Fired for displaying "white privelege"?!

[Rob Base 2.0]

wierd story, or maybe i am not culturally sensitive enough

heatst.com/culture-wars/college-fires-three-white-employees-for-posing-on-parody-rap-album-cover/

apparently employees were asked to dress up as "rappers" for a fun, tongue in cheek experience. Seems to me these 3 just excelled at what they were asked to do. i dint ser anything offensive, but maybe its because i don't go looking for things to offend me....i guess in retrospect i should have been offended by the securiry guard at work that wished me a happy fathers day the other week....,how dare he assume I have kids?? (i don't)

i see nothing bad here (unless there is more they are not saying). No cursing, no "N" word, no guns or things like that.

am i that out of touch?

[Deleted]

PC culture run amok.

[Virgil Showlion]

Jun 26, 2017 22:38:42 GMT -5 @richardintn said:

PC culture run amok.

[Opti]

From what little I could read, it appears the college fired them as a PR move due to complaints from alumni, etc. They fired three of the five. I think the college caused the problem by having a wrap (rap) week to start with. NGA stands for not Grace appropriate. The fact that this is Grace College and Seminary seems important to me versus a secular regular college. YMMV. FWIW.

[Deleted]

Or, as marketing people, they did not do their job, which was to positively market the school?

5 were involved, 3 were fired. Generally says more to the story than I'm hearing to me...

[Virgil Showlion]

Jun 27, 2017 8:45:24 GMT -5 oped said:

Or, as marketing people, they did not do their job, which was to positively market the school?

5 were involved, 3 were fired. Generally says more to the story than I'm hearing to me...

Two might have had tenure.

[Opti]

Jun 27, 2017 8:45:24 GMT -5 oped said:

Or, as marketing people, they did not do their job, which was to positively market the school?

5 were involved, 3 were fired. Generally says more to the story than I'm hearing to me...

I don't think its that much deeper. I can guess which three got fired. The one with Thug Life written on his knuckles, the guy with the afro, and the man in the middle of the cover.

[Virgil Showlion]

Jun 27, 2017 8:44:10 GMT -5 Opti said:

From what little I could read, it appears the college fired them as a PR move due to complaints from alumni, etc. They fired three of the five. I think the college caused the problem by having a wrap (rap) week to start with. NGA stands for not Grace appropriate. The fact that this is Grace College and Seminary seems important to me versus a secular regular college. YMMV. FWIW.

Participate in a marketing campaign. Do too good a job. Get fired.

Snowflakes: 1
Sanity: 0

[Virgil Showlion]

Jun 27, 2017 8:50:40 GMT -5 Opti said:

Jun 27, 2017 8:45:24 GMT -5 oped said:

Or, as marketing people, they did not do their job, which was to positively market the school?

5 were involved, 3 were fired. Generally says more to the story than I'm hearing to me...

I don't think its that much deeper. I can guess which three got fired. The one with Thug Life written on his knuckles, the guy with the afro, and the man in the middle of the cover.

So... the three men.

[Deleted]

How did they do a good job? They portrayed their school in a manner inconsistent with its ethic that received extreme negative publicity.

[Opti]

Jun 27, 2017 8:51:36 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Jun 27, 2017 8:44:10 GMT -5 Opti said:

From what little I could read, it appears the college fired them as a PR move due to complaints from alumni, etc. They fired three of the five. I think the college caused the problem by having a wrap (rap) week to start with. NGA stands for not Grace appropriate. The fact that this is Grace College and Seminary seems important to me versus a secular regular college. YMMV. FWIW.

Participate in a marketing campaign. Do too good a job. Get fired.

Snowflakes: 1
Sanity: 0

Given the type of college, IMO it was an idea almost guaranteed to go wrong. Rap is known for celebrating gangstas, thugs, and conspicuous consumption. Three things that most religious colleges want to avoid. One complaint was even that the cover was anti-black.   In hindsight, Kilgore should have gone with GCAS Life and the harmless IMO afro wig should not have been worn. A good marketing campaign gets positive buzz not lots of complaints.

www.indystar.com/story/life/2017/06/16/grace-college-employees-fired-over-mock-rap-album-photo/397526001/

The president of Grace College, Dr. Bill Katip, released a statement the day after Kilgore was fired.

"Earlier this week, an insensitive and inappropriate photo was posted by a Grace College employee," Katip wrote. "This post elicited a significant amount of criticism, concern and hurt from our alumni, students, parents, friends and others.

"We must do more to help ensure people of all backgrounds are treated with respect and feel welcome," Katip added.

www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2017/06/19/grace-college-fires-3-over-mock-rap-album-photo

[Opti]

Jun 27, 2017 8:52:48 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Jun 27, 2017 8:50:40 GMT -5 Opti said:

I don't think its that much deeper. I can guess which three got fired. The one with Thug Life written on his knuckles, the guy with the afro, and the man in the middle of the cover.

So... the three men.

Yes I believe so, because their pics look like what was most complained about. Notice the one in the middle is fake shooting himself in the head. Would you use that to advertise a seminary?

