UCLA was right not to discipline student who made video rant against Asians, free speech experts say

Free speech advocates and some legal experts said UCLA was right not discipline a student who released a controversial online video in which she complained about Asian students' behavior and mimicked an Asian language.

"This woman expressed her opinion, an offensive opinion to be sure," but did not advocate violence or harass anyone, said UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh, an expert on the 1st Amendment.

Adam Kissel of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, agreed, adding students always have said nasty things about one another, but the Internet now allows everyone to see that.

But Layhannara Tep, a Cambodian American who is director of the Asian Pacific Coalition student group, said Alexandra Wallace should have been asked to take an ethnic studies or history class that would expose her to other cultures.

Wallace announced that she was withdrawing from UCLA because of death threats and because she had been "ostracized from an entire community."

Read the full story here.

-- Larry Gordon and Rick Rojas

Comments

[Dave Fairburn]

Ok, since she made a fool of herself, she should quietly transfer. I do see her point since the conversations she overheard were in a library. Like the great George Carlin, he reflected being in a theatre when someone began talking on their cell phone. His point was simple, unless your a cardiologist on call, hang up. The people around you don't need to hear you talk. I get tired when in line at a supermarket, post office, in a meeting, the phone rings & they stop what they are doing to answer it. Hey there is voice mail! If you have to make or take a call, go somewhere where you don't disturb other people.

[Hollywood Mark]

She had no job to lose nor did she have no corporate sponsors to attack so there is nothing anyone can do to her except suspend her from a high costing school. She is too young for the anti-free speech movement (AFS) to seek revenge. She is leaving after numerous death threats each of which should be investigated by the police as threats of murder and civil rights violations.
I could care less what she said. Either you have free speech or you don't. she is one of the rare cases where a person "got away with it" in this country after saying something in bad taste that was recorded and transmitted. The fact that it was recorded or transmitted does not eliminate the First Amendment.

[Tinority]

Had she made similar videos bashing other minority groups, would it still be considered as freedom of speech?

[Tony ( aka Brains)]

Normally I 'respect' UCLA but now, no more. That school in NOT 'disciplining' its OWN student sends a message that it 'allows' this kind of 'propaganda', which slice it any way you want is what it IS !!

[mikeohara]

As they say, it's only when the opinion is really offensive that the First Amendment is ever an issue. No one tries to censor or punish speech that's complimentary or positive. She's a numbskull, but she had every right to express herself without retribution.

[Think123]

Can't discipline people for speaking the truth, whether you like the truth or not.

[charlottenumbernine]

Yup we have a right to free speech. An people have a right to react to it. Not sure death threats are the appropriate way to handle any anger though...

[boochie]

Of course it is freedom of speech. Some libs just would love to have her expelled because she was'nt being politically correct. Freedom of speech can be beautiful as well as ugly and everything in between.

[conraddobler]

"Had she made similar videos bashing other minority groups, would it still be considered as freedom of speech?"

There has ALREADY been silly videos and other minutia about other groups...Asians for the most part "fly under the radar" but seem paralyzed by this rather mild video as the current populists generally go after those group(s) with more vitriol whom they feel are seeking vengeance for years of injustice...

[whatAjoke]

What a joke! Are you kidding me! Heck yeah they had a right to discipline her...especially when this country is so political correct as it is and a lot of money comes from rich Asian sponsors and alumni!

[rob]

I've seen worse on South Park.

[trojan949]

I don't buy the story that she received dead threats. It sounds more like a plan she created to bail out college.

UCLA may be right not to discipline her, but certainly WRONG not done anything to discourage other copycats. Years past when we look back, the trend of college students bashing ethnic groups via social networks began at UCLA in 2011.

[woosh]

I actually don't think she's a racist in the pure form as many have labeled her. I do agree she was rude, immature, stupid, over the top and needs to learn a lesson. But how much of a lesson? I don't think that because she complained that mostly Asians were talking in the library that for sure means she hates Asians. If I talk about how loud some Italians can be and how they wave their hands, that doesn't mean I hate them. If I describe that it's mostly Mexican people I see that hang dice from their mirrors and jack up the back of the car, that isn't racist if I really believe that it's mostly Mexicans doing that. In this case it was true. It was mostly Asians talking. But perhaps because of the tragedy they had.

