By The Editorial Board
Throughout grade school, good behavior was rewarded with field trips, pizza parties and ice cream socials; however, each of those events came with a caveat: your actions not only affect you, but also shed light on the institution.
In the wake of the Utah Valley University shooting, hundreds of people lost their jobs due to insensitive comments on social media or hate speech at the office. As of Tuesday, there were 43 high-profile cases of terminations at universities due to this affecting faculty, staff and students. One of whom was a Baylor student who made national headlines.
Graduate student AJ Barber, who has since posted an apology, left Waco and deleted the apology along with his Facebook account, posted “This made me giggle” in a now-deleted comment on a KWTX post about Charlie Kirk’s death. Further damaging the university’s image, he posted, “Good thing I’m not a Christian,” while responding to comments.
As students, we have been told that our actions affect others since we first entered a classroom. With social media and numerous anonymous forums, many have lost the decency to uphold their own or their institution’s reputation. Even a single negative or hateful comment on Yik Yak can negatively impact Baylor’s perception.
While Barber’s actions were unacceptable, the general response was also negative. Some students turned to sleuths, digging for as much information as possible and forwarding that to Baylor. Others used their skills negatively, finding his phone number and sending hateful messages before sending it out to others.
But as a whole, the student body was just tuning in for the gossip.
In addition to the backlash, hate messages are rapidly spreading through college sports. While many parents and students voiced support for Baylor football following a loss to Arizona State Saturday, others filled athletes’ DMs with criticism, profanity and hate — something the NCAA must address.
“This is a huge concern across the country, and in fact, the NCAA is working on an initiative to try to stop the bullying that is happening on our campuses with our student athletes,” President Linda Livingstone told The Lariat. “That’s just not acceptable behavior. These are fellow students … Would you really want someone looking over your shoulder with every test that you took and tweeting about it?”
While uneducated commentary is detrimental enough, the problem grows when there are no ramifications for negative comments. Because of this anonymity provides a breeding ground for cruelty where people say things they would never put their name to.
On platforms like Yik Yak, which has exploded on college campuses, that veil of anonymity increasingly provokes gossip, personal taunts and destructive rumors. What is intended as a joke or a careless statement can spread far and wide, wrecking reputations and mental health with impunity. The danger is not in what is being spoken, but in the speed with which it goes when no one feels responsible for the harm left behind.
Anonymous or not, your words do matter. They hurt others and follow you throughout your life. Every prospective employer scrutinizes your social media feeds, and with so many qualified candidates for every role, you won’t have the chance to give an excuse about growing up and learning from mistakes. You shouldn’t have to be incentivized to be a good person, but with social media the way it is, choosing to be silent helps you in the long run.
Hate on all levels is unacceptable, especially at an institution that leans on faith, family and friendships. Being abhorrent toward someone for doing something wrong is stooping to their level. Accountability should never turn into cruelty. As Baylor students, we need to be better. As cliché as it sounds, we need to be better Baylor Bears.
