Should UCLA Student Alexandra Wallace Be Punished for Anti-Asian YouTube Video Rant?

by SodaHead News Posted 2011/03/15 15:00:00

Related Topics: Alexandra Wallace, Ucla, Asians, Racism, Earthquake, Japan, ABC News, SodaHead, Tsunami

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	Yes	702 votes	46%
	No	820 votes	54%

Alexandra Wallace just learned the power of the Internet and that some things are better off not being recorded. A student at UCLA, Wallace recently posted a video on YouTube of her complaining about Asian students in the library who were calling people in Japan after the tsunami.

"I swear they're going through their whole phone book, checking on everybody with this tsunami thing," she says on the video, and then goes on mocking their accents and criticizing them for their lack of "American manners."

After the video went viral, Wallace apologized, according to ABC News.

"Clearly the original video posted by me was inappropriate," she said in a statement. "I cannot explain what possessed me to approach the subject as I did. And if I could undo it, I would. I'd like to offer my apology to the entire UCLA campus. For those who cannot find it within them to accept my apology, I understand."

UCLA school officials are now reviewing if any campus policies were broken and will then decide if any punishment would be appropriate.

A school spokesperson released the following statement:

"We've seen the video and it includes comments that we find offensive. They are contrary to the values of UCLA."

+35

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↓←↑♣→NVL←♣↑→↓ 2011/03/15 15:37:20 (edited)

No

+25
It goes agaisnt her 1st amendment, but not only was this video really offensive, it was really stupid. Just for this video for judging people she will have thousands maybe millions of people judging her for being a idiot.

but she really is a moron for posting the rant on youtube. i guess she had a dumb blonde moment.
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More polls by SodaHead News

LittleM... to Zozo 2011/03/16 20:46:30

+2
Looks and ACTS trashy

reply
Zozo to LittleM... 2011/03/16 20:48:26
pamela to Zozo 2011/03/20 18:12:07

+1
I think so , too !!!

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Zozo to pamela 2011/03/20 23:09:43
vinnysmom1221 2011/03/16 19:56:54

No

+1
Legally, no because she has a right to say it. Socially, her friends should smack her upside the head! What an idiot.

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Judy 2011/03/16 19:49:00

No

+1
What do they mean "Be Punished" ? Since When is speaking out in poor taste a "Crime" ?

Anyway she apologized.. so Get Over Yourselves...UCLA.

Excuse me, should have started with, What ucla "values" ?

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mikeyllo 2011/03/16 19:39:16

No

+1
It depends on what the "punishment" would entail. For me, the apology is enough. If truth be told--and we're allowed to speak honestly--people say worse things about other people, races, religions, sexual orientations, etc., except they do it behind closed doors amongst "friends." In fact, if we could monitor the last week's worth of conversations by many of the people who are so appauled by her comments, we'd probably hear similar types of discussions just directed at other people. In this case, an apology should be sufficient.

Check out my humor column, "The Real Me (We R Who We R) at http://www.justmichael.net/blog

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easyeduri~PWCM~JLA 2011/03/16 19:27:20 (edited)

No

+1
The courts of the world are busy as is already. Freedom of expression includes the right to be stupid. If she chooses to exercise that liberty in being a fool for the world to see on the Internet, then it's considered the consequences of being ignorant.

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nukenova 2011/03/16 19:27:09

No

+1
Nothing she said hurt anyone physically.What ever happened to sticks and stones.Can she be punished cause someones feelings got hurt?Thats B/S.At best she was insensitive so far that is no crime.

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Texasjuice 2011/03/16 19:25:18

Yes

+3
Looking stupid in public is her punishment. I hope she applies to a company where the hiring authority is Asian, that would be funny. "So sorry Ms. Wallace, not today."

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Splinter76 2011/03/16 19:24:02

No

+2
Free speech is free speech no matter how vile and ridiculous the content is.

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hobo 2011/03/16 19:22:31

Yes

+1
Free speech comes with responsibilities. This is one of those "teaching moments." She needs to be taught, not only about the responsibilities of free speech, but also about basic, human decency. Those students were worried about their families after a disaster of monumental proportions. I know that I would be calling home if such a thing happened in my family's community. I do not know why they were using the library to make the calls, but under these circumstances, who cares?

I cannot believe people believe should shouldn't be brought to the mat for this.

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nukenova to hobo 2011/03/16 19:37:38

I didn't read that she shouted out her views in the library,it said on the internet.The only responsibility I see is to speak the truth as she believed it to be.

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J2J268 2011/03/16 19:18:06

No

+1
There is an element of racism involved. I recall being stationed in Japan when the military was intergrated. Almost all caucasian soldiers had a special derogatory name to call Japanese people. I will not repeat it here, but you never heard minority soldiers refer to Japanese people as other than "Japanese". It was the commonly accepted term amoung white soldiers.

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Texasjuice to J2J268 2011/03/16 19:26:21

They had a name for the minority soldiers too, no doubt.

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J2J268 to Texasjuice 2011/03/16 19:53:25

You are right, but to use that derogatory term in public, even in Japan, usually caused a riot. Thus, I have no doubt you are right, but troop carefully avoided its public use.

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DebraDeJonge 2011/03/16 19:18:04

Yes

I think that she should be talked to about it, but the punishment shouldn't be severe. She seems rather insensitive.

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PatrickDowns 2011/03/16 19:17:10

Yes

I'll forgive her if shes shows me her boobs

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Lynn 2011/03/16 19:12:18

Yes

She is an insensitive fool . She will eventually get her comeuppance .