She was insensitive to that because she is self absorbed and selfish. But that doesn't mean she's a true racist like you think of when you see videos where someone talks about hatred for the Jews, or who ever. She was basically a dumb girl complaining about not being able to study. At least I think she was. For all I know she deeply hates Asians, but for some reason I doubt it.

And, I think most people at one point or another have mimicked another language to get a point across or to have some "fun" with what sounds silly to them because they can't understand the language. My point is, that she needed to learn a lesson for being rude and thoughtless, but the death threats are WORSE than what she did to anyone. Why would Asian people give her death threats? Ok, I suppose they could be also Americans, French, Italians etc, but from the videos I've seen on youtube, I've found a lot of Asian or Chinese people being overly mean towards her, AFTER she apologized.

I've also read comments from people just so very that "her life is now ruined", and her future is ruined, they say so gleefully. The girl never had a chance to prove that maybe she simply had a bad approach, or that perhaps she could learn a lesson or do better. Not very fair.

[woosh]

wow. Is my couple paragraph really gone? Not worth approving?

[uninformed]

I'm an Asian and I feel ashamed for those Asian students who talked at the library.

[wow]

First, my English is bad as I am an international student who come to study only a few yeas ago from S. Korea. Pardon me for poor grammars in advance.

Now I can see how big influence the video has. People are assuming what she said in the video is true, that is, it is Asians who usually talk in the library. I don't go to UCLA but in my university it is usually non-Asians who talk loud or take cell-phone in the library. When I first come here to study, I was shocked that people talk loud without thinking that can distract other studying students. Back in S. Korea, rarely people talk in the library or other people will express their discomfort in an indirect way by glancing at people talking or by going out of the library with some facial expression. I do not know about other Asian countries; however, judging by what I saw in my school, I think it is similar trend in other Asian countries. Asian students rarely talk or they talk very sliently depending on the atmosphere of the library.

So, this is how bad the video was. Free speech, yes. Wrong characterization? Yes. Dumb people believing what she said? Yes. I am curious to see if this is an unique trend in my school that Asians usually don't talk or talk sliently in the library. Some of my friends in other U.S. universities; however, said the same thing. Perhaps, UCLA is an exception. Or perhaps, she is not educated enough to have a fair view for the same thing.

[Kevin]

I definitely agree with this view- freedom of speech can't be double sided.

[H]

She stereotyped Asians as a whole at UCLA. Ms. Wallace has the right to speak her peace, but in defense the Asian community can defend and be upset about such hard ignorant statements by this young woman.

Many Asian students have a family heritage of 3-4 generations in California. They speak english (probably better then you) and have a multicultural base of friends.

Ms. Wallace good luck with your future. I only wish you the best. If anything take from this.... Mistakes can be erased. Intent of words without inner personal remorse or care of your actions will stunt your future.

[Mime]

Chinese immigrants were builders of the American Transcontinental Railroad, but no Chinese were present in the Transcontinental Railroad Celebration Photo upon its completion. However, European immigrant railroad builders are clearly visible in that celebration photo. Think about the exclusion of Chinese in that Transcontinental Railroad Celebration Photo and today's racism against the Chinese Americans in America!

[Nancy]

I'm an Asian and I wasn't that offended by her comments ridiculing Asian dialects or our "manners" as she so called it. However, she needs to understand that free speech is a privilege and not a right and that there are repercussions. Just because you have free speech doesn't mean you can abuse it lightly. Maybe instead of posting it, she should have just done her own venting with her friends or her diary. By posting it online, clearly she wanted attention. I don't buy that she can be this stupid to post something which could possibly be a topic of heated debate.

On a side note, I saw an article about her father mentioning that she had wanted to create a blog like this for a while and that she wanted to be casted for a TV show, so if this is true, then the "Asian Rant" video was for publicity. Maybe now that she has withdrawn, she may want to take some time to reflect on her actions. Publicity can be a negative or positive thing so if she does have some brain cells still floating, she should have understood that by now.