Pennsylvania State University is defending a professor who pulled a white student in front of his class and told him that he’s breathing, so he may have oppressed someone today.
Professor Sam Richards, who teaches the 700-student “SOC119: Race and Ethnic Relations” course, pulled students up before the class on June 30 to discuss white privilege.
“I just take the average white guy in class, whoever it is, it doesn’t really matter,” Richards said. “Dude, this guy here. Stand up, bro. What’s your name, bro?”
The student, Russell, stood up to face the class.
“Look at Russell, right here, it doesn’t matter what he does,” the professor continued, according to a report from Campus Reform. “If I match him up with a black guy in class, or a brown guy… who’s just like him, has the same GPA, looks like him, walks like him, talks like him, acts in a similar way…and we send them into the same jobs…Russell has a benefit of having white skin.”
In another class on March 4, Richards attacked two white students as “oppressors” while discussing the Critical Race Theory training taking place at Coca-Cola. The company made headlines after it was revealed that they had instructed their employees to “be less white.”
Richards, according to Campus Reform, asked the class for thoughts on a Coca-Cola slide which read, “To be less white is to be less oppressive, be less arrogant, be less certain, be less defensive, be less ignorant, be more humble, listen, believe, break with party, break with white solidarity.”
“I think, you know, it’s more or less just recognizing the advantages you have in life,” James, a student, responded. “Whatever that may be, and not thinking yourself superior because of that.”
The professor was pleased with that answer, then turned to another student, Brian, and asked, “What White people would find that offensive?”
“Conservatives, I guess,” Brain responded.
“What would they find offensive about it?”
CR reports that out of “canceled” concerns, Brian hesitated to answer
“White people have been like, ‘we’re oppressors, we’re arrogant, we’re really confident or certain, defensive — and dumb,” Richards replied. “White people are dumb. That’s a message: White people are dumb. That is a key message right there.”
The professor then asked Brian, “Who have you oppressed today?”
“I haven’t oppressed anyone today,” said Brian.
“You’re breathing. Have you left your house today?,” replied Richards.
“Yes,” Brian said.
“Okay, so you may have oppressed somebody,” Richards concluded.
In a statement to Fox News, Penn State defended the professor.
“Professor Richards purposefully teaches in a manner designed to promote discussion across a spectrum of opinions. His class is a popular elective, in which each semester hundreds (~800) of students join, bringing their varied perspectives.”