Here is the controversial “joke letter” that set off the firestorm at a private school in Seattle.
Quick background: last Saturday, a former math teacher at the Bush School named Truman Buffett posted an online video that accused school administrators of tolerating bad behavior—including open racism—from students whose parents were donors. His case in point was this letter, which was circulated by a senior at the school whose friends are known around the school as the “Real Rich Boys’ Crew.”
Buffett believes that administrators decided against suspending the student—who was waiting to hear back from the colleges he’d applied to—because of his parents’ and his friends’ parents’ financial influence at the school. Read more about the controversy (and a kicking and screaming comments thread) here.
The letter is here (click to enlarge):
ponits for “je ne sais quoi.”
Reads like someone simply used gizoogle.
I still can’t read it. Sad panda.
The person who needs to see this is the rich boy’s admissions officer at Harvard.
That’s it? Something that would have passed as a Living Color skit 20 years ago?
Oh Lordy. What’s next, a report on kids having their lunch money pinched at Garfield?
5 or 6 is a sex number to be proud of these days?
try harder kids
How come Truman and his hop-along Brendan, couldn’t even get the name of these hooded criminals ‘crew’ right first time around?
If they went to Garfield and had rapped this, Slog would be posting a glowing review.
Didn’t take long for klownboy @6 to show up, huh…
To those of you who are asking “That’s it?”: the point of the math teacher isn’t that the students are doing this (which is typical). It’s that the administrators are ignoring it rather than punishing the perpetrators and discouraging it — and in effect saying that it’s OK.
In addition to @ 11, it’s likely that the school’s policies expressly forbid this kind of prank. I don’t know that for a fact, obviously, but I haven’t heard of a school with a written policy that allows this.
Personally, I too was expecting something more egregious – not that modern-day Amos n Andy humor isn’t offensive, but somehow the buildup led me to think we were going to get something like the Obama monkey email.
Aside from the usual unregistered trollbigot the comments on that original “shocker” post were pretty informative, not kicking and screaming half as much as we usually do here. If those really were Bush students, recent grads and parents, they showed a pretty impressive grasp of nuance compared the circus tone we usually create.
Nice scare quotes. Are you implying this isn’t a joke letter?
That’s it? Hang out at Third and Pine for an hour and tell me this isn’t reality. Those are the people who should be ostracized for this Ebonics shit.
This is actually much more offensive than I had originally thought. I was thinking it was just a big story racial joke, like about plantations or something, which is bad humor added to racism. This is directed at a particular classmate, by name, and is just sloppy, mean-spirited drivel. It’s probably not even funny to racists.
Nothing about this that doesn’t stink.
Bush is a private school. The only people the administration answers to are the students and their (tuition paying) parents. I have a feeling not many of those parents give a rats ass what the Stranger or it’s SLOG readers think.
Breaking news, Bush ‘nigga’ letter writer found to have also made a video:
tinyurl.com/558hp6
Shocking!
@11 — I agree. The problem is less the content of the letter itself and more that the administration was going to punish the kid for distributing it and then decided not to because of factors that shouldn’t have been taken into consideration. I mean, fine, don’t suspend him if that’s a big deal to college admissions. Maaaaybe I can be swayed into agreeing with that decision. But why didn’t they at least make him write that document explaining what the hell he was thinking? It could’ve been kept out of his school record and still would have at least forced him to think about what the impact of stuff like this is on others. Minimal, easy, and maybe not effective, but certainly better than just saying, “Oh, RIGHT. We forgot. You’re RICH! PASS!” That’s the part that really makes me angry.
Also, the stuff about Truman’s issues with the Bush School seems irrelevant to me, whether its true or not (about him getting fired vs. quitting, for example). No one seems to be disputing that THIS happened — this letter, the decision not to punish the kid for it, etc. And that’s the only thing that really matters here. In my opinion.
Wow, even more shocking video shows the Really Really Rich Boys Crew annual meeting:
tinyurl.com/2a6l8gr
Look, it’s not a cool joke. It’s stupid. But it’s business as usual at schools. Stupid kids do stupid things and stupid administrators react stupidly. This happens every day all over the state, all over the country.
