During the last few weeks, one of the most toxic places to be is on Yik Yak. I have seen a myriad of posts on the app that express distaste for the movement, from mild disinterest to outright disgust.
Many expressed an inability to understand why this movement was happening or why we should even care about students of marginalized identities. A series of Yaks started “I am offended by…” and proceeded to trivialize experiences of students of color. For example, “I’m offended by a cat costume because my cat died.” Others said that students should just “get over it,” because at least at the 5C’s students of marginalized identities were learning what it’s like in the real world.
Yik Yak is a place where students are able to express their views without any filters or fear of retribution-due to the nature of the app. Often, this level of anonymity allows people to show who they truly are. If you’ve ever wondered what type of students populate the Claremont Colleges, or have had difficulty believing the posters on campus, then open of Yik Yak and scroll through.
Many expressed an inability to understand why this movement was happening or why we should even care about students of marginalized identities. A series of Yaks started “I am offended by…” and proceeded to trivialize experiences of students of color. For example, “I’m offended by a cat costume because my cat died.” Others said that students should just “get over it,” because at least at the 5C’s students of marginalized identities were learning what it’s like in the real world.
Yik Yak is a place where students are able to express their views without any filters or fear of retribution-due to the nature of the app. Often, this level of anonymity allows people to show who they truly are. If you’ve ever wondered what type of students populate the Claremont Colleges, or have had difficulty believing the posters on campus, then open of Yik Yak and scroll through.