Less than a week ago, Dartmouth’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People launched the #DoBetterDartmouth campaign, calling for increased inclusivity and diversity education. Since then, critics of the movement have been quick to assert that the racist online comments that the movement decries should not be taken so seriously. Granted, many people who post racist comments online may be so-called internet trolls, and the issue of rude online comments may not be as salient or as potentially dangerous as other social or political problems concerning race. But who’s to say that all the issues — the big and the small — are not interconnected? Though some might view the comments as simply rude but innocuous, this behavior seems to parallel what some call “colorblindness” — or the dismissal of harmful microaggressions and the failure to recognize the importance of race in social problems in America.
If you have been outside of your room in the last week, then odds are that you are already aware of the #DoBetterDartmouth movement. Posters and flyers line the walls in the Collis center, the Class of 1953 Commons, Novack Café, and a number of academic buildings on campus calling for Dartmouth to, as implied in the movement’s name, do better. The problem of racial bullying is marginalized compared to other forms of bullying onscreen, and many of these posters bring attention to this issue by highlighting the racist comments that pervade social media websites, specifically on the anonymous posting app known as Yik Yak. Both general cyberbullying and in-person bullying are usually taken seriously. I remember my elementary school class had to attend a mandatory session focused on the issue, so bullying and mean jokes are clearly treated with harsh reprimands. So why shouldn’t racist remarks online be treated the same way? Regardless of how it is carried out, any form of bullying offends the group or person in question. By doing nothing to address bullying, a message is sent to online aggressors that their behavior is acceptable, thereby perpetuating these harmful behaviors. Just because the statements are online or supposedly said in jest should not change the gravity of the matter.
Unsurprisingly, the posters around campus highlighting how hurtful these racist Yik Yak posts are have been met with mixed reviews. While some students appreciate their peers’ pointing out incidences of racism, others question the effectiveness or purpose of the movement. Most frequently, I hear critics dismiss the online perpetrators as mere internet trolls trying to create a stir while accusing those who take offense as being too sensitive. After all, there are bigger issues to worry about — racial profiling, police brutality and the broken criminal justice system, just to name a few.While it is true that there are more serious issues, the dismissive nature of such criticism is all too familiar. Not only is it an excuse for continued online racism here at Dartmouth and beyond, the critics’ argument is also a justification for real-life, verbal microaggressions without the safety of hiding behind a screen. Microaggressions are brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to certain individuals because of their group membership. Subtle insults, the use of derogatory racial terms and insensitive jokes are just some forms of microaggression.In everyday conversations, I have noticed that a common response to microaggressions is to tell the victims not to take the insults seriously. These verbal insults are of the same nature as those frequenting the internet and, unfortunately, those offended by such insults are often disregarded. The tendency to find such comments inconsequential legitimizes them while ignoring the real problems faced by people of color. Dismissing microagressions of any kind, whether offline or online, takes the focus away from racial discrimination and mistakenly places it on an apparent failure on the part of the victims. In reality, these seemingly meaningless comments are intertwined with the “bigger issues.” By tolerating racist comments online, we create an environment hostile to social change and permissive of racism — big and small.Perhaps one racist comment alone may be insignificant, but online racial discrimination has become a common occurrence. It sheds light on the broader political and social climate. Although they are certainly not as harmful as such issues as police brutality or racial discrimination in the job market, anonymous racial comments certainly contribute to an environment in which racism is tolerated, and thereby perpetuate the prevalence of larger issues.The internet reflects, and perhaps even magnifies, many aspects of society — Spotify trends indicate what music is popular, Tumblr reveals the political preferences of young adults and, unfortunately, Yik Yak highlights the ever-present racism that dilutes daily conversations. Though most people will not say anything as racist and hurtful as what is posted on Yik Yak, perhaps these comments illustrate not random instances of racism, as some people suggest, but, rather, illuminate what people truly think and refrain from saying.Perhaps nothing can really be done at this point to stop racist posts. If anything, Yik Yak is an indicator of the racial tension that still exists in America. The disregard of online racism is reminiscent of phrases I often hear used to disregard everyday racism — phrases like, “I don’t see color,” “I’m colorblind,” or “I don’t pay attention to race.” These dismissive comments are go-to statements meant to dismiss those who point out that racism still exists. While stopping racist Yik Yak comments should not be the first priority as far as racial issues go, and while it is not even feasible, the trend of these comments should be taken seriously — both in isolation and in the context of the charged racial environment today. Instead of dismissing those who respond to Yik Yak comments and racism offline as overly sensitive, their voices should be heard as a reiteration that race is still a prominent and important issue and should be treated as such.