While it’s important that these kids learn that this isn’t okay, what’s more interesting to me is that someone above Brendan didn’t look at his original post and tell him that it was a perfect example of breathless, sensationalist, credulous, and frankly lazy reporting.
@21 What’re you, new?
@16, WAS it addressed to a particular target individual by name? To a jokey, presumed-stereotypical name? To a racial epithet?
My understanding from the original post was that it was addressed to the originator himself, part of the alleged humor then being that it was supposed to have come from a minority individual working in the Harvard admissions office. If that is true, I think Harvard has an interest in deciding whether or not the originator possesses the character traits it would like to include in its student body.
@14, I think sometimes quotes are just quotes. The term “joke letter” was applied by someone other than Brendan.
Overall: Ugh. Teenagers do stupid, impulsive, crass things all the time. Their transgressions should be called out immediately and punished proportionately (and poetically, if possible). They shouldn’t (unless criminally violent, cruel, or destructive) have their lives ruined over them–but not getting into Harvard because you’re a dick is not having your life ruined.
Yikes. The scariest part of this is that none of the “Bush student” commenters on the original post thought anything was wrong with this letter. This is specific, targeted racial harassment.
Does Washington state or the federal government have any civil rights authority over private schools?
“The problem is less the content of the letter itself …”
I love it, now that the accusation of a racist joke being circulated has fallen flat and looks like little more than boorish teen behavior, you’re moving on to the supposed coverup of the not-racist letter.
“…and more that the administration was going to punish the kid for distributing it and then decided not to because of factors that shouldn’t have been taken into consideration”
And your proof of that is what? Truman the Serial Fibber who lies have been exposed already on the earlier thread by a dozen Bush students? I know all that matters to you people is the accusation of racism, and now that’s been shown to be little more than teenage boorishness, you’re moving on to the next Big Lie?
And as a private school, what right do you have to interfere?
“This is specific, targeted racial harassment.”
That’s a joke, right? Tell me I just fell for a troll?
@24
Yes they did. Did you even read the comments?
As a Bush graduate, I’ll state unequivocally that I think this is a ridiculous, stupid, racist letter and something I am ashamed to see go unpunished.
‘Does Washington state or the federal government have any civil rights authority ‘
@24 Before you call for prosecuting someone’s free speech rights (yes, boorish speech is free in America!) I guess you need to tell us you missed the part where the letter was addressed to himself? I mean I know you’re a valiant social justice warrior but do you also have to be a fucking idiot?
@25 — I have no idea what you mean by this: “you’re moving on to the supposed coverup of the not-racist letter.” Nowhere did I say it wasn’t racist — that isn’t even debatable from my perspective. It’s CLEARLY racist. But passing shit like that around is the kind of thing kids do. What’s important is the reaction that behavior gets, and that it be responsible. It doesn’t do this kid any favors to just pretend it never happened. It’s behavior that should have been addressed formally. FOR THE KID’S SAKE, if not the sake of the world around us. Kids test ethical limits. As adults, we’re supposed to help them navigate those ethics. The adults at the Bush School fell down on that job. And it’s a pretty important goddamn job.
Incidentally, yeah, I believe the math teacher more than I believe a bunch of students posting comments on a blog. Especially since Brendan Kiley already posted (yesterday) that some of the rumors in those comments are flat-out lies. I believe Buffett’s story is true from his perspective. I would like to hear from the school next.
“FOR THE KID’S SAKE”
Oh Lordy, better not let them ever see a 1990s Quentin Tarantino movie. I mean, there’s mo’ niggas, bitches and ho’s in his first three scripts than 50 Cent could rap in a lifetime.
Think of the children. Best we prosecute them all.
I had expected something more general. In a school like this, this letter is not just very racist, it is calculated to achieve a pernicious result. Private schools like this will sometimes have non-white students whose parents have the money and who believe such a school offers better education without the distractions of some public schools. Private schools like this also routinely take in a small number of scholarship students to 1) try to diversify their studentbody for the good of everybody, 2) to do good, 3) to appear less elite in the eyes of the community. These kids are often extremely bright. The intent of a letter like this is very much to bully and harass these kinds of student to the point they leave the school.
