalence of alcoholism in aboriginal communities. Growing up in Canada, it is pretty much verboten to call someone by their racial slur name, unless they are aboriginal.

Part of the difficulty in these kinds of situations is that very intelligent people attempt to put themselves into the shoes of marginalized groups and say "what would I do in their shoes?". Obviously, there are a lot of indigenous peoples who fit into the greater populace with no concern whatsoever (they even use the same computer rooms as other people do!). I have many friends even in the legal community who you wouldn't know were native unless you were told otherwise. We rationalize backwards from that and say, these people should be fine if those people are fine. But this is simply not the case.

Out of any group that might need a safe space or dedicated computer room, aboriginals are the one. The fact that there even is an aboriginal only computer room should indicate to you that something is afoot. Aboriginals in Canada and Australia have suffered some of the greatest injustices known to human history, both topics covered in extreme depth in hundreds of books. This is not about "equality" or "Segregation", this is about "equity", bringing people up so that they can be on par with the rest of society. There is no difference in an aboriginal computer room and a blacks-only scholarship, our societies and our cultures are morally obligated to appreciate that not everyone is equal and not everyone has the same needs as anyone else. It may be something as simple as a few computers so that a person can be with their fellow community members and foster a comaraderie. This doesn't mean aboriginal peoples hate white people or don't want to integrate, but as is evidenced by the fact that this woman feels she is going to be persecuted, there still is a long way to go before indigenous peoples feel safe and accepted in society at large.

I'll leave it at that for now. For those who disagree, congratulations on not being aboriginal, or for growing up as non-ethnically identifiable.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
You know, it's funny. I often go into neogaf threads and I see people making posts that I feel are a bit overly sensitive, but the posts in this thread so far are absolute garbage. Out of any group, Australians should know that indigenous peoples are so far behind the curve that they need their own special resources. Say what you want about feeling safe and the kind of "safe space" culture that seems to be prevalent at universities across the world, but if there is any group that has a right to one, it is aboriginal peoples.

My experience is also coloured by being Canadian as well as living by a reserve in my younger years. The lack of resources indigenous peoples have is appalling, and we are even in the midst of an aboriginal suicide epidemic in Canada at this very moment because these people don't have what they need to succeed and become fruitful members of society.

Once again, this is the internet so sometimes peoples opinions come out more unvarnished than they otherwise might, but you guys need to get your shit together and show some compassion.
What is this 'safe space' safe from? It's a computer room, not a place where discussion is going to take place. The purpose seems not to be providing a safe space but to allocate resources to a specific race. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but the safe space discussion doesn't really fit here.
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
While the specifics if accurate seem laughable at first glance, the story will drum up righteous indignation with the old guard who, people forget, were legally treating aboriginal peoples almost exactly the same way apartheid South Africa did, decades after we landed on the moon and many of those aboriginal peoples live in institutionalized squalor that would make most favelas look like Beverly Hills.

The story will empower racists to feel indignant and correct whether it's accurate or not and reminds me of "PC Culture Madness " reporting in this country. Statistical oddities reported as trends and movements instead of quirky outliers.
 

Jeffrey

Member
Is there any good place to read up about Indigenous Australians? Feel like many people in this thread (including me) is missing some context in this story.
 

kirblar

Member
Out of any group that might need a safe space or dedicated computer room, aboriginals are the one. The fact that there even is an aboriginal only computer room should indicate to you that something is afoot. Aboriginals in Canada and Australia have suffered some of the greatest injustices known to human history, both topics covered in extreme depth in hundreds of books. This is not about "equality" or "Segregation", this is about "equity", bringing people up so that they can be on par with the rest of society. There is no difference in an aboriginal computer room and a blacks-only scholarship, our societies and our cultures are morally obligated to appreciate that not everyone is equal and not everyone has the same needs as anyone else. It may be something as simple as a few computers so that a person can be with their fellow community members and foster a comaraderie. This doesn't mean aboriginal peoples hate white people or don't want to integrate, but as is evidenced by the fact that this woman feels she is going to be persecuted, there still is a long way to go before indigenous peoples feel safe and accepted in society at large.
If you have a subpopulation in need of assistance here is a much better solution- just buy them laptops. Providing them an individual resource is a much better way of trying to balance the scales than segregating a communal resource
 