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Warriormaiden 2011/03/16 19:10:28

Yes

+1
Her apology was completely hogwash, she knew exactly what she was saying and she wanted people to know, or she WOULDN'T have posted the damn video. The only reason why she's saying sorry now, is because she got seriously flamed for it. God. Stupidity like this just makes me itch.

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val 2011/03/16 19:04:29

Yes

doesn't say much for academic policy for entrance into UCLA,but Bimbo's will always be Bimbos,quite frankly I think she was just looking for a platform to show off her big fat hooters,problem there is that her ass is probably just as big. For punishment I would put her on a diet for a week of 6 day old sushi

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Loree 2011/03/16 19:04:25

No

+2
She is her own worst enemy. She's already being punished and will continue to be punished for a long time to come. Can you imagine an employer seriously considering her for any job?

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Rudy 2011/03/16 19:03:44

No

+2
stupid not politically correct, certainly no worse than the Union activists in Wisconsin.

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StanKerr 2011/03/16 18:43:52

No

+5
Public disapproval is enough for stuff like this. The obsession with punishing people for 'wrong thinking' is sick.

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crazedgrannie 2011/03/16 18:41:42

No

+4
We still live in a country with freedom of speech. She is showing her personal ignorance. I am sure her parents are cringing and wondering where they went wrong. I just hope a someday employer sees her and decides she is NOT what they want for their company.

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bell02 2011/03/16 18:41:29

No

+2
A person shouldn't be punished for their stupid comments because all it will do is have them keep quiet about their stupid comments in the future. I don't know about some people, but I'd prefer that they'd spit in my face rather than spit on my sandwich or something behind my back. Also, you'll never change anything about the world if you just hide the hate, so that's there... but really... I can't even understand that mentality and my blood is boiling even thinking about it... Still I already dislike people that need absolute silence to study, it is impossible and impractical, and if you can't work though chaos, let alone a little noise from a person on the phone, how will you work in the real world?.

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dougyarbrough30@yahoo.com 2011/03/16 18:35:37

No

+2
I beleive she was doing it to get a reaction to it,which is too bad.I also think that Miss Wallace needs to do a serious heart check and really think of what she really thinks of people in general.I would imagine that she will get plenty of discipline from her fellow students and others.I would hope that threw this ordeal she will become a better person and not go in the direction of defending herself.I'm a Christian and beleive she is already forgiven.She needs an education so let her learn.

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GeraldL.KingII 2011/03/16 18:34:16

No

+1
She publicly denounced what she said as being inappropriate and she publicly apologized for what she said. This shows a level of accountability AND maturity that MOST adults I work with do not have. At most the school should give her a warning and maybe some community service project, I would say helping and/or creating a project to help those in Japan would be appropriate.

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TPietro 2011/03/16 18:31:15

No

+3
Free speech is just that free speech if church members can an A-s of themselves at a funeral then she can do the same on the internet !

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rosebud 2011/03/16 18:28:28

No

+3
Asian students at UCLA should have taken their conversations with their friends and family members to a more private place to make those phone calls. Cell phone use int he library should be, if it is not presently, banned in that type of place.

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J2J268 to rosebud 2011/03/16 19:30:42

+1
You are correct except not "Asian" students, but everyone should be banned from using cell phones in libraries, in restaurants, on golf courses, automobiles., and generally ion Public places. This common courtesy should apply to all People.

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rosebud to J2J268 2011/03/22 19:24:19

I do agree with you, however the problem centered around a specific population in this instance. BUT, all should keep their private conversations private.

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Bob DiN 2011/03/16 18:23:05

No

+2
What ever happened to you are allowed to have an opinion.

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Loree to Bob DiN 2011/03/16 19:10:21

Whatever happened to civility? An opinion should not be rude and insulting.

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David850 2011/03/16 18:20:09

No

+4
As obnoxious as her comments are, it is free speech.

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Sofie1006 2011/03/16 18:19:58

Yes

+4
Actions have consequences. If this girl made it into UCLA, she is NOT a "dumb blonde". She's a self-centered, spoiled, insensitive boob job. Under ordinary circumstances I would agree with enforcing a no-cells in the library, but no one can sanely say those were ordinary circumstances. If you were half a world away from home and heard such dire news, how would you react?

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rosebud to Sofie1006 2011/03/16 18:29:45

+2
How about taking private matters into private spaces instead of making the Library into a public phone booth!

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URBAN_S... to rosebud 2011/04/03 16:11:27

I( guess you've never had a tragedy affect you. How about nyou actuallt get a real education that doesn't consist of classes at the kitchen table.

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rosebud to URBAN_S... 2011/04/05 17:54:16

Actually my 11 year old son was nearly killed by a 18 year old driver when he was driving a car without the benefit of a defogger on a cold winter day.　　He spent the next 10 months in hospital being rehabbed. My son and I just picked up his new wheel chair and this is his 4th one in the last 21 years. He cannot walk or stand without a brace on his leg nor can he breathe during his sleep and requires a Bipap machine. He also cannot hold a job where people smoke outside the building but close to the entry door becuz their habits hurt his lungs..

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Bob DiN to Sofie1006 2011/03/16 18:52:25

+2
It's free speech. Her actions were not even as bad as the kooks at Westboro Church and the Supreme Court ruled in favor of them 8-1. Also UCLA is not a big deal anymore.

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