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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTexas teacher fired over racially charged Ferguson tweet
A Dallas-area teacher who was accused of sending a racially charged tweet about events in Ferguson, Mo., was fired on Friday, school officials said.
Vinita Hegwood, a high school English teacher, was discharged at a special meeting of the trustees of the Duncanville Independent School District, according to a statement emailed by the district.
"In a special meeting this morning, the Duncanville Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously to terminate the teaching contract of Ms. Vinita Hegwood effective immediately," according to the statement.
Hegwood was accused of sending insensitive comments from her personal Twitter account on Nov. 7. She had apologized.
"Who the [expletive] made you dumb [expletives] think I give a squat [expletive] about your opinions. #Ferguson Kill yourselves," read one of the messages Hegwood allegedly sent.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-teacher-fired-over-racially-charged-ferguson-tweet/ar-BBdJRE9?ocid=DELLDHP
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)very surprised this teacher got canned in TX.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)snooper2
(30,151 posts)Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)using racially charged words against white folks.
Make more sense now?
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)so swift, or so severe, had the races been reversed.
SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)Now, might it vary from state to state? Probably. But I don't doubt that had the races been reversed in the same school/district, the outcome would have been the same.
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)As a general rule, white people get away with a lot of behavior that would result in disciplinary actions if done by someone of color.
I wish I could find an article I'm remembering - because it really made it hit home for me when I realized that all the crap my spouse gets away with when she pretends rules don't apply to her result in a very different responses when people of color engage in the same behaviors. Until I read that article, I had not connected the tolerant and amused reactions she gets, and the fact that she gets away with it, with race.
I have no reason to believe this particular school district has any super-powers to avoid the different ways nearly everyone unconsiously views race in this country.
SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)when they say that they can't tolerate that kind of egregious behavior. I have no reason to believe they would tolerate it from a white teacher.
Do you believe that the teacher should have been fired? If not, why not?
AnalystInParadise
(1,832 posts)not this crap again. Let's try to stay on target and not deflect. A woman (in this case a black woman) made hateful racially charged remarks....her place of employment fired her. This is a win for the school district, a win for morality and standards and a win for those against racism. The only person that loses here is the racist woman that made the remarks.......
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)A 20 year black teacher makes remarks on Friday on her own time, on her own personal twitter account, placed on leave on Monday, apologizes and resigns on Thursday, the school board rejects her resignation so they can fire her. Standard behavior for dealing with dealing with white folks who behave badly, right?
white teacher, in school, makes similar racist remarks directly to students:
Although Ramsey spent more than a week suspended from her teaching duties, she is now back in the classroom, according to WAVY. According to a statement by the districts superintendent, At this point, our main concern is to investigate this incident thoroughly, and collect the facts. This is a personnel issue, and it is confidential until resolved. We are following protocol in this investigation and student and school employee investigations are confidential.
Yup. Treated exactly the same way.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Oktober
(1,488 posts)Maybe to you it does?
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Go over to the Discussionist and see who uses the term "thug" and what they mean by it in reference to Ferguson.
Oktober
(1,488 posts)... at a minimum
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Nothing subjective about it. It is an overt racist reference in that sense.
I really have no problem with the teacher using the term "cracker" in reference to the Governor, police department and right/white wingers threatening potential protesters. Surprised you do.
Oktober
(1,488 posts)Never something to be condoned or even approved of... You seem to disagree...
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)In the minds of many people, if saying "cracker" is OK, then saying other slurs is OK. History is irrelevant. Current power structures are irrelevant. The people we want to convince don't see history and current power structures. Most people crave fairness, and we generally believe what we personally see and hear. Because of this, publically using the term "cracker" is teaching people that all racial slurs are OK.
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)the word "thug" being used in a slur-like way during the Martin/Zimmerman investigation/trial/aftermath. Of course not every use of the word is based on anti-black bigotry, but it does seem to be used as a slur lately.
Oktober
(1,488 posts)... that a black person can act like a thug and so can a white person.
It's the behavior and not the person.
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)...the f-word (in relation to LGBT) is also a bundle of sticks.
Oktober
(1,488 posts)... and modern usage.
