One freshman student’s seemingly innocuous tweet about racism has ignited a firestorm at Texas State University. Now other students are shaming her and asking her not to attend the university in the fall.
“Any race can be racist, change my mind,” self-described incoming freshman Tailor tweeted, accompanied by a GIF of Judge Judy tapping her watch and slapping a courtroom bench.
any race can be racist, change my mind. pic.twitter.com/hUKm22Yket
— tailor ♡ (@taidelavergne) May 11, 2018
Backlash from other Texas State students and Twitter users was almost immediate, with some individuals suggesting that it’s impossible to be racist to white people.
Listen here ladies. Racism is something created by your ancestors to be little anyone that isn’t white. You can’t be racist to white people bc the white man created racism. You can be prejudice to whites people, but racist? NOPE.
— esa cubanita ?? (@DaCuban_) May 12, 2018
White people are not an oppressed group which means you cannot be racist towards someone who is white. Being racist means demeaning an oppressed group. ??♂️
— Matthew Mintz-Plasse (@MTMPlasse) May 11, 2018
Several students even urged Tailor not to attend Texas State as a result of her tweet.
plz dont come to txst PLZ
— pris 🙂 (@priscill4_) May 12, 2018
Sis if you got this mindset, and want to belittle racism against POC, and want us to feel bad for these whites, do NOT come to Texas State. We don’t need any more of your bigoted minds on this campus. We already have too many.
— tRa’VoNtA ? (@xXTraBoXx) May 12, 2018
In other cases, Twitter users decided she could stay but they would attend elsewhere.
People like you are the reason why I don’t want to go to TXST anymore lol https://t.co/gzv4RGBhhC
— Clarissa?️? (@madame_clarice) May 13, 2018
Even Texas State student Ben Salinas, the social media director for the College Democrats of America and secretary of the Texas College Democrats, chimed in.
Choose another school, we’re not gonna get along very well. Race relations are already very tense at TXST and we don’t need more ignorant people like you here. https://t.co/HCZ16I392A
— Ben Salinas (@third_ben) May 12, 2018
One student, going by the Twitter alias “yunuen,” went so far as to ask Texas State’s provost to institute mandatory training for students because of the tweet.
.@TXSTProvost this is why we need mandatory diversity training for all included within bobcat preview, campus clarity and/or US1100. https://t.co/Ej1Eq8PqsX
— yunuen ? (@yunuennnn) May 12, 2018
“Ughhhh white people annyig [sic] as fuck lol,” another user tweeted regarding the original tweet, while an Austin, Texas-based account simply wrote, “nah you just stupid. go die or something.”
However, some Texas State students and Twitter users were supportive of Tailor’s stance.
“If i could rt one tweet a million times it’d be this,” one user tweeted, while another student simply posted, “I agree.”
If i could rt one tweet a million times it’d be this https://t.co/9t3m1sd6DO
— Jęň? (@Jennymonteleone) May 12, 2018
Texas State Student Government Senator Kyle Thompson tweeted in support, questioning the validity of his peers’ criticism.
The fact that this is considered a controversial tweet is truly disheartening…. https://t.co/i1hPWigriB
— Kyle Thompson (@realkythompson) May 12, 2018
Red Alert Politics reached out to several parties involved in the controversy, but did not receive a response in time for publication. It is unclear if the Texas State will step in.
