So what should happens to cadets in uniform

[okeydokey]

That throw the white supremasist sign on live TV during the army and navy game. I think they should be immediately expelled for being a disgrace. How sad.

 

[L&Lfan]

I’m not familiar with what happened but do you mean the traditional “ok” sign?

 

[dclpluto]

That throw the white supremasist sign on live TV during the army and navy game. I think they should be immediately expelled for being a disgrace. How sad.

Haven’t heard anything about this until now. Just had to looked it up. The picture I seen was definitely racist. I’m reading that this sign there is also a game called the Circle game. This wasn’t the circle game. It was racist.

 

[gwynne]

The army should carefully investigate. And no, it was not the "ok" sign.

 

[L&Lfan]

I googled it. It’s being investigated.

 

[KayaWildfire]

They should absolutely be expelled. The video I watched they clearly were trying to make sure just the sign was on TV. It was not the ok sign.

 

[China Expat]

Discipline for sure.

 

[AustinTink]

Expelled.

 

[robinb]

Expelled.

Expelled if it was a white power sign.

Expelled if he was playing the ‘circle game’.

The Army does not need a leader who is either racist or too stupid to know that his little game can be taken as a racist sign.

 

[Boardwalk Jedi]

Expelled.

 

[luvsJack]

Needs to be investigated. Discipline that their commanding officers find appropriate.

If it was an idiotic attempt at the circle game, well yeah dumb. But if every one was kicked out due to idiotic actions, pretty sure most would be kicked out. They are still college age kids and that age group isn’t known for the wisest decisions.

If it was racial in intent, well, that is a whole different thing and expulsions may very well be the appropriate discipline.

 

[pahoben]

He should be forced to read inane off-topic threads on Disboards for an entire year. A long tour in Fallujah would be easier

 

[wgeo]

I'm just guessing here - but since it's a service academy I would imagine there are very strict and already laid out discipline for that type of offense. It needs to be investigated and then followed through based on whatever their current policy is. I'm guessing it won't be a slap on the wrist.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I did not see it, but I did read the article. ETA: I have since watched the widescreen video. My opinion below still stands.

Here is the thing. I consider myself well read and educated, but I didn't know anything about the OK sign being hijacked by white supremacists in 2017 until a few months ago when I read a thread about it on here. But I'm a Middle School teacher and I have college kids, so I knew all about the OK/Circle/Made You Look game. All the kids play it, and they play it on TV or in photos when they have the chance.

A couple of months ago, I saw a picture on social media of my own child doing the ok sign in a fraternity party picture. When the kids came home for Fall break, I asked her what she was doing. She said it was the "made you look/circle game". Then I told her about what I read on here - that it had recently been co-opted as a racist hate symbol. She and her friends, who were there when I explained it, had NO IDEA! She was pretty horrified - especially since my DD is totally against racism of any kind and 100% for inclusion for all. It's her own personal soapbox. Due to the insular nature of high school and college, she had never been exposed to the recent new meaning of the sign.

These cadets are college kids. Is everyone who is demanding their expulsion or punishment 100% sure they even knew the meaning of the ok sign had been hijacked? If the investigation shows these kids were playing the circle game, then education is in order. If the investigation shows these kids have white power racist tendencies (photos, social media comments, affiliations, etc.), then yes - they should be punished.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Needs to be investigated. Discipline that their commanding officers find appropriate.

If it was an idiotic attempt at the circle game, well yeah dumb. But if every one was kicked out due to idiotic actions, pretty sure most would be kicked out. They are still college age kids and that age group isn’t known for the wisest decisions.

If it was racial in intent, well, that is a whole different thing and expulsions may very well be the appropriate discipline.

I agree with you 100%.

 

[gwynne]

I did not see it, but I did read the article.

Here is the thing. I consider myself well read and educated, but I didn't know anything about the OK sign being hijacked by white supremacists in 2017 until a few months ago when I read a thread about it on here. But I'm a Middle School teacher and I have college kids, so I knew all about the OK/Circle/Made You Look game. All the kids play it, and they play in on TV or in photos when they have the chance.

A couple of months ago, I saw a picture on social media of my own child doing the ok sign in a fraternity party picture. When the kids came home for Fall break, I asked her what she was doing. She said it was the "made you look/circle game". Then I told her about what I read on here - that it had recently been co-opted as a racist hate symbol. She and her friends, who were there when I explained it, had NO IDEA! She was pretty horrified - especially since my DD is totally against racism of any kind and 100% for inclusion for all. It's her own personal soapbox. Due to the insular nature of high school and college, she had never been exposed to the recent new meaning of the sign.

These cadets are college kids. Is everyone who is demanding their expulsion or punishment 100% sure they even knew the meaning of the ok sign has been hijacked? If the investigation shows these kids were playing the circle game, then education is in order. If the investigation shows these kids have white power racist tendencies (photos, social media comments, affiliations, etc.), then yes - they should be punished.

I think most posters have mentioned investigation.