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Private religious colleges and universities are VERY protective of their image.  I had an ethics clause written into my contract that if I did anything that was considered a violation of Jesuit ethics/values and it could be tied back to the university I could be fired.  That was a part of my employee review every year my boss had to write whether or not I had conducted myself in a manner that reflected the values of the university.

Private universities do not recieve any kind of state funding in exchange for being private.  They rely heavily on their alumni to make donations.  If enough alumni complained about the stunt then it makes sense the university terminated the employees.  Getting rid of three employees is a sacrifice worth keeping the university running.

 While I don't have an ethics clause in my contract anymore, my current employer also holds the stance that if I do anything that can bring bad PR onto the university I can be terminated.  It's for smilar reasons, donors and alumni may back out of funding projects and buildings and that money is a lot harder to replace than I am.

[zibazinski]

Wrong school to do this in.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I am having trouble with the link on my computer.  Did this post this on the university's facebook page as a promo for the university?

I can't think of any university that would sanction this.  The whole point of having a PR department is to protect the university reputation .   If you didn't stop for five seconds and think about your audience before you created your promo then you shouldn't be in PR.  It's not about what YOU think is funny and cool.  It's about what old farts with a buttload of money to donate think is funny/cool.

[Green Eyed Lady]

One can't help but wonder what exactly they thought would happen given the theme.

[Peace Of Mind]

Jun 27, 2017 8:51:36 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Jun 27, 2017 8:44:10 GMT -5 Opti said:

From what little I could read, it appears the college fired them as a PR move due to complaints from alumni, etc. They fired three of the five. I think the college caused the problem by having a wrap (rap) week to start with. NGA stands for not Grace appropriate. The fact that this is Grace College and Seminary seems important to me versus a secular regular college. YMMV. FWIW.

Participate in a marketing campaign. Do too good a job. Get fired.

Snowflakes: 1
Sanity: 0

Dressing as thugs/rappers for a Seminary College PR stunt?

Critical Thinking:  0
Common Sense:  1

[Virgil Showlion]

Jun 27, 2017 8:55:44 GMT -5 oped said:

How did they do a good job? They portrayed their school in a manner inconsistent with its ethic that received extreme negative publicity.

That's not why they were fired.

They were fired because they accurately parodied rap culture (hence "did a good job" of it), some black snowflakes were triggered and raised a stink about "white privilege", and Grace College didn't want to end up the next Evergreen. So they disposed of the problem the easiest way they could.

That's what the article says. "Diversity", "inclusion", "welcoming environment for all people" straight from the provost's mouth.

[Virgil Showlion]

Jun 27, 2017 17:19:17 GMT -5 Peace Of Mind said:

Jun 27, 2017 8:51:36 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Participate in a marketing campaign. Do too good a job. Get fired.

Snowflakes: 1
Sanity: 0

Dressing as thugs/rappers for a Seminary College PR stunt?

Critical Thinking:  0
Common Sense:  1

Perhaps so, but it's not the reason they were fired.

[Deleted]

The weren't fired for "white privilege" they were fired for "black privilege".

I guarantee if 5 black faculty members had done the EXACT SAME THING, nothing would have been said or done against them... that's "privilege".

[zibazinski]

Jun 28, 2017 20:53:44 GMT -5 @richardintn said:

The weren't fired for "white privilege" they were fired for "black privilege".

I guarantee if 5 black faculty members had done the EXACT SAME THING, nothing would have been said or done against them... that's "privilege".

True but if you're aware of the double standard and most intelligent people are, why chance it?

[Tennesseer]

Grace College & Seminary

Grace College & Seminary is an evangelical Christian community of higher education which applies biblical values in strengthening character, sharpening competence, and preparing for service.[2] The institution of higher education is located in Winona Lake, Indiana. Its five divisions, or "schools," are located on the grounds of the main campus: The School of Arts and Sciences, The School of Behavioral Sciences, The School of Business, The School of Ministry Studies, and The School of Professional & Online Education (SPOE).[3] Grace Theological Seminary, which began as the parent institution, now exists as part of the School of Ministry Studies and is also located on the Winona Lake campus under the direction of Jeffrey A. Gill. Since 2011, several commuter campuses have also started. While the college and seminary are historically affiliated with theFellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, the student body and faculty of both institutions have diverse deominational backgrounds.

Grace College and Seminary

[Deleted]

I guess the college's right hands (employees') offended them, so they cut them off.

I wonder if there were theme-day guidelines in place from the power's that be, for the employees to govern themselves by?

Those on social media who complained -- Do they see this as racism? Just some of the questions running through my mind. Let me tell you, there are some white folks (male and female) who sing with such a wonderful, soulful, sound- That, if I was not able to see them, I would declare they were black!! I absolutely love their voices, and feel no offense whatsoever.

I wonder if those same offended ones named in the article take offense with the races singing, not rapping, like those of other races other than their own? For instance, take the vocals of Ariana Grande. The girl's singing abilities are off the chart in my opinion. And how about the late Amy Winehouse? 

Will every offense eventually become law, if enough people come forth, and claim they are about whatever? God forbid.

My  worth. 