When you call someone a F****t, only about .00001% of the population is going to first thing of a bundle of sticks.
When you call someone a thug, the only people who associate that with black people are racists. It certainly doesn't apply to the population at large.
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)Oktober
(1,488 posts)Sure...
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)...common.
SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter how long the woman was a teacher, it doesn't matter what her record was, it doesn't matter that it was her personal Twitter account, and it doesn't matter that she was on her own time.
She made racist comments, which in my mind, means that she should in no way be in any kind of authority position over children in a classroom. And that applies whether she's black, white, yellow or spotted.
I can't believe that on a Democratic website I'm actually seeing people defend racism.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)I don't think so.
And I know darn well that a white teacher using the term "thug" -- or worse -- in reference to protesters and Mike Brown would not have been fired.
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)I suspect you are correct here.
I don't think so.
If racial slurs are used, then the call out will appear racist. Doesn't matter if it's racist or not. Perception is reality. Not all parents are delighted to hear their child's teacher using racial slurs. Our words can decrease tensions, increase tensions, or do nothing to tensions. Public use of the word "cracker" increases tensions, whether you like it or think it's the dumbest thing ever.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Especially local officials who are arming up and threatening potential protesters. Throw in threats from the KKK, and I can see this teacher using the term "cracker."
Of course, I'm one of those who really don't think Blacks typically have the requisite power to be racist.
AnalystInParadise
(1,832 posts)towards a racist........white or black.
Spin it however you want, your mind is already made up, but the fact that you are upset a black racist got fired is very telling.
mercuryblues
(14,532 posts)Angela Box @TheBoxThatRoxx
· Jun 29
The next time a #LowInformationVoter says I am a racist for opposing @BarackObama I'm going to go #Apocalypse on them.
Angela Box @TheBoxThatRoxx
· Jul 1
Ask Larry Sinclair how Barry likes his crack...among other things. Stay classy @BarackObama . http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/06/30/Obama-Jokes-White-House-Pastry-Chef-Puts-Crack-In-His-Pies
And much more and worse at her account.
http://egbertowillies.com/2014/11/15/bigot-against-muslim-teacher-angela-box/
What is the reaction?
Despite parents concern that a virulent racist is teaching their kids The school is keeping her. This is being framed a free speech issue.
Houston ISD has reviewed episodes of "Tommy's Garage" and says Box will remain in the classroom. Parental concerns, the district says, will be dealt with on a case by case basis.
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/27392681/more-parents-object-to-racial-views-of-hisd-teacher
simak
(116 posts)It's far more serious to be accused of racism as a white.
There are some who argue that racial animus is not racism by definition when the offender belongs to the minority population. IOW, "blacks can't be racist".
I say this as a response to the apparent suggestion that the school's being overly hard on her because she's black. It's far more likely that they're cutting her some slack compared to a white teacher who might say something similar. Apologies if that wasn't what you meant.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)See #92 for some examples.
That explains the disparity the recent widely publicized case, in which a White teacher told her students (in school, while on the job) that her bucket list included spending the last 10 days killing black people. She was treated so much harshly - they lynched her....if by lynching you mean they gave her a brief unpaid suspension and she is back on the job.
840high
(17,196 posts)d_b
(7,463 posts)I knew she wasn't white just by the headline.
if she were white, right now the school would be in the 'reviewing the facts' stage.
after that, maybe a 30 day vacation. Then she'd do the fox news thing. etc.
Oktober
(1,488 posts)Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)A 20 year teacher tweets on Friday, is suspended on Monday, apologizes and resigns on Thursday, her resignation was rejected on Thursday for the sole purpose of firing her on Friday?
Even in the case of a teacher having sex with students I don't know that I have ever seen a reaction that swift.
Oktober
(1,488 posts)IOW, is there an equivalent teacher out there who tweeted "Who **** the made you dumb Ni****s think I give a squat about your opinions. Kill yourselves"
Maybe there is...
I'm confident that if it were to make level of national news then that teacher would be out on their ass in a heartbeat.
