Wisconsin student attacked because of non-PC interpretation of inner city beating death

From: John McAdams, Associate Professor of Political Science, Marquette University

A student at the University of Wisconsin -- Waukesha, wrote a column for his student newspaper on the death. But his interpretation was politically incorrect. He found himself in a lot of trouble.

Brad Stewart, the Dean who feels this kid needs to be politically correctified: (262) 521-5435

Dan Hubert: (kid in the middle of the conflict): hubert_dan@yahoo.com hubed815k@uwc.edu

HEADLINE: UW-Waukesha astir over column; Student writer links black fashion, community, parents to Young's death

BODY: Waukesha -- The fatal mob beating of Charlie Young Jr. is stirring racial tensions on a college campus here after a student newspaper column linked the Milwaukee incident to lifestyles and struggles in the African-American community.

"Stop the welfare payments and you'll end the madness," wrote assistant editor Dan Hubert in the latest issue of the Observer, University of Wisconsin-Waukesha's student newspaper.

Since the column rolled off the presses earlier this week, angry students have demanded Hubert's expulsion from school and called for the university to cut off funding for the Observer.

Administrators and students, black and white, say that although they support freedom of the press, they are insulted by Hubert's generalizations about African-American neighborhoods, parents and fashion. Dean Brad Stewart said he plans no disciplinary action, but he does have an offer for the young newsman: free tuition for one of the college's courses on multiculturalism.

"The purpose of the institution is to combat ignorance," Stewart said. "We'll find a seat in the class for him."

Hubert, a freshman from Brookfield, said he has received many positive remarks from other students. But he apologized for making generalizations about black people. He said he plans another column in the twice-monthly Observer to explain himself.

A political science student, Hubert, who is white, said he fears the incident has spoiled his chances at running for public office someday.

Editor in Chief Lucy Czech said she would not seek his resignation -- as some students requested -- although she said she wishes she had taken time to cut some of the inflammatory rhetoric from his column.

"Our paper is supposed to be the voice of the students," she said. "A majority of the students were extremely angered by it."

An organization of African-American students has called a campus forum Wednesday to air issues raised by the newspaper column.

Of the 2,100 students on campus, African-Americans and other minorities make up 7%, or about 150 students.

Some students confiscated copies of the paper Friday in an effort to stifle the controversy. But the column reached enough people to create quite a buzz.

"I was offended. I was appalled. I was shocked," said Milwaukee freshman Christen Lake, who is black.

The event that touched off the debate occurred miles away in a Milwaukee neighborhood where Young was beaten to death earlier this month by a mob of young people wielding baseball bats, shovels and other items.

In his column, which appears on the Observer editorial page, Hubert calls the suspects "monsters" and adds that "no federally funded after-school basketball program could have prevented this."

He also cites a "baggy pants" clothing style "associated with the derelicts and bohemians of society," and he charges that unwed fathers and mothers living on welfare make poor role models for children.

"Who is gunning down black people in Milwaukee? Who is holding the black community in Milwaukee down?" he continues. "The answer is simple: black people."

The African-American Union, founded earlier this year for students at UW-Waukesha, plans a forum from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Wednesday in the Student Commons to discuss the uproar.

Michael Moscicke, president of the Student Government Association, said some angry students want university funding to be withdrawn from the Observer. Moscicke called that unlikely, adding that he hopes tensions will ease after Wednesday's forum.

Freshman Tom Whalen of West Allis, who is white, said he found the newspaper column offensive in its stereotyping of African-Americans.

Lake, the Milwaukee freshman, is certain a small percentage of students agree with Hubert. But she would like to see him thrown off the newspaper staff.

Although emotions are running high, Lake hopes for a calm discussion of the issues at Wednesday's forum.

"I don't think anybody's really going to get angry," she said. "People are going to try to be civil about it, just to prove him (Hubert) wrong."

Milwaukee, Sept. 29: A mob of 20 inner-city youths throw an egg at an African-American man. When the man strikes back and hits one boy in the mouth, the group erupts. They beat him with shovels, pipes, baseball bats and boards. Charlie Young, Jr. does the next day.

Liberals believe that there are two overwhelming reasons that these incidents happened. The first problem is that there aren't enough federal funds flowing into the neighborhood. The second problem is that white men oppressed and killed black men up until the 1960s. Enslavement of the African-Americans (before and after the Civil War) was the overwhelming cause of the killing.

Evil, baby-killing, African-American-oppressing Caucasion male Republicans believe in something called "personal responsibility" and have some esoteric view of so-called "morality." (Message to Republicans: don't impose your upper-class morality on the same people you oppress.)