Kite

Member
The story will empower racists to feel indignant and correct whether it's accurate or not and reminds me of "PC Culture Madness " reporting in this country. Statistical oddities reported as trends and movements instead of quirky outliers.
So.. I'm supposed to handwave stupid bs cus it might also make racists and idiots smug?
Na, it's still bullshit.
 

-COOLIO-

The Everyman
You know, it's funny. I often go into neogaf threads and I see people making posts that I feel are a bit overly sensitive, but the posts in this thread so far are absolute garbage. Out of any group, Australians should know that indigenous peoples are so far behind the curve that they need their own special resources. Say what you want about feeling safe and the kind of "safe space" culture that seems to be prevalent at universities across the world, but if there is any group that has a right to one, it is aboriginal peoples.

My experience is also coloured by being Canadian as well as living by a reserve in my younger years. The lack of resources indigenous peoples have is appalling, and we are even in the midst of an aboriginal suicide epidemic in Canada at this very moment because these people don't have what they need to succeed and become fruitful members of society.

Once again, this is the internet so sometimes peoples opinions come out more unvarnished than they otherwise might, but you guys need to get your shit together and show some compassion.

if it were a computer lab reserved for low income students i would completely understand that.
 

Dennis

Banned
She also says she was unable to return to work in a role that required her to have face-to-face contact with white people.

This should not fly.

Can you imagine if other people took that line?

"Oh, I can't interact with this or that race of people"
 

sohois

Member
If I had to guess, I'd bet none of you are aboriginal, or have had any exposure to aboriginal peoples or their concerns. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't empathize or rationalize the situation, but once again, these opinions are flat out wrong.

A lot of these people have nothing. And not just nothing, but they grew up with nothing. Many of them will be the first members of their family to even graduate from high school, let alone go to university. Many of these people have been traumatized by the casual racism that is hurled towards them on a daily basis. In Canada, aboriginal people are commonly called "chugs" due to the prevalence of alcoholism in aboriginal communities. Growing up in Canada, it is pretty much verboten to call someone by their racial slur name, unless they are aboriginal.

Part of the difficulty in these kinds of situations is that very intelligent people attempt to put themselves into the shoes of marginalized groups and say "what would I do in their shoes?". Obviously, there are a lot of indigenous peoples who fit into the greater populace with no concern whatsoever (they even use the same computer rooms as other people do!). I have many friends even in the legal community who you wouldn't know were native unless you were told otherwise. We rationalize backwards from that and say, these people should be fine if those people are fine. But this is simply not the case.

Out of any group that might need a safe space or dedicated computer room, aboriginals are the one. The fact that there even is an aboriginal only computer room should indicate to you that something is afoot. Aboriginals in Canada and Australia have suffered some of the greatest injustices known to human history, both topics covered in extreme depth in hundreds of books. This is not about "equality" or "Segregation", this is about "equity", bringing people up so that they can be on par with the rest of society. There is no difference in an aboriginal computer room and a blacks-only scholarship, our societies and our cultures are morally obligated to appreciate that not everyone is equal and not everyone has the same needs as anyone else. It may be something as simple as a few computers so that a person can be with their fellow community members and foster a comaraderie. This doesn't mean aboriginal peoples hate white people or don't want to integrate, but as is evidenced by the fact that this woman feels she is going to be persecuted, there still is a long way to go before indigenous peoples feel safe and accepted in society at large.

I'll leave it at that for now. For those who disagree, congratulations on not being aboriginal, or for growing up as non-ethnically identifiable.

Assuming all this is true, and we must make the obvious caveat that conditions for Candian Aboriginals and Australian aboriginals are probably different, this situation is still absurd.