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)This white teacher spoke similar words, directly to students, on the job at school
Although Ramsey spent more than a week suspended from her teaching duties, she is now back in the classroom, according to WAVY. According to a statement by the districts superintendent, At this point, our main concern is to investigate this incident thoroughly, and collect the facts. This is a personnel issue, and it is confidential until resolved. We are following protocol in this investigation and student and school employee investigations are confidential.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/11/03/3587641/high-school-teacher-back-in-classroom-despite-reportedly-saying-she-would-kill-all-black-people/
It's been more than a heartbeat, and guess what - she's back on the job.
Oktober
(1,488 posts)According to the story you provided, some deny it, some affirm it etc..
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)There are always reasons for treating individual black people more swiftly and harshly than individual white people for similar behavior. But the problem is systemic, and if you cant see it - and continue to rationalize it away - you are part of why it still continues. We are not a race blind society.
Oktober
(1,488 posts)Should the word of some students be enough? Especially when others disagree?
The moron teacher in the OP sealed her fate the moment she publicly and permanently outed herself as a racist. There was no question other than to make sure someone didn't hold a gun to her head.
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)and individual instances of differences are always explained away as "apples and oranges" or "see here, there's this difference. It really isn't disparate treatment, because I can always find some difference in any example you provide." Yes - excuses.
Do you really think a black teacher accused by several students of saying that she would like to spend her final 10 days on earth killing white students would be back in the classroom while they were investigating? Seriously? If so, there's a bridge in Brooklyn with your name on it.
Oktober
(1,488 posts)Otherwise you are just conjecturing through the lens of your own personal views.
Pointing out how things are significantly different doesn't fall in the excuse category. It falls in the facts and logic section...
The word of a student and friends, especially when taken against another group of students is not even close to the same thing as a self immolating blast of public and immediately verifiable racism that we see in the OP.
mercuryblues
(14,532 posts)situations were exactly the same and outcomes different there would people who would say well, she obviously picked her nose during the meeting so that is the reason.
Saying that you would kill black people (some of whom are your students) is more egregious to me than some random posts cherry picked from twitter.
randys1
(16,286 posts)SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)randys1
(16,286 posts)get away with
SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)in the same district wouldn't be fired for tweeting racist remarks, whereas I'm assuming he or she would be.
Do you believe this teacher should have been fired?
NaturalHigh
(12,778 posts)Oktober
(1,488 posts)The only place she forgot was the one for being a decent human being.
tammywammy
(26,582 posts)There's a larger minority population than white. Being from the area, on the news and such people heavily favored her getting fired. So yeah I think if it was a white teacher it would have been just as swift.
Lee-Lee
(6,324 posts)Travis_0004
(5,417 posts)New Deal Dave
(32 posts)Travis_0004
(5,417 posts)There was an election and those people won, so the community thinks those are the best people for the job.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)tblue37
(65,403 posts)called "crackers."
So not all that surprising in Texas after all.
Donald Ian Rankin
(13,598 posts)It sounds suspiciously ambiguous.
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)840high
(17,196 posts)SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)She has admitted she sent the texts.
KingCharlemagne
(7,908 posts)rage have burned themselves out and the shrieks and cries of pain turned to whimpers?
Harlem
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
~Langston Hughes
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)of Langston Hughes.
KingCharlemagne
(7,908 posts)Commie old school.) One of my favorite American poets. I believe "Harlem" comes from a larger book-length work called Montage of a Dream Deferred, but it's been awhile since I've studied his life or work in detail.. "Harlem" in turn inspired Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun.
Enjoy!
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)I can be kind of vocal sometimes
New Deal Dave
(32 posts)Fla Dem
(23,690 posts)thread of tweets were about, it's hard to say what she was responding to. I think she may tweeted about Ferguson, like how awful it was and someone tweeted back at her with a racially charged insult. Which then caused her to make the response that she did. Was it appropriate? No. For a teacher to tell someone to kill themselves is just wrong. But I got from the headline she was tweeting something negative against Ferguson, which I don't think was the case at all.
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)That tweet is distorted beyond recognition in the article. She was slamming whites for offering their unwanted (to her) opinions about Ferguson.
