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On Tuesday, a White professor at Princeton named Lawrence Rosen was teaching a Cultural Freedoms course. When discussing  oppressive symbolism, he asked, “What is worse, a white man punching a black man, or a white man calling a Black man a n****r?”  According to The Daily Princeton, several students (there were six Black students in the class) were shocked he had used the word. And then, reportedly, he said it again.

White and Black students told Rosen they were uncomfortable with him using the word and Malachi Byrd allegedly asked, “So are you just going to keep using the N-word?” The teacher reportedly responded with, “Yes, if I think it’s necessary.”  Four students walked out of the class.

The Daily Princeton also reports, “Byrd later returned to class and allegedly confronted Rosen using an expletive, according to an anonymous source. According to Holliday [another student], Rosen did not directly address the students’ concerns. Instead, he walked around the question, and defended his use of language. Rosen allegedly said, ‘It’s supposed to deliver a gut punch, so that’s why I used it.’”

When students demanded an apology, the professor replied with, “I don’t think I need to apologize; I did not oppress anyone.” Students have filed a complaint and one student, Kevin Ramos, said he will drop the class, “The professor saw how uncomfortable the students were with his language. If he doesn’t respect the students’ opinion, then it’s not worth learning from him.”

This is the professor Princeton has teaching a cultural anthropology course? Rosen fails to realize these students are paying for a service, they don’t have to bow down to his deeply ignorant and oppressive ways of teaching. Yes, oppressive—because the teacher does not know what the N-word triggers for the students of color in his room. A professor telling a student they want to “deliver a gut punch” is asinine. Furthermore, what makes this entitled white teacher believe he is the one who should deliver the “gut punch” of the N-word? That is a gut punch to which he cannot relate. Rosen doesn’t sound like a teacher, he sounds like a Fox News wacko who whines, “Why can’t I say n****er, too?”

Kudos to the students for standing up to this clueless professor.

SOURCE: The Daily Princeton

SEE ALSO:

Racist Incident At Boston College Shows Urgent Need To Find Solutions

Racist Cartoon In Wesley College Newspaper Prompts Students To Take Action

 

Princeton Students Walk Out Of Lecture After Professor Uses The N-Word Twice  was originally published on newsone.com