Video attacking Asian UCLA students is 'hateful and ignorant,' school chancellor says [Updated]

UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block said he is "appalled" by a video posted on YouTube by a white student in which she criticizes the behavior of Asians on campus.

"Like many of you, I recoil when someone invokes the right of free expression to demean other individuals or groups. This one act certainly does not represent the views of our UCLA community," Block said in a press conference. "Our community is built on mutual respect and civility, and we are committed to fostering an environment that values and supports every member of the community."

The video has generated criticism on campus, and a university spokesman said officials were looking into the matter.

In the video, the student, Alexandra Wallace, comments about the manners of Asian students, among other things.

[Update 6:23 p.m.: UCLA spokesman Phil Hampton said university officials are evaluating whether the student may have violated the code of conduct and, if so, what possible discipline she could face.

Wallace could not be reached for comment.

The UCLA campus newspaper, the Daily Bruin, reported receiving a statement from Wallace in which she apologized and said: “I cannot explain what possessed me to approach the subject as I did, and if I could undo it, I would.”]

In his statement, Block said the student's video has "no place at UCLA":

It is most unfortunate that a single clip on the Internet undermines that environment by expressing hurtful and shameful ideas about others in our community. I believe that speech that expresses intolerance toward any group of people on the basis of race or gender, or sexual, religious or cultural identity is indefensible and has no place at UCLA. Let this incident serve as a reminder of our collective responsibility to confront hateful and ignorant speech and to uphold UCLA’s core values of respect and integrity.

-- Soo Oh, Shelby Grad and Larry Gordon

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Comments

[scir91onYouTube]

she should apologize for voicing her FACTUAL experiences at a public location? are you kidding me? what did she do wrong? what a screwed up country. you want to hear only fairy tales and refuse to hear reality. pathetic.

[Only being real.]

In the midst of massive social networking on the internet, this just goes to show how oblivious many are to the possible repercussions of posting questionable material and making it public domain. In fact, there's many that are clueless! From Facebook taggers to Youtube gangsters, it all boils down the pitfalls of reality blogging. This girl got exposed and she's the only one to blame. Whether you believe in her freedom of speech and what not, that's a whole separate story. What makes her STUPID is that she voluntarily put herself in a compromising position by putting this out in public. Even if she doesn't get expelled, she smeared her own name. Oh well, goes to show that even the best schools in the nation have their fair share of idiots.

[KKM]

It's hard to believe this inarticulate trash has the intelligence to even be admitted into UCLA. She can't even speak English properly, and she's stupid enough to post that rant on YouTube.

And for those of you who think people are saying she can't exercise her free speech, baloney. She is being given every opportunity to exercise her free speech and everyone here also has the free speech right to express our opinions about what she said. No one, but those of you who misconstrue the ideal of free speech, is trying to discourage anyone from exercising that right. She has every right to express herself, just as I have every right to say what she says makes her look like an bigoted idiot. This is MY free speech.

Criticism of what someone says is not denying their right to speak freely. Do you really not know this?

[T.Doom]

The problem here is she singled out "Asians"... whatever that means, since I'm sure Indians, Russians, Arabs, etc. don't speak the way she imitated.

Granted, noise in the library is extremely annoying when one's trying to study. However, the perpetrators are not limited to Asians. Besides, what's old Asian people around the apartment complex has anything to do with her main complaint of noise in the library?

She just has problems with being surrounded by Asians. She's using the library excuse as a cover story to vent her true repulsion against being around Asians.

Sure, she's got free speech. The response/reactions are not against her choice to speak out, but at the content and the intention behind it.

[Kate Stonehedge]

If you haven't been to UCLA (or UCI) lately, its worth the trip. The squirrels are fun to watch, and you'll see the demographics of the student body.

And yes, they are mostly Asian.

But the problem is one of cultural sensitivity and manners. It's really unfortunate that the UC's over-paid management has decided to punish the young lady for speaking the truth, instead of actually dealing with the situation. (This is usually known as "killing the messenger".)

Not only does she have a right to her opinion, but her opinion is an indication of a problem. (It may or may not be an accurate description of the problem, but the very existence of the post indicates that some action is required on the part of the University leadership. )

Could the problem be that she's white, and complaining about others, where if she was something other than white, the University would be bending over backwards to address her complaint?

We all need to get along. And good manners are part of "getting along".

[Marianne]

Go Alexandra! No shame in FREE SPEECH in America! Hold your head up against the anti-American PC boloney!

[Marianne]

If this was an Asian talking about stupid white women, this wouldn't even be news. Why? Because it's okay for minority races to knock Whites, but Whites can't knock anyone else. Love the double standard.

[hope]

So, why don't the librarians at UCLA do what librarians are supposed to do and tell these people to be quiet!! I agree with this girl that people need to be quiet in a library--she is right!!

[Ophelia]

Behold the American blonde!

[Adreana Langston]

She started the video out by saying it was not about Asians she knew personally, or her friends. In fact it was not even about all Asians. It was just about the Asians she observes at the library and at her apartment complex.

She thinks the Asians in her apartment complex are spoiled because family members do everything for them. Well, okay, that's her thought. Thats what I call spoiled too but each set of parents is well within their rights to spoil their child.

She thinks it is rude to talk on the phone in the library. If you have important phone calls coming in that you must answer, don't hang out in the library. Well, that's just common sense.

Where she lost it is when she did her rendition of Asian sounding language. That type of imitation has a long and hurtful history about which she should have been sensitive. She should have said "blah, blah, blah" or "bar, bar, bar".

She also lost it in referring to the hordes of Asians that UCLA lets into the school. UCLA doesn't "let" people into the school per se, they earn the right to be there through grades, extra curricular activities and so forth. What she should have said was "I personally don't enjoy going to school here as much as I thought I would and part of the reason is that I don't feel comfortable being around so many Asians whose habits seem different than the ones with which I grew up." Had she just OWNED her opinions, really owned them, she'd have been able to get out of this unapologetically.

[Brad]

Most people misunderstand Free Speech. It basically says you cannot be arrested for talking. It is NOT a universal blanket to protect you in every situation. UCLA is its own institution with its own code of conduct. If she violated that she could be expelled. That would not be a violation of freedom of speech.

[john howard]

Good for her. She had the balls to say how she feels. The forum by which she chose to proclaim her thoughts was indeed a mistake, but by no means was she innacurate in her accusations. Libraries, for as long as I have been alive,
have been a very respectful and quiet place. Although the disaster in Japan was quite sad, the Asians in the library should have gone outside if they needed to make calls. The respect should go 2 ways. Give respect, get respect.
They should have been aware of their surroundings, and that awareness should have told them that outside was where they needed to go so they wouldn't bother anyone (also known as respect) inside the ALWAYS quiet library. The same goes for when they get around English speaking only Americans (this is America), and they carry on in their high pitched twangy language. You have 2, 3 or more Asians speaking in their native tongue, it gets rather annoying and you really have to leave. The adopted language of America is English, and the Asian's should respect that as well and be aware of their surroundings and also be aware that his is considered quite rude. If in addition they were talking some sort of Asian language while in the library, that would drive anyone nuts. The Asian students pretty much do whatever they want, because mommy said they could. Most of the Asian culture is rude and to them it is not wrong, it is just the way they were brought up. Be aware of who, what and where and you can't go wrong. Live in America, like an American. Respect everything that deserves respect

[PV]

@Steven Moshlak: She's real, She attended UCLA, and her personal details was leaked online (phone number, email, and address) but I bet she changed her number from all the attacks. Besides, she withdraw from UCLA just a day or two ago.