I have a family member who was a scholarship student at a school just like this in another big city. While she did not face this kind of direct racist attack, she was endlessly patronized by the privileged students and staff around her. Looking back, she concluded the higher quality education and value of the private school diploma for college just wasn’t worth the subtle (in her case) emotional scarring.
Letting a letter like this go by without strong action, let alone without ANY action, is an overt policy decision by the school to devalue their minority students.
I still think it is funny the paper is spending so much time on this. No surprise here. Elite private school coupled with the ordinary “racism without shame” of the Bush era (no it hasn’t ended).
“The intent of a letter like this is very much to bully and harass these kinds of student to the point they leave the school. “
Really? It was addressed to himself you know, but I’m glad you figured out this kid’s ‘intent’ from your unique spot behind a computer somewhere on planet earth. Amazing insight you have.
Should they also ban the kiddies from seeing Quentin Tarantino movies and listening to 50 Cent raps?
@30 — You’re an idiot.
The point is: Any administration that would do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in response to one of their students making this tripe is NOT doing a good job.
Truman’s horrible conduct is irrelevant.
“It’s CLEARLY racist”
“This is specific, targeted racial harassment.”
Well, actually the only person actually threatened in the letter is the recipient, the ‘white boy’ who is threatened by having his ‘white ass get[ting] it from behind’.
Maybe a case of reverse-reverse racism? Or is it counter-reverse-reversed-institutional racism?
So many forms of racism out there, what should we charge this boy with? Can’t we just stick him with a white privilege charge and send him off to be reeducated by watching this video:
tinyurl.com/2a6l8gr
A white guy imitating black English – so what.
If that makes him a racist, so is David Foster Wallace, Gene Wilder, Robert Downey Jr. and every white person who has said “no you di’n’t” or “biaaatch”.
Especially since Brendan Kiley already posted (yesterday) that some of the rumors in those comments are flat-out lies.
Unfortunately, he didn’t explain how he knew that those accusations were false. I’m not saying that they weren’t false, I’m just saying that it’s reasonable to approach Brendan’s “reporting” with skepticism.
@31 and @29
Both of you seem to think that this went by without ANY action by the administration. As I posted on the last article, their was action by the administration. We were addressed about the situation in Forum (an assembly with the entire upper school body). In my opinion, I thought it was severely blown out of proportion because half the students (including myself) didn’t have any idea about the letter, and I felt like i was being reprimanded for something I had no part of. That being said it was a valuable lesson to learn and the administration made it clear to all students in that forum that day that this type of thing is not acceptable.
Even if they didn’t approach the issue in the best way possible, they at least did SOMETHING and didn’t just let the issue slide all together.
I’m sorry, the only person called “nigga” in this letter is the white boy it’s addressed to.
“Both of you seem to think that this went by without ANY action by the administration”
Not enough, this kind of speech needs to be investigated by the state and social justice groups and prosecuted as ‘malicious harassment’.
“Not enough, this kind of speech needs to be investigated by the state and social justice groups and prosecuted as ‘malicious harassment’.”
Once the school board found out, they hired an investigator to look into the issue as well. Unfortunately it seems that nobody has access to the results of the investigation (except the head of school…?)
Apparently writing a letter to yourself, calling yourself a ‘nigga’, and threatening to harm yourself, makes you a racist.
The writer also threatens himself with anal rape, can’t we also charge him with homophobia?
” they hired an investigator to look into the issue “
Oh good, I hate it when speech goes uninvestigated, especially when it’s a hanging offense. It’s important students grow up knowing that anything they say or write, especially satire, may be investigated.
It’s even more important we investigate satire that isn’t particularly funny.
@40
I’m not disagreeing with you, I think the administration didn’t take enough action, or the RIGHT action for that matter. I just wanted to point out that they didn’t just sit around and do nothing. Can you think of any institution though that has it all figured out when these types of problems arise? Where the action they take is perfect and satiates everyones desire for social justice? I can’t really, and all I think Bush is guilty of is trying to figure it out as well. What the problem may be is the Bush administration and/or the students think they DO have it figured out. So when one of the few minority students does speak up, the students/administration don’t take them seriously/don’t listen because they think we are all perfect and PC and aren’t racist, and handle these issues just fine. If so, then that is a problem that needs to be addressed.
