Stuyvesant High School Kids Made a Racist Rap Video; A Classmate Put It On YouTube

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A group of kids from New York City's exclusive Stuyvesant High School are being disciplined after a classmate posted a video they recorded to YouTube, in which four white guys hold an embarrassing cypher, taking turns freestyle rapping over a slap-bass beat. Their abuse of the form is less of a problem than the content of their rhymes, which include lines like, "You ashy and black, so you probably got blisters," and similarly, "You black and you so fucking grimy." Keeping with the unfortunate recent theme of anti-Semitism there's also, "You look like a Jew," thrown in for good measure.

Another especially cringe-worthy line goes, "Stereotypical black, yeah, she's kinda loud."

The Daily News reports that the kids are being punished and Stuyvesant, an exclusive public school that only admits students based on an exam score, is up in arms.

"My intention in posting the video on YouTube was not only to make sure that these boys were disciplined accordingly but to encourage a meaningful dialog [sic] about race relations at prestigious institutions," said Alexis Marie Wint in a statement.

See, the kids in the video only posted it semi-publicly, to Facebook, maybe stupidly thinking it was some sort of safe space, only to have Wint, a Stuyvesant alum who now attends Bard College, put it on YouTube to raise awareness. The names of the students in the recording don't seem to be public, but it's only a matter of time and will probably present an unforeseen obstacle when it comes to getting into a good college.

"The video makes us look bad. Racism is not a problem at this high school," said a 15-year-old freshman. According to My Fox NY, the school is "71.6 percent Asian, 24.1 percent white, 2.9 percent Hispanic, and 1.2 percent black."

The video is embedded below and obviously includes offensive language. If you feel so inclined, the Daily News is also running a poll, which includes the option, "No, I wasn't offended; in fact, I thought they were pretty good." Thankfully, that one is at zero percent, for the moment.

[via]

[jcoscarelli@villagevoice.com / @joecoscarelli]

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12 comments
Jasper Wv
Jasper Wv

Why didn't the spics get slammed too?  Kikes and jigs got it but not the wetbacks?  And the wops?  C'mon whitey bois, be more multicultural and shit.

Bstar08
Bstar08

ok cas eindhoven .....racist....on to the next one...ummm these boys def gonna regret not because it hurt feelings or because it was wrong but because they cant take it back.....this thing happens all the time folks only thing no camera....or video to document...these are gonna be future politicians and leaders...there only goal is to keep blacks and Jews down..blacks go to jail, dont complete school,

Michael Meyers
Michael Meyers

Stuyvesant High School Principal Urged By Civil Rights Group to Oppose Suspensions and Punishment of White Rappers

New York, New York, March 7, 2010...The head of the New York Civil Rights Coalition, Michael Meyers, today sent a letter to the principal of Stuyvesant High School, urging the principal to allow for "the widest berth of artistic freedom" for white students there, who were suspended for their role in making and participating in a video that got posted on YouTube. The students' video was widely criticized as "racist" and "sexist" because the high school students used the "N" word and the "b" word in their video. Addressed to Stanley Teitel, the elite public high school's principal, Meyers letter, dated today, urged Teitel's "leadership on this fundamental question of free expression and students' rights," such that the principal would put a halt to "knee-jerk, stopgap methods of punishing ideas and 'offensive' expression."

Michael Meyers explained that there cannot be a double standard for black and white students. He questioned if the school, located in lower Manhattan, would have reacted "with such alacrity" if the offending rapping students--using the same language about blacks and women, had been African American rather than whites. He quoted a Department of Education spokesperson as having said: "The video contains racially inflammatory comments that are hurtful and inappropriate. We are investigating this incident and will take disciplinary action against those involved."

Meyers expressed "shock and dismay" that public school authorities would start an investigation and then suspend high schoolers for a video they did off school grounds, and he asked in his letter to Mr. Teitel, "Is the mere expression of 'hurtful' or 'racially offensive' words now a school infraction?" Meyers' letter schools Stuyvesant High School's principal about the fundamentals of the First Amendment and how racial minorities especially "need school authorities to stand up for and behind the free expression of controversial ideas even when that expression involves the use of 'bad' or offensive words." His letter continued, "Others may be offended by a future rapper's words about abortion, homosexuality, 'white privilege', and the like; but our teachers and educators must resist the temptation to function as censors....Our teachers ought to withstand the censorious streak because a free society must oppose all attempts at censorship--benign or otherwise..."

Recounting the civil rights experience, Meyers told Teitel, "The tired canard of protecting our children from 'hate speech' is exactly that--a tired canard not unfamiliar to civil rights activists who have heard very often the demands for 'civility' from those who opposed our advocacy and campaigns for equality. We have heard too often the demands from those who disagree with us that we 'tone it down' so as not to 'offend.'"

If censorship wins at Stuyvesant, Meyers warned, "there will be nothing in place to stop the suppression of the speech with which we agree, but nevertheless offends (and may seem to others) as 'hurtful and inappropriate.'"

Michael Meyers, the New York Civilo Rights Coalition's executive director, pointed out that he had indeed watched the video. "Tasteless, 'racist,' 'sexist,' 'outrageous,' and offensive are apt descriptions of the video, to some; others, however, may find the video funny, full of satire and typical of the genre of rap. Surely I have watched as or more 'offensive' and 'racist' and 'sexist' videos on MTV and on the Internet--none of which, as the artists might say, were 'intended' to be 'offensive.' Art and music and words put to rap are quite often jarring, depending on one's point of view and on which side of the debate about sizzling lyrics and cultural satire one falls." While taking exception to, not personal "offense" at racist and sexist messaging, Meyers' letter allows for artistic offense from students "whatever their skin color." The school's response to racial idiocy is education, not censorship through punishment, he added.

A copy of Meyers' public letter to Stanley Teitel went to NYC Public Schools Chancellor Cathleen P. Black.

BrooklynLady
BrooklynLady

Would the words be considered "artistic offense" if it was a song about Jews being gassed under Hitler? Would it also be considered "funny", "full of satire"if it was about the millions of Jews killed. Yes, Black rappers use a lot of offensive words in their lyrics. However, let's get real, if I am critizing my husband for being a slob, it is quite different than somebody from across town doing the same. Similarily, a Red Neck calling another Red Neck White Trash is different than an African-American during the same. "This" video was not about taking artistic license. It was about a bunch White Kids being "racists".

hi
hi

I heard Alexia transferred out of Bard because of how embarrassed she was at her college... exactly what she did in Stuy when she was a junior.

Carloswashere21
Carloswashere21

ya jus sum fuggin wigger so ya shoulnd be talkin bout bein black!!!!!!!! putos

Roccccc
Roccccc

Why would u talk like a spic little puto

Stuy Alum
Stuy Alum

Can you get your facts straight before talking crap about Stuy? This girl did NOT graduate. She's not an alumna.

Lisa
Lisa

alumna also means a former student. so their facts are in fact "straight."

Alexj
Alexj

maybe you should look up the definition of alum...

Cas_eindhoven
Cas_eindhoven

White kids acting black is silly, but I'm sick of everything about blacks (or Jews, for that matter) being made into a big deal.

LilAngl44777
LilAngl44777

It's only silly to you because you're White! But being Black, I find it offensive. And it's comments like yours that make these people feel that their behavior is ok, and it isn't!

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