Another argument some make is the "baggy pants" defense. You know the type. You may even wear the pants yourself. The children that killed Charlie Young were wearing the same kind of pants that you can fit Andre the Giant and his twin brother in the same leg!

They hang so low that recording artists such as R-Kelly and Eminem have to grab their crotches during music videos just to keep them from falling down! (In fact, R-Kelly has been accused of not keeping his pants on in the presence of 13 year old girls. Get a snazzy pair of suspenders buddy.)

As a style, baggy and loose fitting clothing has always been associated with the derelicts and bohemians of society. Hobos, transients, and the homeless are usually portrayed as having baggy clothing. Jesters and clowns are also associated with exaggerated clothing. Clowns wear larger than normal shoes and baggier than normal pants. Am I wrong? Could it be a different problem?

Answer these questions: who is selling cocaine to black people in Milwaukee? Who is gunning down black people in Milwaukee? Who is holding the black community in Milwaukee down? Who keeps on getting black females pregnant, and then leave the woman and the child? Who can solve the current crisis in the black community? The answer is simple: black people.

Very seriously, it isn't the children's fault that they have no role models to look up to. Currently the federal government pays unwed girls to have babies. It's called welfare! Believe it or not, there are women who make a living by being on welfare. In 1997, the Unites States Congress approved a welfare program that cost 1.2 trillion dollars over these past five years.

Few of these monsters had father figures in their lives. It's simply true that black men participate in "hit and runs." (You know what I mean.) It really isn't the children's fault that they were hanging out on a street corner with a gang of other social misfits and drug dealers. No federally funded after-school basketball program could have prevented this. No Boys and Girls Club could have stopped it. The one thing that could have prevented this horrible crime is parental involvement. Where were the moms? Where were these kids' dads?

As far as I'm concerned, throw these monsters in jail with their parents and throw away the key. Stop the welfare payments and you'll end the madness.

Simply put, it's not really race. It's culture.

Not to get too off-topic here, but I've found that culture will trump race every time.

When I was in Africa as part of a missionary outreach program, some members of our group were American blacks, who'd expressed an interest in "getting in touch with their roots". We thought this was a very reasonable and understandable desire on their part, so we didn't feel snubbed at all when they spent the majority of their free time socializing with the African locals.

I noticed, though, that as time went on, the American blacks began to spend less and less time with the African blacks and more and more time with American whites, because they had so much more in common with their fellow Americans. They'd found that they just couldn't talk about football, politics, movies, cars, etc. with the Africans without receiving a blank stare.

Though, the American blacks did love and respect their newfound African friends, had an invaluable experience, and learned a great deal about their African roots; I think that even more so they came away with an understanding that their deepest roots were American.

A political science student, Hubert, who is white, said he fears the incident has spoiled his chances at running for public office someday.
"I know I'm going to be branded a racist," he said. "I am not a racist."

What he said int he column should not have hurt his political chances. The pathetic whine in the second line above would keep me from ever voting for him.

Re your # 35....Actually, if we're completely honest about it, it is obvious that your statements (concerning capability differences in the races)are generally true..

I think a lifetime of fair observation for honest people will confirm that there are inherent physical and intellectual differences between the races...on balance and on average. This is not to say that there are people in any given race who are superior intellectually than you or I.

The important thing is that all people should have a truly equal opportunity to compete for advancment and success in any part of life.....Reverse discrimination, quotas, affirmative action, government handouts based on race, dumming down public education so that the dullest can get a diploma , or other contrived help to assist the less capable to advance on the shoulders of the more capable is what is ruining this country.

And a pleasnat afternoon to you...

But lets face the facts...government welfare has proven itself to be a failure; it destroys work ethic in people who are fully capable to fend for themselves, increases tax burden, increases crime, and builds dependance on the gov and politicians supporting a progressive welfare state.

I wholeheartedly agree. The time is long past due for Welfare to evolve into Workfare. This is happening in Wisconsin. With W2, at least the taxpayers get something for their money; vacant lots raked, snow shoveled in the winter, etc. Complaints regarding the menial aspect of some of the labor are countered with incentives and opportunities to improve skillsets necessary to survive on the "outside". The naysayers prattle on about the bureaucratic inefficiency of it all, to which I vehemently disagree. When zero is your baseline, any improvement is big . . .

People ARE becoming successful in removing themselves from the welfare dole. Those success stories are being used as models to further refine and improve the process. Many former recipients, however, have simply left the state for easier pickings elsewhere. I don't mind that one bit . . .

I can find no inaccuracies whatsoever in this piece.

I can- look at this quote from the article: "It's simply true that black men participate in "hit and runs." (You know what I mean.)"

The author phrased this inaccurately- it doesn't describe my Black father or most of the Black fathers I know.

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