[Deleted]

Thug life, Not Grace Appropriate... it wasn't singing that got anyone fired. It was failure to do their job and represent the ethic of the University they were hired to promote, and instead cause widespread criticism, particularly among alumni who are a specific source of funding.

[Deleted]

Jun 28, 2017 21:10:36 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Jun 28, 2017 20:53:44 GMT -5 @richardintn said:

The weren't fired for "white privilege" they were fired for "black privilege".

I guarantee if 5 black faculty members had done the EXACT SAME THING, nothing would have been said or done against them... that's "privilege".

True but if you're aware of the double standard and most intelligent people are, why chance it?

I never accused them of being the brightest crayons in the box... I was just pointing out that it's wrong to say they were "fired for white privilege". So-called "white privilege" wasn't even remotely at work here.

[Opti]

Jun 28, 2017 20:53:44 GMT -5 @richardintn said:

The weren't fired for "white privilege" they were fired for "black privilege".

I guarantee if 5 black faculty members had done the EXACT SAME THING, nothing would have been said or done against them... that's "privilege".

I think you are wrong in this case for many reasons including the fact that Grace College and Seminary appears to be pretty white. I saw photos with a few black male alumni and one black male college student playing volleyball. If I am right about the guy in the afro being fired it is possible that might have been let go if he was black, but I think THUG LIFE guy (a former graduate of the college BTW) and finger gun to the head guy would have been fired even if they were black.

[Opti]

Jun 28, 2017 22:06:50 GMT -5 @richardintn said:

Jun 28, 2017 21:10:36 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

True but if you're aware of the double standard and most intelligent people are, why chance it?

I never accused them of being the brightest crayons in the box... I was just pointing out that it's wrong to say they were "fired for white privilege". So-called "white privilege" wasn't even remotely at work here.

They were fired because their actions did not reflect well on the college and seminary. IMO it had nothing to do with perceived privilege, black, white, polka-dotted or otherwise. This is a small college, under 2000 students, roughly between South Bend Indiana and Fort Wayne Indiana.

[Deleted]

Jun 28, 2017 22:24:51 GMT -5 Opti said:

Jun 28, 2017 22:06:50 GMT -5 @richardintn said:

I never accused them of being the brightest crayons in the box... I was just pointing out that it's wrong to say they were "fired for white privilege". So-called "white privilege" wasn't even remotely at work here.

They were fired because their actions did not reflect well on the college and seminary. IMO it had nothing to do with perceived privilege, black, white, polka-dotted or otherwise. This is a small college, under 2000 students, roughly between South Bend Indiana and Fort Wayne Indiana.

They were fired because of complaints. Those complaints asserted that it didn't reflect on the college well. Absent any complaints there would have been no action.

And because of people like Ice T and Ice Cube and Run DMC and Snoop Dogg and other black rappers (nothing against any of them, they are just all well known rappers, and all of them are black), no one would have criticized black rapper parody by black individuals. It would have been perceived as acceptable "because blacks are the ones that are predominantly rappers".

I do appreciate your opinion though, I just believe it to be incorrect.

[Virgil Showlion]

Jun 28, 2017 22:24:51 GMT -5 Opti said:

Jun 28, 2017 22:06:50 GMT -5 @richardintn said:

I never accused them of being the brightest crayons in the box... I was just pointing out that it's wrong to say they were "fired for white privilege". So-called "white privilege" wasn't even remotely at work here.

They were fired because their actions did not reflect well on the college and seminary. IMO it had nothing to do with perceived privilege, black, white, polka-dotted or otherwise. This is a small college, under 2000 students, roughly between South Bend Indiana and Fort Wayne Indiana.

If this is the case, why does the president prattle on about "policies and training at Grace related to diversity and inclusion” and ensuring “people of all backgrounds are treated with respect and feel welcomed on our campus”? This is "were sorry, snowflakes" prattle.

Why not "The material depicted is inconsistent with our values as a Christian college. We abhor violence and gangsterism."?

[Opti]

Jun 28, 2017 23:02:34 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

Jun 28, 2017 22:24:51 GMT -5 Opti said:

They were fired because their actions did not reflect well on the college and seminary. IMO it had nothing to do with perceived privilege, black, white, polka-dotted or otherwise. This is a small college, under 2000 students, roughly between South Bend Indiana and Fort Wayne Indiana.

If this is the case, why does the president prattle on about "policies and training at Grace related to diversity and inclusion” and ensuring “people of all backgrounds are treated with respect and feel welcomed on our campus”? This is "were sorry, snowflakes" prattle.

Why not "The material depicted is inconsistent with our values as a Christian college. We abhor violence and gangsterism."?

Virgil, I'm not the President of that college so there's no way for me to fully know. Its quite possible that some of their black alumni or current black students complained and hence the President's speech. It appears the marketing dept came up with the wrap/rap day idea. Why Evan Kilgore thought the fake album cover was a great parody of college life escapes my understanding.

I think "The material depicted is inconsistent with our values as a Christian college. " would have been good and it would have been more Christian IMO to give them all a second chance as I think the pic was on an employee's FB page, not a college one. Take it down, apologize, maybe remedial training of some sort and move on. Showing God's grace should have sold well if done right.