If the University felt that indigenous students needed a separate computer room, why was it not marked as such? Why does it matter if a student complains about getting kicked out on facebook? How can you sue someone just for being annoyed in a facebook post? How can you be an administration officer at a university and be incapable of dealing with one racial group? How can this allow you to turn around and seu your employer plus a few students?

Whether or not Indigenous students need a separate computer room is somewhat immaterial to the case presented. From the evidence that is given to us (and of course we must be aware that the news may be selectively reporting) this appears to be a quite ridiculous case that is causing undue harm to a group of pretty innocent students.
 

Mupod

Member
You know, it's funny. I often go into neogaf threads and I see people making posts that I feel are a bit overly sensitive, but the posts in this thread so far are absolute garbage. Out of any group, Australians should know that indigenous peoples are so far behind the curve that they need their own special resources. Say what you want about feeling safe and the kind of "safe space" culture that seems to be prevalent at universities across the world, but if there is any group that has a right to one, it is aboriginal peoples.

My experience is also coloured by being Canadian as well as living by a reserve in my younger years. The lack of resources indigenous peoples have is appalling, and we are even in the midst of an aboriginal suicide epidemic in Canada at this very moment because these people don't have what they need to succeed and become fruitful members of society.

Once again, this is the internet so sometimes peoples opinions come out more unvarnished than they otherwise might, but you guys need to get your shit together and show some compassion.

Canadian as well and worked IT in a college with a fairly large section dedicated specifically for helping aboriginal students with the things you mention, including a computer lab. But I've never heard of someone being tossed out of there for not being one.
 
An Indigenous woman, Ms Prior went on sick leave following the incident and reports she felt unsafe leaving her home because she was afraid somebody would say something offensive to her.

She also says she was unable to return to work in a role that required her to have face-to-face contact with white people.
me
 
If I had to guess, I'd bet none of you are aboriginal, or have had any exposure to aboriginal peoples or their concerns. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't empathize or rationalize the situation, but once again, these opinions are flat out wrong.

A lot of these people have nothing. And not just nothing, but they grew up with nothing. Many of them will be the first members of their family to even graduate from high school, let alone go to university. Many of these people have been traumatized by the casual racism that is hurled towards them on a daily basis. In Canada, aboriginal people are commonly called "chugs" due to the prevalence of alcoholism in aboriginal communities. Growing up in Canada, it is pretty much verboten to call someone by their racial slur name, unless they are aboriginal.

Part of the difficulty in these kinds of situations is that very intelligent people attempt to put themselves into the shoes of marginalized groups and say "what would I do in their shoes?". Obviously, there are a lot of indigenous peoples who fit into the greater populace with no concern whatsoever (they even use the same computer rooms as other people do!). I have many friends even in the legal community who you wouldn't know were native unless you were told otherwise. We rationalize backwards from that and say, these people should be fine if those people are fine. But this is simply not the case.

Out of any group that might need a safe space or dedicated computer room, aboriginals are the one. The fact that there even is an aboriginal only computer room should indicate to you that something is afoot. Aboriginals in Canada and Australia have suffered some of the greatest injustices known to human history, both topics covered in extreme depth in hundreds of books. This is not about "equality" or "Segregation", this is about "equity", bringing people up so that they can be on par with the rest of society. There is no difference in an aboriginal computer room and a blacks-only scholarship, our societies and our cultures are morally obligated to appreciate that not everyone is equal and not everyone has the same needs as anyone else. It may be something as simple as a few computers so that a person can be with their fellow community members and foster a comaraderie. This doesn't mean aboriginal peoples hate white people or don't want to integrate, but as is evidenced by the fact that this woman feels she is going to be persecuted, there still is a long way to go before indigenous peoples feel safe and accepted in society at large.

I'll leave it at that for now. For those who disagree, congratulations on not being aboriginal, or for growing up as non-ethnically identifiable.

