Although we love to view the world in absolutes, things are seldom black and white. Heroes have skeletons in their closets and assholes secretly donate money to the ASPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan. Okay, maybe not.
But the point is that the world is a complex place, full of moral ambiguity, double standards and mixed feelings.
So we have taken it upon ourselves to bring back the epic binary of good versus bad, right versus wrong, and virtuous versus evil.
We humbly present you Asshole and Hero of the week.
Via: NY Daily News
Asshole: SAE at the University of Oklahoma
As if frat boys couldn’t get any more classless, the ignorant fools over at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at the University of Oklahoma make a video with dozens of students chanting racist remarks on a bus to a date function. The video has gone viral and has rightfully sparked outrage amongst many students of the University of Oklahoma as well as with people across the country.
It shows the passengers chanting, “There will never be a n***** in SAE. You can hang him from a tree, but he can never sign with me. There will never be a n***** in SAE.”
At the national level, the video and the chapter were quickly condemned. The chapter was shut down and the letters were removed from the SAE house on campus. The two students who led the chant were also expelled from the university.
Parker Rice, one of the brothers who led the chant, has since apologized for his actions.
“I am deeply sorry for what I did Saturday night,” Rice said. “It was wrong and reckless. I made a horrible mistake for joining into the singing and encouraging others to do the same.”
His apology sounds like something a parent writes down for a child to rehearse then perform for a disgruntled first-grade teacher after misbehaving in class.
And this chant. Well, it sounds like something the KKK would have chanted back in their fraternity glory days.
If you’re going to spout the same bullshit that has been and is still being flung by the KKK, you’re an even bigger asshole than I can properly give you credit for. You suck.
Via: CBS News
Hero(es): Students who walked out of Common Core testing
Across the country, school districts are adopting the Common Core test to replace any state-run ones that exist. The idea is to make the evaluation of students more streamlined so students in the U.S. are getting the same level of education, no matter where they live.
However, the Common Core test released by the government has problems. Critics say that the online test does nothing but distract from actual learning that is to be done in the classroom. It also takes away funding for academic and arts programs in many of the schools in each district.
Last month, students from New Mexico opted to walk out of class rather than be subjected to taking this exam. And the trend seems to be following suit with thousands of other students around the country who are opting out of the test.
The U.S. education system is in desperate need of an overhaul, and it seems the government is aware of that and taking action. But instead of releasing a problematic test with numerous flaws right out of the gate, why not consider more options? Why not look to countries like Japan, Finland and Great Britain to help guide your way of thinking when it comes to education?
The students who are walking out of these tests are doing so because they recognize something that the government fails to. They recognize that they are not getting the opportunity to actually learn as opposed to learning how to pass a test.
These kids want to learn. They deserve to be given that right. But the teach-to-the-test method of the U.S. education system prevents them from being able to do that.
Good for you, students who have walked out of Common Core testing. Take control of your education and stand up for your right to learn.
Feature photo courtesy of: Fox News Insider
