USC Prof Placed on Temporary Leave for Using Chinese Word That Sounds Like Racial Slur in English
Professor Greg Patton teaches at University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. During a recent online lesson, he spoke about how different words can sound in different languages.
Without any apparent harmful intent, he pointed out how something sounds in Chinese, and some people heard a racist word. He has since been placed on temporary leave.
Ben Zeisloft reported at Campus Reform:
USC prof no longer teaching after using Chinese word that sounds like racial slurA communications professor at the University of California’s Marshall School of Business is on a short-term break after saying a Chinese word that sounds similar to an English language racial slur.During a recent online class, Greg Patton, who is an “expert in communication, interpersonal and leadership effectiveness,” according to his faculty bio, explained the usage of a Chinese filler word for “that,” comparing it to the usage of “like,” “um,” and other American filler words.On Tuesday evening, the USC Marshall School of Business provided Campus Reform with a statement, confirming that Patton is no longer teaching his course.“Recently, a USC faculty member during class used a Chinese word that sounds similar to a racial slur in English. We acknowledge the historical, cultural and harmful impact of racist language,” the statement read.
See the video below:
Brittany Bernstein of National Review has more:
USC is now “offering supportive measures to any student, faculty, or staff member who requests assistance,” the statement added, saying the school is “committed to building a culture of respect and dignity where all members of our community can feel safe, supported, and can thrive.”55According to a brief bio on the school’s website, Patton is “an expert in communication, interpersonal and leadership effectiveness” who has received “numerous teaching awards, been ranked as one of the top teaching faculty at USC and helped USC Marshall achieve numerous #1 worldwide rankings for Communication and Leadership skill development.”
This is all happening because people ‘thought’ they heard a racist slur.
Featured image via Twitter video.
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