Holy shit this is some high horse "Agree with me or you are a soulless racist" posting if I ever saw it.
There is absolutely no good reason for a computer lab to be segregated by race. None. There is however good reason for special support/study groups that cater to races for many of the reasons you stated. I can absolutely see a need for a study group specifically for some races to be able to ask questions and learn without fearing judgement or that they'll look stupid for not knowing. An empty room with computers is not that btw.

I am Canadian, I've grown up next to reserves, have many 1st nation friends, married with children to a mixed native woman and understand many of the racial issues faced in Canada (thankfully for my children the issues on the west coast, particularly the Island, aren't even close to what is experienced in Winnipeg and further east). Your sanctimonious tone is way, way off the mark even if you mean it with the best intentions.
 

CryptiK

Member
If I had to guess, I'd bet none of you are aboriginal, or have had any exposure to aboriginal peoples or their concerns. Of course, that doesn't mean you can't empathize or rationalize the situation, but once again, these opinions are flat out wrong.

A lot of these people have nothing. And not just nothing, but they grew up with nothing. Many of them will be the first members of their family to even graduate from high school, let alone go to university. Many of these people have been traumatized by the casual racism that is hurled towards them on a daily basis. In Canada, aboriginal people are commonly called "chugs" due to the prevalence of alcoholism in aboriginal communities. Growing up in Canada, it is pretty much verboten to call someone by their racial slur name, unless they are aboriginal.

Part of the difficulty in these kinds of situations is that very intelligent people attempt to put themselves into the shoes of marginalized groups and say "what would I do in their shoes?". Obviously, there are a lot of indigenous peoples who fit into the greater populace with no concern whatsoever (they even use the same computer rooms as other people do!). I have many friends even in the legal community who you wouldn't know were native unless you were told otherwise. We rationalize backwards from that and say, these people should be fine if those people are fine. But this is simply not the case.

Out of any group that might need a safe space or dedicated computer room, aboriginals are the one. The fact that there even is an aboriginal only computer room should indicate to you that something is afoot. Aboriginals in Canada and Australia have suffered some of the greatest injustices known to human history, both topics covered in extreme depth in hundreds of books. This is not about "equality" or "Segregation", this is about "equity", bringing people up so that they can be on par with the rest of society. There is no difference in an aboriginal computer room and a blacks-only scholarship, our societies and our cultures are morally obligated to appreciate that not everyone is equal and not everyone has the same needs as anyone else. It may be something as simple as a few computers so that a person can be with their fellow community members and foster a comaraderie. This doesn't mean aboriginal peoples hate white people or don't want to integrate, but as is evidenced by the fact that this woman feels she is going to be persecuted, there still is a long way to go before indigenous peoples feel safe and accepted in society at large.

I'll leave it at that for now. For those who disagree, congratulations on not being aboriginal, or for growing up as non-ethnically identifiable.
Being poor isn't exclusive to aboriginal people, nor should a computer lab be. Almost everything you have said can apply to any race.
 
This should not fly.

Can you imagine if other people took that line?

"Oh, I can't interact with this or that race of people"

Funny you should say that.

An Iowa man claiming to be “allergic to black people” was charged with a hate crime after assaulting a black man. The attacker even wore a surgical mask during the alleged attack. Andy Benavidez told police he was wearing the mask because he didn’t want to catch germs from black people after he was arrested in Iowa City on Sunday for assaulting an African-American man.

Police responded to a call reporting a fight between two men. The alleged victim told police Benavidez, 47, used racial slurs and hit him first, forcing him to defend himself. Benavidez, who was wearing the surgical mask when police arrived at the scene, told them that he only attacked the man because he was black.
 
There is nothing wrong with wanting safety from white people, knowing what they're capable of and what they have done in the past.
 
Safe spaces in general are totally fine, but separating safe spaces by ethnicity or by sexual orientation, etc. is just downright bizarre.
Aboriginals never made the choice to separate by ethnicity. They were forced into it. You're looking at the wrong side here.

Being poor isn't exclusive to aboriginal people, nor should a computer lab be. Almost everything you have said can apply to any race.
You guys really need to learn your history.
 
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