College Students Freak Out Over “Trump” Chalking

By Gary A. Johnson

Founder & Publisher – Black Men In America.com

April 10, 2016

University of Michigan students called police the other day — because someone had written Donald Trump’s name in chalk.

No arrests were made. The episode is part of a nationwide trend of Trump supporters writing pro-Trump messages on sidewalks, stairs and other surfaces at college campuses. One student complained that there should be a special emergency number to call in such cases and said that the administration’s inadequate response “perpetuates these really racist and hateful stereotypes that turn into violence and turn into students of color feeling unsafe on campus.”

Whatever happened to parents and guardians teaching their children to think and reason on their own? I read about a recent example of Trump induced psychosis unfolding at Emory University where students were horrified last week that someone took a piece of chalk and wrote “Trump 2016,” on some campus sidewalks and steps.

In some cases, students are reportedly going to the medical professional offices, the Dean’s office and in some cases demanding that the college/university President denounce this as a hateful act and create “safe zones” and safe areas for them so they don’t have to see this. Are you fucking kidding me?

Rather than simply ignoring this like any normal person would do, certain activists within the student body are demanding that the university president denounce this message of hate. If any of my son’s came home or called me to complain about this, I would stick my foot up their ass and tell them to get back in class and stop wasting my time and my money with this bullshit. Safe spaces? You must be out of your mind.

Is this one of the results of handing out “Participation Trophies” to all the kids just because they were signed up on a team. I always told my boys that if they did not like being on the Junior Varsity team, they needed to work harder at their craft and put in the effort to get better. We never coddled them. If they sucked at something, we didn’t have to tell them, they knew it. They either worked hard to improve or chose another sport.

According to reports, last week approximately 40 students representing many colors including (some black and brown) protested yesterday at the Emory Administration Building following a series of overnight, Donald Trump chalkings throughout the campus. Roughly 40 students gathered, many students carried signs featuring slogans such as “Stop Trump” or “Stop Hate.” Stop Hate? Are you kidding me?

Do the administrators of these colleges have the guts to NOT meet with these students and cater to these requests? When interviewed about how they feel about the Trump chalkings, one student replied: “I’m supposed to feel comfortable and safe [here],” one student said. “But this man is being supported by students on our campus and our administration shows that they, by their silence, support it as well … I don’t deserve to feel afraid at my school,” she added…

Wow. These appear to be some fragile children. Emory President Jim Wagner responded with a letter explaining that the students viewed the messages as intimidation, and they voiced “genuine concern and pain” as a result.

Silly me, I thought college campuses were supposed to be reservoirs for intellectual dialogue and discourse with solution focused results. Now let’s think about this crop of college students. In a few years, these students will be out in the job market and the REAL world. If these young adults face adversity at work, are they going to cry and ask the company president for safe zones at work when they don’t like the feedback given to them connected to their performance evaluation?

HBO TV show host Bill Maher of “Real Time,” reacted to this story by saying: “I so badly want to dropkick these kids into a place where there is actual pain and suffering. What happened in this country?” Maher said.

Larry Wilmore on his Comedy Central show chose to skewer those sensitive Emory University students who felt scared and intimidated by “Trump 2016” chalkings on campus. “Traumatized?” Wilmore said. “By just seeing his name in chalk? How do you think I feel in New York? I see it in gold every day!”

According to the college newspaper, The Emory Wheel, during the protest last week, college sophomore Jonathan Peraza, resounded “You are not listening! Come speak to us, we are in pain!” throughout the Quad. Peraza opened the door to the Administration Building and students moved forward towards the door, shouting “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”

Wow. These kids are soft. I hope the majority of college students on campus are not this soft. If so, “we’re fucked and the next generation is ill-equipped to take care of us or make decisions on our behalf.

How did this happen? I discuss this often with friends, almost all who have kids in this generation. One friend, put it succinctly the other night. She said, “Gary, we gave them too much. We thought we were helping them by solving their problems and now they can’t figure anything out on their own.”

Obviously, not all children fit into this category of being timid, weak and afraid of any formidable challenge, but way too many do. I’m surprised at the number of black young people who are crying for “safe zones” on college campuses. Unless they grew up like Carlton Banks (the character in the TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air), one would think that they would be tougher and have “thicker skin,” but that assumes that they faced and survived some adversity before attending college, but apparently not.