Just a generation ago, racism and segregation was a way of life for minorities all across the U.S. at colleges big and small. As time slowly marched on, it seems to the uninterested observer that these scourges on society have all but disappeared, but nothing could be farther from the truth.
Racism and segregation are alive and well on college campuses, but they merely take a more 21st Century form. Bullies and racists use technology to carry out their harassment. The youth of our country are more technologically advanced than any other generation.
Most teenagers and adults have cell phones, a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and a number of other ways in which they “plug in” to the virtual world and each other. And for those inclined to terrorize others because of their race, it’s another avenue for them to inflict pain.
How Does Cyber-Racism Affect Students?
Cyber-racism is just one more form of cyber bullying, a phenomenon that exploded in recent years. Researchers extensively studied the effects of cyber bullying and cyber-racism on the human psyche with some surprising results.
One study conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that victims of all types of cyber bullying are at a much greater risk for developing depression than those who suffer from traditional forms of bullying. Victims of cyber bullying have few options in dealing with it because students accosted by this type of attack feel isolated and helpless because they cannot see the person harassing them.
The study looked at adolescents in middle and high school, admittedly a younger group than college students, but it would be irresponsible to think that just because a student is a couple of years older, that the bullying and racism causes less hurt or less damage.
This study concluded that cyber bullying significantly interferes with scholastic achievement, social skills, and general well being, and cyber-racism is no different because cyber bullies often use racist slurs in their attacks.
Another study, conducted by Brendesha M. Tynes, a professor of educational psychology and African-American studies at the University of Illinois, and Suzanne L. Markoe, a psychology professor at UCLA, found that black college students report a significantly higher instance of cyber-racism than white students.
Many examples of cyber-racism have been publicized in recent months. In one instance, a Harvard Law student, Stephanie Grace, sent an email to a classmate claiming that blacks are “less intelligent on a genetic level” than whites.
In the email Grace says, “I think it is bad science to disagree with a conclusion in your heart, and then try (unsuccessfully, so far at least) to find data that will confirm what you want to be true. Everyone wants someone to take 100 white infants, and 100 African-American ones, and raise them in Disney utopia and prove once, and for all, that we are all equal on every dimension, or at least the important ones like intelligence. I am merely not 100 percent convinced that this is the case.”
This email found its way to a group of black law students and went viral all over the internet. No one knows about any punishment that Grace received. In fact, she even kept her clerkship with a federal judge.
Another case comes from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. In a conversation on Facebook, two white freshmen students traded racist statements about a third student who came into the room where they were studying. According to the school’s newspaper, the UMD Statesman, this is just part of the conversation: “ewww a obabacare (sic) is in the room, i feel dirty, and unsafe. keep a eye on all of your valuables and dont make direct eye contact.... i just threw up in my mouth right now....,” and “were two white girls…she already has her ‘nigga’ instinct to kill us and use us to her pleasure...”
Yet another case is that of Phoebe Prince, which shows just how damaging this type of behavior can be. As a new student at a Boston area high school, and a white girl, Prince just emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland. A group of classmates, dubbed the “mean girls,” tormented her because she was Irish, posting several messages on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Craigslist. They sent threatening messages to her cell phone. This story took a tragic turn when Prince went home from school after one particularly bad day of bullying and hung herself.
It wasn’t enough for these classmates to drive Prince to suicide. They continued posting their hate on the memorial Facebook page set up by her friends and family. Although this story discusses a student who is younger, this type of behavior does not end with high school graduation.
In the half-century since the Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which made racial segregation in schools illegal, schools continue to increase minority attendance and foster diversity.
Self-segregation is the tendency for students to stick with their race, ethnicity, etc. This is a natural defensive response for those who feel different from the rest of the group. They seek out others that they share commonalities with, and in return, they get support, understanding, and a greater feeling of safety.
This segregation does not affect just minority students, often non-minorities self-segregate for the same reasons. Debra Humphreys, Director of Programs, Office of Education and Diversity Initiatives, at the Association of American Colleges and Universities in Washington, DC., researched and wrote a paper for the Ford Foundation Campus Diversity Initiative titled “Campus Diversity and Student Self-Segregation: Separating Myths From Facts.” In the paper posted on Diversity Web, she points out that “While there are situations in which college students may cluster in racial/ethnic groups, research suggests that there is a high degree of intergroup contact on college campuses, and that self-segregation by race/ethnicity is not a dominant feature on diverse college campuses today.”
The continuation of cyber-racism and bullying does encourage self-segregation, and though the numbers may be less than before, it is not acceptable for any student to feel the need to self-segregate. No, we cannot force self-segregated students out of their comfort zone, but perhaps with some effort, we can make that comfort zone a little bigger.
Sources:
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/sep2010/nichd-21.htm
http://www.thegrio.com/opinion/black-college-students-get-a-lesson-in-cy...
http://media.www.umdstatesman.com/media/storage/paper1351/news/2010/04/2...
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/03/29/2010-03-29_phoebe_pr...
http://www.diversityweb.org/diversity_innovations/institutional_leadersh...