Young women and men that attend service academies are aware there are specific rules and regs that are often more demanding and/or restrictive than what might be experienced by a student at xyz college.

Kids will be kids really isn't the behavior service academies should have to deal with. There are lots of other places for college hijinks, if a student is looking for that.

Just to note, though, if they were smirking and throwing racist signals, that isn't hijinks. That's despicable. And as far as I'm concerned, they should be expelled.

Cadets who don't really want a slot should be shown the door. There are other young people who would be glad to have the opportunity to attend West Point.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I think most posters have mentioned investigation.

Young women and men that attend service academies are aware there are specific rules and regs that are often more demanding and/or restrictive than what might be experienced by a student at xyz college.

Kids will be kids really isn't the behavior service academies should have to deal with. There are lots of other places for college hijinks, if a student is looking for that.

Just to note, though, if they were smirking and throwing racist signals, that isn't hijinks. That's despicable. And as far as I'm concerned, they should be expelled.

Cadets who don't really want a slot should be shown the door. There are other young people who would be glad to have the opportunity to attend West Point.

When I posted, 7 out of 13 posts said "expelled" with no mention of investigation, and several posters were 100% sure the sign was the WP sign versus the Circle game. How can they be sure of that? In my opinion and experience, I think that is a complete rush to judgment. However, I do agree that if the investigation shows these kids have white power racist tendencies (photos, social media comments, affiliations, etc.), then yes - they should be punished.

 

[robinb]

I did not see it, but I did read the article.

Here is the thing. I consider myself well read and educated, but I didn't know anything about the OK sign being hijacked by white supremacists in 2017 until a few months ago when I read a thread about it on here. But I'm a Middle School teacher and I have college kids, so I knew all about the OK/Circle/Made You Look game. All the kids play it, and they play in on TV or in photos when they have the chance.

A couple of months ago, I saw a picture on social media of my own child doing the ok sign in a fraternity party picture. When the kids came home for Fall break, I asked her what she was doing. She said it was the "made you look/circle game". Then I told her about what I read on here - that it had recently been co-opted as a racist hate symbol. She and her friends, who were there when I explained it, had NO IDEA! She was pretty horrified - especially since my DD is totally against racism of any kind and 100% for inclusion for all. It's her own personal soapbox. Due to the insular nature of high school and college, she had never been exposed to the recent new meaning of the sign.

These cadets are college kids. Is everyone who is demanding their expulsion or punishment 100% sure they even knew the meaning of the ok sign had been hijacked? If the investigation shows these kids were playing the circle game, then education is in order. If the investigation shows these kids have white power racist tendencies (photos, social media comments, affiliations, etc.), then yes - they should be punished.

I get what you're saying. I'm sorry that your DD didn't know about the racist meaning of the sign and I'm glad that she stopped using it.

I would say that West Point and Annapolis, by their very nature, are not as insular as most small towns and small colleges. Students of all regions, genders, races and ethnicities attend our military academies. I would be shocked if someone hadn't told the cadet and the midshipmen who flashed the sign the multiple meanings of the circle game at some point in the last 3 months of college. In fact, the midshipman's hand was pushed down by the cadet next to him. In any case, I hold the young men and women studying to be the next generation of military leaders to a higher standard. They are among the best of the best and they will lead our military in the future.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I did not see it, but I did read the article.

Here is the thing. I consider myself well read and educated, but I didn't know anything about the OK sign being hijacked by white supremacists in 2017 until a few months ago when I read a thread about it on here. But I'm a Middle School teacher and I have college kids, so I knew all about the OK/Circle/Made You Look game. All the kids play it, and they play in on TV or in photos when they have the chance.

A couple of months ago, I saw a picture on social media of my own child doing the ok sign in a fraternity party picture. When the kids came home for Fall break, I asked her what she was doing. She said it was the "made you look/circle game". Then I told her about what I read on here - that it had recently been co-opted as a racist hate symbol. She and her friends, who were there when I explained it, had NO IDEA! She was pretty horrified - especially since my DD is totally against racism of any kind and 100% for inclusion for all. It's her own personal soapbox. Due to the insular nature of high school and college, she had never been exposed to the recent new meaning of the sign.

These cadets are college kids. Is everyone who is demanding their expulsion or punishment 100% sure they even knew the meaning of the ok sign had been hijacked? If the investigation shows these kids were playing the circle game, then education is in order. If the investigation shows these kids have white power racist tendencies (photos, social media comments, affiliations, etc.), then yes - they should be punished.

If the college kids of today don't know what it means who should? They are internet and social media savvy like no previous generation in the history of humankind. These are not jr college students partying on the beaches of FL every spring break but our future armed force leaders who focus on their chosen profession earlier than most.

I do think they should be held to a standard at least as high as the average academically inclined colleges.

 

[pahoben]

For goodness sakes-this is from Wikipedia-
File:OK Sign.jpg

• Langu

It was used commonly in the military for a century or more as “okay” and now used as the basis of a game. Just because a group of people that sit around and look for grievances decided it signifies something else doesn't make it so.