BYU and bigotry

[David G]

Recently, BYU (an institution run by the Mormon Church) played a football game at Oregon. Some of the rowdier fans - aka the 'Pit Crew' - chanted "Eff You BYT" at the folks from BYU. The ensuing outrage from the BYU side was impressive. And I agree... the Oregon students were over the top.

But I also said at the time that - in addition to the fairness of their complaint - it should be noted as ironic. Because BYU and their fans have very little standing to cry about bigotry. Their racial discrimination - church, university, teams, and fans has long been noted by their opponents. It's even been joked that BYU stand for 'Bigotry Yes University'.

Whataboutism does NOT excuse bad behavior. But knowing the history does highlight the hypocrisy.

If you're interested, you can dig up example after example. Here's one that just floated across my news feed --

‘Stand Up, N-Words’: More Athletes Accuse Brigham Young University Crowd of Racism

https://www.thedailybeast.com/more-a...ticles&via=rss

[bamamick]

The incident at the BYU/Duke volleyball game centered around one idiot. Last night before the Dolphins/Bengals game another idiot was screaming ‘eff Bama’ at Tua. This whole country is more crude and more rude than any of us could have imagined at one point, and if you say something about it the rude, crude ones will just laugh and call you a snowflake.

Years ago I took one of my girls to a ballgame and had to ask a guy to watch his language. He told me it was on me for being stupid enough to have brought my daughter to the game. How do you deal with a world where that makes sense?

There probably is some deep seated ‘something-ism’ at any school that styles it’s student body and administration as all believing the same things.

Mickey Lake

[Breakaway]

Better than screaming would be to not attend. To write the school and let them know you wont support them if they play BYU. Dont send your kids to a school that plays BYU. Such actions would be positive.

Screaming in the stands? Not so much.

Kevin


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[David G]

The incident at the BYU/Duke volleyball game centered around one idiot. Last night before the Dolphins/Bengals game another idiot was screaming ‘eff Bama’ at Tua. This whole country is more crude and more rude than any of us could have imagined at one point, and if you say something about it the rude, crude ones will just laugh and call you a snowflake.

Years ago I took one of my girls to a ballgame and had to ask a guy to watch his language. He told me it was on me for being stupid enough to have brought my daughter to the game. How do you deal with a world where that makes sense?

There probably is some deep seated ‘something-ism’ at any school that styles it’s student body and administration as all believing the same things.

Mickey Lake

Perhaps. I haven't researched it at length. But I know three things.

1. The targeted students talked about more than one fan.

2. BYU did their own investigation, and claimed to find 'no evidence' of such behavior.

3. Among schools who play BYU, such behavior is common experience. Hence the mocking nickname. There's even a local local sports talk radio guy (Mormon) who played feetball for BYU.... who has talked a few times, when pressed, about how what's known isn't nearly as much as what he watched happen during his playing years. Even to black players IN the program.

[CWSmith]

The only people who can reach the offending students are other students.

If the administration had any character, they would shut down the field house to future home games and play them to empty stands. The students will scream, the admin would say "Blame the people who can't behave", and someone would get beat up. Problem solved.

[Jim Bow]

For what it’s worth :
The BYU Committee on Race, Equity & Belonging is united and deeply committed to

realizing the recent call to action and reflecting the united declaration of leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the NAACP that educational institutions “review processes, [policies], and organizational attitudes regarding racism and root them out.” In his charge to the committee, President Kevin J Worthen acknowledged the historic nature of the committee’s commission and the transformative potential of the work we are asked to undertake in accomplishing this declaration and call to action at BYU. Racism—whether implicit or overt, whether individual or institutional—is a highly destructive and complex feature of our society. Indeed, it is a sin, with consequences that detrimentally impact the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of BYU students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Rooting out racism, healing its wounds, and building bridges of understanding is the responsibility of every member of the BYU community. That effort begins with understanding and living the two greatest commandments given to us by the Master Healer, Jesus Christ: to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves (see Matthew 22:35–39). In this spirit of love, we will address racism, promote equity, and enhance belonging at BYU by:

• Listening to our beloved Black BYU community to understand how racism has frustrated, and continues to frustrate their experiences at BYU;
• Inviting the input of all of our beloved Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) at BYU as well as those committed to ridding BYU of racism through the establishment of racial equity and belonging;
• Conducting a thorough quantitative and qualitative review of how processes, policies, practices, procedures, operations, and attitudes impact our BIPOC communities at BYU;
• Identifying the issues that negatively impact the prosperity of our BIPOC communities at BYU;
• Drawing on the expertise of individual faculty and administrators within BYU to understand both the subtle and overt ways that racism may impact individual thought and interactions, organizational units, processes, policies, practices, procedures, and operations;
• Creating, prioritizing, and presenting a comprehensive set of recommendations that will assist BYU to advance racial understanding, enhance equity, and promote belonging, and that will have a significant and enduring positive impact on the prosperity of our BIPOC communities at BYU.

In accomplishing its purpose and mission, the committee is committed to transparency and will maintain consistent communication with the BYU community concerning its progress. We also recognize our charge extends beyond a single time frame or set of recommendations; therefore, we seek to launch an iterative process that will require consistent attention to create and maintain a racially equitable campus. The committee eagerly looks forward to assisting to “root out [racism],” at BYU so that every member of our BYU community “might have life, and have it ‘more abundantly.’”

