Student can't vote for more than half of candidates in student union election because of his race/gender etc.

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[–]la_cues 8 insightful - 4 fun8 insightful - 3 fun9 insightful - 4 fun -  (3 children)

I had a similar situation in my Canadian University.

The vote was something like "To be a chairperson of a student union group/club, you had to identify as that group. First nations group? First nations leaders. Any branch of LGBQ as well. But the clubs elected their own chairpeople!

I was the only person who voted against this. (REALLY awkward to be in a room of 200 angry LGBQ looking at you like you're voting against them)

I don't get it: What if a gay club thought a straight student represented really well? If they weren't fit to run the club, OR if the majority of members thought the leaders should be gay, wouldn't it just be voted as so?

[–]beermeem 2 insightful - 3 fun2 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 3 fun -  (2 children)

In college, at the one I went to, the President of Women's Awareness club was a guy. It was a popular, well run, and active group. In my position in student government, I oversaw all the clubs so I kept tabs on all of them and knew all of their leadership personally. In the Women's Awareness club, there were probably about 20-30 female members and a couple other male members. I think probably one or two trans members as well. No one had a problem with any of this until his ex-gf decided it was "wrong" that a guy was President of Women's Awareness.

So using her personal relationship with him (he was a super "nice" guy), she bullied him into stepping down or not running again or however they did it so that she could be President. The thing is, she didn't actually want to be President. She was just angry about how "wrong" it was that he was President. She was just as angry at the other women and she'd yell at them about how they could "let such a thing happen." She became President and the group all but stopped holding events or even having meetings, since she had no interest, no leadership skills or experience, and people didn't really like her all that much.

She would also say things like, "We're human doings, not human beings!" with no real follow up or further explanation about why this was an important topic for her.

I value my relationship with her because it went a long way to helping me learn how not to allow myself to be emotionally abused. After forcing her way into my life as her "friend" (emotional crutch) for the year she decided to practice celibacy, she immediately started banging a friend who was one of the most disrespectful people to women I know.

It's insane to me that the people with the fewest skills and worst ideas get to run around bullying people using fear and it happens at all levels of politics.

[–]JasonCarswell 2 insightful - 3 fun2 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

Great story. Life can be harsh.

Do you write?

[–]beermeem 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

I wrote and self-published a novel in college actually. I got away from it for a long time for various reasons that I shouldn't have allowed to interfere but my life experience has also made me much better at knowing how and what to frame. I've recently re-found my passion and life, as it can be, is a little harsh right now so I'm just hoping that my next destination affords me the space to keep my cat and dive back in deep. Thank you for asking.