Comments
Reading this article I feel
Reading this article I feel very ashamed because I know a lot of people who do this. Self-segregation is just a way to slap the Civil rights movement in the face. I really think it is stupid that people stick to just their own race. I mean I understand that there is a fear that those who are not like you wouldn't understand you, however, if there is no effort being made to see if this is not the case then how would we know? I also feel that Cyber-racism is one of the deadliest forms of racism since you don't know who the other person since it is all on the Web. It is really sad that we as a people have yet to realize we are all the same and need each other to survive. It's embarrassing to call myself an American when we have children making other children commit suicide and bullying them. I think it's the parent's job to step it up and start disciplining their children and teach them that segregation and bullying and racism is not what this country was built upon.
Cyber Bullying - A New Thing?, We can burn flags if we want to.
Some people are arguing that cyber-bullying is a new thing. In my opinion, it is not as new as some may suggest. For me this whole topic stems from the very core of our American world. At a young age we are taught that we should treat everyone equally, and yet legally speaking we are allowed to treat others differently. Freedom of speech has always confused me. Websites that show the burning of the American flag, blatant racism, sexism , etc has been around since the creation of the World Wide Web. I have never felt comfortable with being told at one point that I have to treat everyone with respect, while at the same time being told that if I want to disrespect a group of people I can in my head, and in my home, but not in public. This more than upsets me and I believe, is one of the major causes of confusion within our contradictory, and schizophrenic western world. We seem to focus on individuality, even if it is knowingly wrong or harmful. We have laws to punish when people do things like this, but at the very same moment people cry out that they should have the right to "express their opinions".
I do not know much about
I do not know much about cyber-bullying because I refuse to get a facebook, smartphone, or anything like that. But, I imagine it would be worse to not be able to know who is bullying you. Posting hateful messages on a memorial site is one of the worst things I have ever heard. If I caused someone so much pain that they killed themselves, I would not be able to live with myself, and I cannot imagine that these people continued the behavior that caused her suicide in the first place.
Self-segregation can be expected after so many years of racism and oppression,especially since so many whites deny that racism is still a problem. If a person of color tries to talk to a white friend about their problems, the white friend is likely to dismiss what they say and think they are being too sensitive. It makes sense that they would want to be with people that would understand them and have been through the same experiences.
I agree, i do not believe
I agree, i do not believe that Cyber Bullying is new. Maybe as new sights such as Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter continue to to expand, it may get worse, but i do not believe the entire idea is new. An example of this is with Xbox Live. I used to play every day after school when i was in high school. It was just the thing to do, since most of my closest friends had an Xbox. Xbox live is a social network of any ages around the world, where individuals have the right to talk to each other through microphones and nothing is censored. It is obvious to say that it is almost impossible to enter a room full of people and not hear one type of swear word. But what a lot of people are not understanding is it is almost impossible to enter a room where a racial slur is said as well. This is what this article reminded me of. This is not what our country was built up by and it needs to change. Great article.
I agree, i do not believe
I agree, i do not believe that Cyber Bullying is new. Maybe as new sights such as Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter continue to to expand, it may get worse, but i do not believe the entire idea is new. An example of this is with Xbox Live. I used to play every day after school when i was in high school. It was just the thing to do, since most of my closest friends had an Xbox. Xbox live is a social network of any ages around the world, where individuals have the right to talk to each other through microphones and nothing is censored. It is obvious to say that it is almost impossible to enter a room full of people and not hear one type of swear word. But what a lot of people are not understanding is it is almost impossible to enter a room where a racial slur is said as well. This is what this article reminded me of. This is not what our country was built up by and it needs to change. Great article.
This made me feel very upset
I knew that their was a lot of cyber bullying in the world but I never once imagined what I was introduced to today. I find it unbelievable that someone could bully someone to the point of death. I will admit that everyone every now and then does bully someone around them in some way, even if they do not realize it. Everyone's feelings are different. Some are really easy to offend and others try to hide their pain and suffering. To bully someone to the point of death is outrageous and it makes me think of all the bully's in the world. It sickens me that people would do that and even after death bully a dead girl. I do not know what this world is coming to. These days are harsh and I wonder how my children in the future are going to be affected by the bully's of their generation.
when reading this i never
when reading this i never though that cyber bullying was this intense and could take such harm on other people... i know mostly everyone has a facebook or twitter or account of social networking but when the girls were saying racsit remarks it allows people to agree or disagree with them but for everyone to see the racist statements isnt fair and the student that killed herself the girls should be getting into trouble for driving this young girl to kill herself.... cyber bullying is just as bad as any type of bullying..
Cyber Bullying
Oddly enough I have never made the connection between cyber bullying and racism. I assume that this type of racism has occurred for some time now but I have never related the subject to racism. Now it seems blatantly obvious because it can be considered a form of closet racism for many of those withholding their views. Without a true identity on the internet (meaning that you can be the person you want to be without really ever being held accountable) an individual may feel that they can say and act how they like because no one will call them out for their behavior. I just don't see how a person or group of people can bully someone so much that they kill themselves and instead of feeling any remorse for that individual, they continue to post hateful and mean comments on their page. It just goes to show that with a mask on, a person can turn into someone else we have never known, they can do either the best or the worse things with their hidden identity.