Ohio State Student Government Rep Says Whites Are Taught They're Superior, but Black People Actually Are

Supremacy — it’s an age-old fight. Since the beginning of time, human beings have struggled for superiority in all kinds of ways. And often, we’re better for it: Competition breeds higher standards of excellence.

But what happens when the Battle For the Best is applied to something as silly as color of skin? Goofy things, irrational things, and — sometimes — deadly things.

Yet, some people still want to set shade against shade.

Apropos of a pigmented pitting, at Ohio State University recently, a student government official made quite the bold melanin-related remarks.

During a March 23rd virtual General Assembly meeting, Parliamentarian John Fuller waxed on racial exceptionalism.

As reported by student paper The Lantern, John was “presenting a resolution to condemn all anti-critical race theory legislation.”

The third-year human development and family science major recalled what all you white people have been taught your entire lives:

“I just wanted to say that, um, and make this very clear: The only people who are taught that they are superior to another race are white people.”

He’d prefer a major modification:

“[I] would absolutely love to live in a world where black people are taught that they are superior.”

There’s ample reason for his amore:

“I would love it, because I full-heartedly believe that.”

Yet reality reeks:

“Um, but that’s not the case, um, at all. And so I just wanted to make that very clear.”

John had more to say:

“By saying that, um, by taking away the teaching of one race as superior to another, that is inherently white supremacy. Because white people learn from birth that they are superior. There is no thing that they need to be taught in school that tells them that. They learn that from their lived experiences. And so, by teaching, you know, and white supremacy is not something that you learn about, um, by any means. And it’s a relatively new term, and it’s a term that is heavily debated because a lot of people don’t like calling white people superior. Um, and I completely understand with that. But there is no such thing as “white inferiority.” There would be a protest if somebody said that on this campus. Like, literally, white people are inferior. And I’m gonna say that right now, because this is my space to say that. But I do believe that black people are superior. Um, but that’s not something…taught in schools, by any means.”

As part of Ohio State’s “anti-racist” curriculum, students are being taught that “black people are superior”.

John Fuller (speaker) majors in family development and will most likely teach children in his career.

Care to comment @OhioState? pic.twitter.com/GCSZeNi11m

— Mythinformed MKE (@MythinformedMKE) April 11, 2022

As noted by The Lantern, the student’s statements didn’t go over completely well:

USG President Jacob Chang said once Fuller made the comment, the Speaker of the General Assembly Bobby McAlpine dismissed him, saying the chamber does not support his rhetoric. Members of the General Assembly reported video and audio recordings to the Office of Institutional Equity.

“The comments made during the General Assembly session is fundamentally, like, diverging from our values as the student government of Ohio State,” Chang, a fourth-year in psychology and political science, said. “Therefore, it is our responsibility to report a case like this. I think we need to stand in solidarity with all people of color and anyone who suffers from racism, but we need to do it from a space that is unilaterally empowering everyone around them instead of, like, single out one group.”

Video of John’s analysis took to the internet, garnering over 65,000 views on the Barstool Ohio State Instagram account alone.

Was disciplinary action taken?

Not as of The Lantern’s April publication date:

Chang said multiple senators considered impeaching Fuller for his behavior, but the impeachment process would not have concluded before Fuller’s last day working in the current USG administration, which was Wednesday.

The outlet didn’t label his comments as racist. Its headline read, “USG Parliamentarian Faces Criticism Following Comment About Race Made in General Assembly Meeting.”

And the pro-critical race theory initiative passed:

The resolution condemning all anti-critical race theory legislation passed in the General Assembly, Chang said. The resolution is crucial to ensure critical race theory is taught at public universities, but the way Fuller presented it made it about “empowerment and another form of like supremacy” that was “inherently racist,” he said.

USG President Jacob asserted, “No matter what race you are from, what background you are from, you cannot say stuff like that.”

These days, knowledge of history doesn’t appear to be particularly valued. Hence, perhaps, a college student suggesting “white supremacy” is a (relatively) “new term.” It’s not so new, nor is racism. Nor is, for that matter, slavery (see The Old Testament).

Regardless, what is old is made new again. And presently, America’s giving segregation another shot — as identity groups are touted over individuality, we’re again dividing citizens according to White or Nonwhite (presently “People of Color“).

Will things go better this time around? I wouldn’t think so.

Either way, there’s good reason to believe John’s wrong about protests erupting over statements of “white inferiority”: