Remember those University of Southern Mississippi students who were chanting "where's your green card" to Latino Kansas State basketball player Angel Rodriguez during an NCAA tournament game last week? Well their scholarships have been revoked. The school has also announced that the five students were removed from the pep band and will be required to complete a two-hour cultural sensitivity training course this week. That should teach them a lesson I hoe they never forget!
While some might think this is way too much of a punishment for a bunch of blatantly ignorant group of students, I think it's perfectly justified because if no one puts a stop to racist actions like this who knows what these students might do the next time?
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First of all, I hope this punishment teaches these kids why its important to know your country's history. I've said before and I'll say it again, I'll never understand why our children are not taught American history the way I was taught Peruvian history back when I lived in my home country. I mean, how is it that a kid graduates high school and doesn't know that Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States? How is it even possible that these students didn't know that Angel doesn't need a "green card" because he's been American since he came into this world?
Well, I don't even know if the students were aware that Angel is Puerto Rican, but that doesn't make it any better. You see, this would imply that their "green card" chants were prompted by either the basketball player's Latino name or the way he looks (or both). And, if so, they need to be made aware that discriminatory remarks like the one they kept on chanting will not be tolerated.
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That's why I think revoking their scholarships was justified. I'm actually really happy to see the school taking action and sending a clear message that hateful acts like this need to stop.
Do you think the punishment is an overreaction or is it justified?
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