Oh, FFS: Tonight Show Parody Video of Obama Kicking Down a Door After a Press Conference is Now the Subject of a Racial Grievance Complaint at a University

"Free speech," for some definitions of free.

A student included this gif of Obama kicking down the door as a visual punchline in a listserv complaint about midterms -- that is, he used Obama kicking down the door as an exclamation point to indicate his own frustration over studying for midterms.

So, of course, he was accused of committing a "racial microaggression" and, after being put through "the process" for adjudging his guilt, he has apologized for being a racial microagressor:

“The email in question contained the phrase “Honestly midterms get out of here” followed by a URL leading to a .GIF image of President Obama violently kick a door and storming out of a room following a press conference. The inclusion of the .GIF image was intended to bring a humorous tone to the email and use President Obama’s frustration with the press conference in question to mimic the frustration students feel when confronted with midterm examinations. Despite the innocent intentions influencing my decision to use this particular image, I have come to recognize the negative implications of adding the .GIF image within this given context.

(…)

Oppression, as outlined in SSMU’s Equity Policy, means the exercise of power by a group of people over another group of people with specific consideration of cultural, historical and living legacies. The image in question was an extension of the cultural, historical and living legacy surrounding people of color—particularly young men—being portrayed as violent in contemporary culture and media. By using this particular image of President Obama, I unknowingly perpetuated this living legacy and subsequently allowed a medium of SSMU’s communication to become the site of a microaggression; for this, I am deeply sorry.”

Good God Almighty.

posted by Ace at 03:18 PM

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