San Francisco school board member sues over tweet response

[ripcord]

Source: SFGate

The former vice president of San Francisco’s school board is suing the district and her colleagues after they voted to strip her of the position because of tweets she wrote in 2016 that said Asian Americans used ‘’white supremacist" thinking.

Collins, who is Black, came under fire after critics unearthed tweets she wrote in 2016. Many Asian Americans, she wrote, “believe they benefit from the ‘model minority’ BS’” and “use white supremacist thinking to assimilate and ‘get ahead.‘”

“Don’t Asian Americans know they are on his list as well?” Collins wrote, using asterisks in place of a racial slur. “Do they think they won’t be deported? profiled? beaten? Being a house n****r is still being a n****r. You’re still considered ‘the help.’”

Collins has said her words were taken out of context and apologized “for the pain my words may have caused.”


Read more: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/San-Francisco-school-board-member-sues-over-tweet-16068265.php

[Mz Pip]

1. Out of context

So what was the “context” that makes these statements okay?

[lark]

2. None, it's just usual the excuse when someone messes up in writing.

She messed up bigly when she tweeted that.

[GregariousGroundhog]

5. I don't feel like what she said was wrong

Her basic message is Asian Americans (and presumably other minorities) should not view assimilating to white culture as a solution for white supremacy. Saying that a slave who works in the house is still a slave even though they have better conditions than a field hand is an apt metaphor for minorities being a slave to white supremacy if they are required to assimilate to a bigot's expectations of "proper" culture in order to live a comfortable life.

Collin's tweet definitely elicits a knee jerk reaction, but it actually makes a lot of sense if we take some time to think about what she is trying to say.

[cinematicdiversions]

6. I don't even know where to begin....

Minorities that work hard and believe in education are not "assimilate to a bigot's expectations of "proper" culture in order to live a comfortable life.". They are simply acting like adults.

Acting like an adult is not an example of white supremacy.

[GregariousGroundhog]

7. As someone who works in IT, I've had the pleasure of working with many people of Indian origin.

Most of them speak English fairly well, some have masters degrees, and almost all of them genuinely care about the work they do. Yet I know of at least one instance where a female was taunted for wearing a saree out in public, and I am 100% sure there are other examples of racism I am not aware of.

My interpretation of Allison Collin's tweet is that the solution to such bullying is not to stop wearing a saree, but to deal with the person who taunted my colleague.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. No, it was wrong. Here's the context.

Hey Twitter! Does anyone know about any news stories highlighting hate speech or bullying of Asian students? Please send them my way.

I'm looking to combat anti-black racism in the Asian community at at my daughters' mostly Asian Am school.

Many Asian Ss and Ts I know won't engage in critical race convos unless they see how they are impacted by white supremacy.

I grew up in mostly Asian Am schools and know this experience all to well. Many Asian Am. believe they benefit from the "model minority" BS.

In fact many Asian American Ts, Ss, and Ps actively promote these myths. They use white supremacist thinking to assimilate and "get ahead".

Talk to many @thelowell parents and you will hear praise of Tiger Moms and disparagement of Black/Brown "culture".

I even see it in my FB timeline with former HS peers. Their TLs are full of White and Asian ppl. No recognition #BlackLivesMatter exists.

Link to tweet

The bolded tweet is not saying they "should not view assimilating to white culture as a solution for white supremacy". It says many Asian Americans actively promote myths, and use white supremacist thinking.

That is not the kind of attitude someone on a school board should have. Suing because you've been exposed may be all-American, but it's also dumb and wrong.

[Floyd R. Turbo]

3. $90,000,000!

[Politicub]

4. Everyone loses at the oppression Olympics. Systemic racism is a deeply rooted

problem in America. Our system of laws has been organized to disadvantage African Americans from the start. Anti-Asian bias is a deadly scourge.

People need to think before they go off on social media. It's too easy for a single tweet to define someone's public persona. Collins should not have lost her position over an old tweet. And at the same time, it wasn't wise for her to tweet something that was intended to provoke a response.

[oldsoftie]

9. Why not? That seems to bet the "in" thing these days. Dig up a tweet & get 'em fired.

Hopefully at some point sanity will take over again but i doubt it. Once the beast is fed it needs to keep feeding.

[ripcord]

14. I think considering her position she needed to go

I don't see how anyone could expect her to make objective decisions for a school district that is almost 50% Asian American after tweets like that.

[BobTheSubgenius]

8. Her words *might* have been taken out of context.

But, if so, perhaps she could enlighten us as to how this, or any other context might make them OK.

[Mysterian]

12. Those are idiotic, hateful comments

and she deserves to be removed from a school board.

[abqtommy]

13. Asterisks don't lie!