State officials offer $49,000 settlement over racial slur

It's just a word. The usual response to an insult is to turn the other cheek, or say something equally rude back, and then go on about your business and forget about it. That works for millions of other people every day, and it'd have worked there too.

I live too close to DC and get to experience this kind of friction almost every day. It's a fact of life in a heterogenous culture. If every offensive comment received a reaction like this one did, society could not function and everyone would starve. The only way to keep things running at all is to trivialize problems as they crop up. The alternative is to make a mountain out of a molehill as happened here, and sooner or later the mountain will get big enough to derail the country.

What? How did this man know she was black for him to make this comment? Are all white people punctual? Where does he get off making comments like this? Did he know this woman personally to make such an assessment or, in typical racist fashion, he just assumed all blacks were like that, based on the FEW that he's probably met? It's a trip how whites don't like to be painted with a broad brush by blacks (i.e. all whites are racists) yet some seem to have no problem tarring all black people like that. Amazing!

I guess I'll be the dissenting view and say that I'm glad the woman got that settlement and only wished she would have taken this to court. Fact is, that college is responsible for the actions of their faculty. Some say that she should have sued the man only, not the school but I disagree. Call me liberal or whatever but this man's racist feelings didn't just "pop up" out of nowhere and no one can convince me that someone in the school didn't know about them. He probably was saying all manner of racist garbage for months or years. This time, though, the "right" person heard his racist spew and he got caught.

Sticks and stones, my foot! This word has been used to denigrate blacks for years. And before anyone "goes there" and brings up the rappers, don't waste your time. I don't support them or their use of this word. It only gives racists the excuse to keep using it.

I'm with her husband. She should have taken this to court.

Where does he get off making comments like this?

Meyer didn't "get off". He resigned.
And IMHO, he definitely should have been terminated, with loss of all benefits.

I'm with her husband. She should have taken this to court.

If Williams wants to personally sue Meyer in court, it is fine with me.
Meyer should be held personally accountable for his actions.
But I don't see where Williams is entitled to any financial compensation from the university itself.
Afterall, she didn't incurr any financial loss from this incident.
Besides, suing the university won't teach anybody a lesson. It's "other people's money" as far as the administration goes. If Williams collects from the University, it either takes away from students, or increases the costs that students (and taxpayers) must pay.

If you want to teach racists a lesson by suing them, you have to go after them personally.
Other than that, the Williams are simply acting like they hit the jackpot at taxpayers expense.

I'll agree with you partly and disagree partly. This man said a reprehensible thing and dismissal was appropriate. That having been done, I believe that is all the action this woman should have received for satisfaction. The purpose of a tort lawsuit is to compensate the victim for harm received. I know there have been ridiculous tort windfalls in the past -- I'm against those too. Here, a woman, called the worst name you could call her, receives $50,000. I doubt she suffered enough harm to be worth a years salary. In fact, i believe she was probably able to keep right on going with her normal life.

And remember, that's our money being paid to her.

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