@Anonymous The surface-level research and analysis that went into this obvious UW P4 are both grossly negligent and symptomatic of a larger issue. While it is true that Southern stereotypes can contribute to racial stereotypes and allow for white northerners to think that they do not contribute to white supremacy, the original “Yeehaw Columbia” had nothing to do with that. As said below, the author of the original article is a Southerner who wrote a satirical piece about the toxic, white, fratty nature of a lot of large Southern party schools (although those traits do not just apply to Southern schools. Example: Penn State). And while it’s valid to critique portrayals of the South that contribute to the harmful idea that only the South is racist/bigoted and that Southerners are fat and lazy (often specifically targeting Black Southerners), that doesn’t apply in this circumstance, and rather opens up for debate a larger issue at Columbia and every college in America: fake woke white students who do anything for political clout. This concept is becoming more and more apparent as some students barely engage in political activism or campaigns at all but still choose to put it on their resume. They don’t try and make a true difference. They’re focused on the benefits they can personally reap rather than the benefits that true social activism can create for marginalized communities. This article is a perfect example of that. Surface level research, a works cited page that is somehow longer than the article itself, the grasping of straws in an attempt to make headlines, and the utilization of trigger words that’ll make them seem educated. There’s nothing wrong with critiquing media or portrayals that you deem unworthy. But to make this specific article the target of your weird cry for political validation just makes it obvious that whoever this author is…is part of the privileged and elitist sect they seem to hate so much. They represent the larger issue in privileged identities taking the front seat in a conversation that just doesn’t apply to them. I wish this response was critical of northern white elitism at Columbia in general, using actual articles and stats to back it up. But it’s not. It’s someone trying to get that “politically woke” title on their Linkedin so when they end up working for Goldman Sacs, they can pretend that they’re not perpetuating the same elitist issues that they are so quick to critique when it can be beneficial to them.

@Anonymous feel like its important to know the author of the original op-ed is southern lol

@Anonymous im personally a fan of this new bad op-ed policy

@Anonymous your op ed 1) must be bad and 2) cite exhaustively