Over the past few weeks, black students in the University of Missouri have been protesting against racial discrimination within the campus. Several incidents, including a swastika being drawn with human feces on a residential dorm, have exemplified the increasing racial tension within the university. University President Timothy Wolfe's lackadaisical response to these controversies and failure to address them have outraged many students, and some have been pressuring the university's administration to force Wolfe to step down as president. After several days of protests in the form of walkouts and hunger strikes, the issue caught national attention after the University of Missouri football team decided to join the movement and refused to play or practice as long as Wolfe remained president. As the protests gain more attention, students from many other universities have expressed their support towards the black students at the University of Missouri.
Questions: What effect do you think the media had on these protests? Do you think the protesting students are going about the situation in the right way? Why or why not? What do you think the US government could or should do in response to the controversies occurring in universities?
Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/10/us/university-of-missouri-system-president-resigns.html?_r=0
I think media caused the movement to gain momentum. It publicized the event and spread the word among the students. I don't think they should get violent but i support the nonviolent protests since it is a form of speech. I don't think it's the role of the united states government, the school should take care of their problems. It's not within the federal government's jurisdiction athough the state may choose to get involved.
ReplyDeleteI believe the media may have helped to show the public about the impact of the protests. I believe this peaceful form of resistance is the right way to do this protests, as they are not hurting anyone but still affecting the school and it's policies. I don't think it's the government's responsibility prevent racism at public universities, but to rather as a whole discourage racism in the entire country.
ReplyDeleteI think that with the media being more involved, it has publicized it and helped make the movement better for people to understand. I think that peaceful protest it much more effective in getting an idea across rather than participating in violent acts. It is the schools job to take care of the situation, not the governments responsibility.
ReplyDeleteMedia has definitely increased public knowledge about the movement. I don't think that the protests should involve violence. Violence will only give the movement a bad reputation. I believe that the movement will be able to get results, possibly better ones, if they remained non-violent. I don't think the government should get directly involved unless absolutely necessary. The university's administration should handle the case. If the movement gets too out of hand, then the government should step in and intervene.
ReplyDeleteI believe the media's involvement publicized the issue, and gave it a lot of attention. I don't think the students are doing anything wrong in their protest. Some may argue that it is a little extreme, however if the students' voices are being heard and they are bringing attention to their cause, then what they're doing is working. I think the students are going about it the right way, because they want their demands to be met, and protesting is definitely going to bring attention to the issue. I also think the US government can only step in if it's necessary. Like if laws are being broken or things get too out of hand, then they should step in, otherwise, they shouldn't get involved.
ReplyDeleteThe students, in my opinion, were overreacting. While the racism displayed throughout the university's campus was an issue that needed to be addressed, the students participating in demonstrations and demanding the firing of the president was not the right course of action compared to other more stable options. The situation was blown out of proportion due to a chain of events that the media largely paid a part in. When the football team hopped the bandwagon, newspapers and channels started covering the protests extensively which resulted in bad publicity for the university as well as even more people hopping the bandwagon. However, one possible option that the government has in regards to preventing this type of unrest is to pass legislation that would require the administration of universities to investigate thoroughly upon receiving racism reports.
ReplyDeleteI feel the students had a right to protest and demand a solution from their university president, Wolfe, but I don't believe it should have been covered by the media in such a way to make the situation bigger than it actually was. Wolfe needed to take a better approach at improving rules and regulations that would help the university become a more peaceful environment among races. Instead, with him taking no action and brushing it aside, I feel the students were justified to strike and demand either a plan of resolution or a new president. Having school involvement is always a plus as it shows unity for a cause, but media involvement is unnecessary and destroyed the goal of making the problems better.
ReplyDeleteThe media has increased the popularity of the movement. By reaching to people outside the university's walls, the protestors are able to gain more support. I believe that the students should remain non-violent in order to gain the best results possible. Violence will only add fuel to the flame and, could cost the protestors their fight. But this fight needs to remain without government interference. The government is unnecessary, the fight is not with them. This is a social issue and the government should not act like a "helicopter parent".
ReplyDeleteI feel that the media has publicized the issue and has made people more aware. The students are not doing anything wrong by protesting because they have the freedom to speak out on their concerns or hopes. Protesting is a much better form of getting ideas across than violence. I feel the government should discourage racism over the entire country and it will then help the universities, as well.
ReplyDeleteI believe the media has been both beneficial in raising awareness about the protests but has also had some negative effects. As in the case of the Ferguson protests last year, the media has always brought its own biases in terms of coverage and analysis. This is especially true in the case of partisan media outlets such as MSNBC and FOX which have presented one-sided viewpoints on many occasions. However, in the case of these recent protests, I believe they have gone about it in a much more effective fashion. Instead of letting the demonstrations become violent, they have tried much more constructive efforts such as the football team not playing until the president resigned; a surefire way to pressure the university as college football games are a major moneymaker.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is the perfect way to bring about change. If a representative isn't being fair then he deserves to be replaced. In this case, he is being racist and weak. It seems that they are going about protesting very peacefully. They are being respectful and the football team joining them shows commitment throughout the entire school. The media will power this and I believe it will succeed.
ReplyDeleteI think that given the degree of how racial issues and discrimination has escalated, the media will aid the protestors and help them gain the publicity they need in order to win their fight. It is important that much of the student body has stepped up to help with the protest-especially the football team as their participation affects many. The protestors are doing exactly what they need to do in order to stop the in-just behavior by many students and the lack of leadership and rule enforcement by the president. I think that in response to this, the US government will aid the efforts to get the president to step down as well as help the protestors win their fight.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cassis because she makes the excellent point that if they students are not as extreme then Who would hear them and their cause? The extreme measures show the severity of the situation and what is being done to stop them which is very little and limited. I was surprised to learn how far the students had to take the situation to be heard.
ReplyDeleteI believe the media is helping to fuel these protests. Football and other activities on this campus seem improtant to the culture of the college and by protesting these shows that the students thoroughly care about the racism that is happening on the campus. I believe better legislation needs to be passed regarding this subject matter. Right now we have lose laws that are not always implemented when they should be, or laws that are taken lightly when they shouldn't be. Therefore, I think the government needs to step up and enforce stricter rules, showing students and all people that this type of behavior is not accepted.
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