[/COLOR]

[sonofswen]

For what it’s worth :
The BYU Committee on Race, Equity & Belonging is united and deeply committed to

realizing the recent call to action and reflecting the united declaration of leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the NAACP that educational institutions “review processes, [policies], and organizational attitudes regarding racism and root them out.” In his charge to the committee, President Kevin J Worthen acknowledged the historic nature of the committee’s commission and the transformative potential of the work we are asked to undertake in accomplishing this declaration and call to action at BYU. Racism—whether implicit or overt, whether individual or institutional—is a highly destructive and complex feature of our society. Indeed, it is a sin, with consequences that detrimentally impact the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing of BYU students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Rooting out racism, healing its wounds, and building bridges of understanding is the responsibility of every member of the BYU community. That effort begins with understanding and living the two greatest commandments given to us by the Master Healer, Jesus Christ: to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves (see Matthew 22:35–39). In this spirit of love, we will address racism, promote equity, and enhance belonging at BYU by:

• Listening to our beloved Black BYU community to understand how racism has frustrated, and continues to frustrate their experiences at BYU;
• Inviting the input of all of our beloved Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) at BYU as well as those committed to ridding BYU of racism through the establishment of racial equity and belonging;
• Conducting a thorough quantitative and qualitative review of how processes, policies, practices, procedures, operations, and attitudes impact our BIPOC communities at BYU;
• Identifying the issues that negatively impact the prosperity of our BIPOC communities at BYU;
• Drawing on the expertise of individual faculty and administrators within BYU to understand both the subtle and overt ways that racism may impact individual thought and interactions, organizational units, processes, policies, practices, procedures, and operations;
• Creating, prioritizing, and presenting a comprehensive set of recommendations that will assist BYU to advance racial understanding, enhance equity, and promote belonging, and that will have a significant and enduring positive impact on the prosperity of our BIPOC communities at BYU.

In accomplishing its purpose and mission, the committee is committed to transparency and will maintain consistent communication with the BYU community concerning its progress. We also recognize our charge extends beyond a single time frame or set of recommendations; therefore, we seek to launch an iterative process that will require consistent attention to create and maintain a racially equitable campus. The committee eagerly looks forward to assisting to “root out [racism],” at BYU so that every member of our BYU community “might have life, and have it ‘more abundantly.’”

[/COLOR]

That's very white of them.

[Chip-skiff]

What a mealy-mouthed gob of shyte.

The Book of Mormon tells of a war for North America between white (or at least Hebraic) tribes called Nephites (white and delightsome) and evil black and brown people called Lamanites. The Lamanites won (alas). Which justifies hate, discrimination, colonization, Manifest Destiny, and acting ugly at sports events.

The racism is a feature, not a bug.

[David G]

That's very white of them.

Actually... it's progress.

I won't put too much 'faith' in their words. As I pointed out... they have a very long history to overcome. But talking is the first step. Failure is inevitable. But will they persevere? Will they remain 'united and deeply committed to' these fine words? Over the long haul, that it.

Will their actions eventually match, or mostly match, their stated goals? Time will tell. Meantime, they deserve credit for the self-examination. And they deserve, and need, to be called out for their failures. Like 'we conducted our own investigation of this claim and found no evidence'.

[sonofswen]

Today, I chose to write about the Mormon or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints history on their treatment of black members. The church has had a rocky history with how they have treated blacks in the past. It is important to acknowledge this pain. I am deeply troubled by the way the church glosses over these past racial injustices. I would also like it to be known that one of the biggest millennial faces for the LDS faith is a black man named Kwaku. I have been upset by his support of this faith and some of his apologist arguments of why the church is not racist. I do want to say that I think faith is deeply personal and I cannot in good conscience as a white woman, judge this black man’s pursuit of his chosen faith. Yet, as a social worker, I beg us to look beneath the surface of this glossed over apology from the church on race and overlook the Kwaku as “token black person” that allows us to think this church does not have problems with being racist because it absolutely does https://aninjusticemag.com/why-i-am-not-happy-with-the-mormon-churchs-official-statement-on-the-history-of-black-members-a7c7830f97dc

[Too Little Time]

Recently, BYU (an institution run by the Mormon Church) played a football game at Oregon. Some of the rowdier fans - aka the 'Pit Crew' - chanted "Eff You BYT" at the folks from BYU.

I appreciate what the Oregon students did.

There is no reason to play games with racists. Those schools that do should be publicly shamed.

[John Smith]

Seems we're on a downhill path.

[CWSmith]

The Book of Mormon tells of a war for North America between white (or at least Hebraic) tribes called Nephites (white and delightsome) and evil black and brown people called Lamanites. The Lamanites won (alas). Which justifies hate, discrimination, colonization, Manifest Destiny, and acting ugly at sports events.

The racism is a feature, not a bug.

Today, I chose to write about the Mormon or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints history on their treatment of black members. The church has had a rocky history with how they have treated blacks in the past. It is important to acknowledge this pain. I am deeply troubled by the way the church glosses over these past racial injustices. ...

I'd never thought of that before, but I've never seen a black Mormon.

[Robbie 2]

I'd never thought of that before, but I've never seen a black Mormon.

The Mormon church is quite active amongst the Moari community here in NZ.

[CWSmith]

The Mormon church is quite active amongst the Moari community here in NZ.

Interesting. It's hard to imagine two more different cultures.