New Deal Dave
(32 posts)AnalystInParadise
(1,832 posts)Don't like what idiots are saying? Block them....Don't respond with more racist rhetoric, that gets you fired and deservedly so. I see a whole bunch of winners in this case and only one racist loser. (the woman is not a loser in the sense that she is a sucks at life, she lost the second she went full racist).
Oktober
(1,488 posts)... or excusable?
There are no circumstances under which this can be mitigated short of a gun to the head that forced her to twit against her will.
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)that it wasn't the case that she was saying something negative about Ferguson.
With the excerpted words removed (as in the OP), the quote appeared to be directed toward the people of Ferguson. That was not the case - as the prior poster suspected. I was confirming the poster's suspicion.
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)to the point it certainly feels as it it is directed at a different racial group than it is, and perhaps has almost the opposite meaning.
Here's the quote as printed in the article:
"Who the {expletive} made you dumb {expletives} think I give a squat {expletive} about your opinions. #Ferguson Kill yourselves"
With the expletives filled in: Who the f*ck made you dumb a** crackers think I give a squat f*ck about your opinions RE #Ferguson? Kill yourselves.
Quite a different feel, and not so surprising that she was fired in Texas for tweets which were racially charged against whites.
logosoco
(3,208 posts)I wonder if she is somehow referring to the duck dynasty folks who have been pretty open about their racism.
I can understand anger and frustration, but saying you wish someone would kill themselves isn't a good thing, especially in something public like a tweet.
Or it could be dumb duck ass is just some new slang i am unfamiliar with?
Ms. Toad
(34,074 posts)that make the original "quote" even farther off.
Response to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)
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Boom Sound 416
(4,185 posts)SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)Boom Sound 416
(4,185 posts)WinkyDink
(51,311 posts)randys1
(16,286 posts)Travis_0004
(5,417 posts)The only difference is if they fired a racist white guy people wouldnt be rushing to his defense.
SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)I don't see how anyone can defend this type of behavior.
KingCharlemagne
(7,908 posts)AnalystInParadise
(1,832 posts)A few people in this thread are defending her, or at least trying to deflect and say "but, but, but.....white people"............
logosoco
(3,208 posts)is that there seems to be a problem with our society where when a black person does something they get treated differently. Our country is not supposed to be like that, but here we are into the 21st century and it still hasn't got that figured out.
In the news recently, a woman told students (not twitter, but directly), that if she only had 10 days to live, she would spend it killing black people. She was suspended with pay and is now back on the job.
I guess one could say it is the differences in the school board, but I like to think that the Constitution protects everyone the same everywhere. Any person who works with kids and talks about killing or telling someone they should kill themselves really should be directed to another line of work, no matter what color they are.
AnalystInParadise
(1,832 posts)Or is it something some students said that she uttered and others said she did not?
If it is a he said/she said thing, then NO she should not be fired unless it is proven. This was admitted to and MADE IN A FREAKING PUBLIC SPACE. I can't believe people are trying to equivocate the two, they are so vastly different it is ridiculous.
Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)...in the last few weeks regarding the "leaks" from the "grand jury".
randys1
(16,286 posts)is a bit off the mark
Oktober
(1,488 posts)Cooley Hurd
(26,877 posts)Her anger is justified, not her statements.
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)It's far too easy to simply tweet ther first thing that comes into your head when you're angry...I'll never use twitter
NaturalHigh
(12,778 posts)The filter that most people have that censors their mouths is completely absent when typing out a twitter.
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)Fla_Democrat
(2,547 posts)but that's it. I don't think I've ever posted any original tweets. Just finish the work out, click the button, and forget.
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)Walk away as soon as you're done...unfortunately, I bet most people can't do that.
MH1
(17,600 posts)so my tweets would only go to followers. Or something like that.
My initial intent was to use it for family and close friends only. But being old farts, we have other ways to stay in touch, and there's also Facebook. So haven't yet found a real need to be a Twit.
Also ...
I think maybe I'll invent a usb device that works like a breathalyzer for a car. You wanna post on the internet? Blow into the tube first.
A lot of this stuff is caused by PWI. Not sure if this woman's case is that, but if not, she's too dumb to be a teacher anyway.
NaturalHigh
(12,778 posts)Hell I don't even use twitter or facebook and I would buy one just to be on the safe side.