“this kind of speech needs to be investigated by the state and social justice groups and prosecuted as ‘malicious harassment”???? Are you serious? Or just a huge troll? Because that’s like calling for a BP spill-sized cleanup effort when a boat leaks a little oil.
This is a matter that can and should be handled within the school community. Let’s not blow it out of proportion, as Truman and Brendan Kiley have. In fact, posting the letter shows it was just a poor attempt at humor. It was absolutely offensive, yes, but is it really anything different than what you would see on the Chappelle show? Come on people.
The real story should be how Truman has destroyed his own career in teaching by posting this video. Bush students have already spoken up about his behavior, and if Mr. Kiley acts like a real journalist and follows up on this information more details will come out. Brendan, please, quit being Truman’s megaphone. Look at both sides of the story. Do a little digging and you’ll find out why his contract wasn’t renewed, and why he shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a disgruntled former employee. The sooner you stop demonizing Bush and recognize that it is full of intelligent people who care about it (as evidenced by the comments from former and current students on the previous blog entry), the better.
“satiates everyones desire for social justice”
@45 But how so we satiate such lust for social justice? Jail time? House arrest? Community service? Court mandated lessons in satirical writing?
@29 You are making stupid and ignorant arguments. For one, the fact that you’re taking Brandon Kiley and The Stranger’s word for this information, over that of students, graduates, and faculty members is absurd. The Stranger is a terrible publication that perpetuates gossip and only tells one side of its stories; it is absolutely not to be trusted. As for Brandon Kiley, I’m not sure where he’s getting his sources, but to claim that Truman’s alleged misconduct is a flat out lie is simply incorrect (also, someone needs to proof read his articles, I’ve never seen a more poorly written article). The facts are that Truman’s contract was NOT bein renewed (so he lied about how he”chose to leave”) and Truman pushed a student up against a wall and verbally abused him for writing an article about grade deflation. Truman also contacted a student and preassured him to let him make his statement. As for the administration’s response, I don’t believe that it was perfect, but Truman left out some important details. For one, our own diversity intructor, who is respected across the country and is African American, supported the administration’s decision. The reason for this is that Truman lied about knowing who did it, the faculty knew that “Walter” was involved, but it seemed likely that many other students were also responsible. Because of this, te administration di not think it would be right to make Walter into a scape goat. I think that Walter should have had some punishment, but Truman tells one side of a very complicated story in his video. You should not believe his word over anyone else, he is trying to get rid of the black mark on his record by creating a smear story about Bush.
The kid wrote the letter addressing himself since he didn’t get accepted to a good college. He DIDN’t distribute the letter himself. Although a white person’s use of the N word is abhorrent behavior. This isn’t news.To my understanding, the kid’s family didn’t even donate that much money to the school.
Maybe Truman shouldn’t spend so much time sending sex text messages to other faculty or bullying students and use his energy getting facts right before putting a dumb kid’s mistake all over Seattle news.
There are a lot of people saying that only a action like this would go uncovered at Bush. Well as someone that attended a Seattle Public School. I can’t think of a time when administrators tried to find a letter distributed by a second individual with a loud mouth and then when they are unable to find it, search trash cans until they discover the necessary evidence. All in all, the kid should get punished and being alluded to by all this press as an exclusive rich boy club racist is far than enough. Hopefully, he will learn his lesson.
BTW, although the letter is in poor taste, If you look at the context it was written in (a disgruntled student who didn’t get into the colleges he wanted to who is MAKING FUN OF HIMSELF) it is in all honesty a pretty hilarious letter minus the use of the N word.
So if you really have nothing better to do than slander and criticize a joke by a mildly nit-witted 18-year-old kid, you are a pathetic human being and need to consider what you do with your life.
Racist and patronizing bs is common at these rich kid schools, no matter who their “diversity director” is. There really isn’t any news here. And the rich kids are right, you let the disgruntled employee lure you into making news out of what is really a typical day at private schools.
“white person’s use of the N word is abhorrent behavior”
Well that will ruin Tarantino’s career.