West Point no stranger to racism

[live love laugh]

Black US Army cadets say they were called the N-word and 'shunned' for reporting discrimination at West Point

By David Choi 7-6-2020

Several Black cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point detailed their experience with racially charged incidents during their tenure at the renowned institution.

"I was called a 'n----' during my freshman year at West Point," one person wrote. "I was told that I was going to rob someone because I was Black. A student made a noose and put it on his Black roommate's desk as a joke. I was called 'white' because I speak intelligently, which is built on the assumption that white people speak better than Black people."

snip

"But one day I sat with a group of white males in my company during dinner. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was coming up. One of them mentioned how his teacher made him feel 'guilty' about being white because of the oppression their ancestors put upon minority Americans for hundreds of years. The Cadet explained how he should not feel guilty because he was not the one that caused the pain.
"However, I mentioned how it is important to recognize the privilege young, white, straight, Christian males reap due to the power dynamic white men have created in American society. Once I said those words, I was suddenly being shouted at by every white male at that table. I was being told that I was 'crazy and racist,' that 'African Americans should do the same because of affirmative action,' and 'You're only saying that because you're Black.' I have learned that the 'respect for other races' at West Point is simply a coverup for the underlying racism that this institution tolerates.


snip

"As someone who made sure to integrate himself into the group by hanging out with them during free time and sharing personal stories, I found it hard to believe that I was not integrated well enough. When I asked for examples, he cited my lack of interest in country music or my failure to try dipping tobacco during summer training."

https://www.businessinsider.com/black-us-army-soldiers-n-word-at-west-point-2020-7

[Collimator]

1. Here's a line from an earlier part of the testimony in that last paragraph.

"He said he would have graded me higher if I had done more to be part of the group."

So not having an interest in country music and not dipping tobacco will get you a lower grade at West Point. I was unaware that these behaviors were an essential part of what it takes to fight for one's country.