Stop supporting offensive Baylor meme pages

Hannah Holliday | Cartoonist

Be respectful of your peers and university; stop supporting offensive Baylor meme pages. Not only are these social media accounts offensive to Baylor in general, but are hurtful and discriminating against certain groups on campus. It’s great to joke around, but not at the expense of hurting others’ or the image of the university.

Anything that has Baylor’s name attached to it is a direct reflection of the university by association. While some of these accounts are not public, through the power of social media none of this material is truly kept private. Memes or conversations that joke about certain aspects of Baylor can seem extreme when taken out of context and makes the university look bad. Making fun of Baylor traditions like chapel, faculty members and coaches is unnecessary and not something to joke about. Be thankful for the opportunity to be at Baylor and stop complaining about rules that may not please you.

Regardless of if the memes were made as a joke, the recent COVIC-19-related posts have gotten out of hand, especially when targeting the Chinese national rowing team while they are guests at Baylor. A crisis like COVID-19 should not be used for humor, especially given the amount of tragedy and loss that has many have experienced due to the virus. It is not okay to joke about sensitive topics—you don’t know who has been affected. These posts are racially offensive and often hurtful to these individuals.

Don’t use the Lariat as a platform to spread fake news. On multiple occasions, there have been photoshopped images with fake headlines from the Lariat. Not only is this disrespectful to us and the writers associated with the fake content, but can spread fake news across campus when using the Lariat’s name as a source. This can confuse others and lead to further issues surrounding the subject on campus.

Nobody should feel bullied or judged for their sexual orientation, nor should it matter. Additionally, don’t put words discussing sensitive topics in others’ mouths. Regardless of the university’s stance on sexual orientation, be respectful of others and don’t target individuals based on their personal life.

It’s great to have a platform where Baylor students can bond and laugh together, but there is no need to post offensive and hurtful content for the sake of attention or popularity when there are so many other healthy things to joke about. Stop supporting these offensive Baylor meme pages that put others’ down and negatively represent our university, its culture and its people.