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Another Week, Another Bathroom Incident
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Hot off last week's swastika-in-Butler fiasco, it seems a rogue vandal or two continue to try to cram in as much vitriolic graffiti as they can before graduation.

A tipster reports that there might have been another hate crime in the 3rd floor men's bathroom in Lerner. Says the tipster, "Yesterday afternoon there were 4-5 policemen and public safety there, and for the rest of the night a guard was stationed outside not letting anyone in. Today, there's an 'out of order' sign on the door and maintenance guys frantically repainting two stalls. When they went on break I went in but couldn't find anything."

Read more: Bathroom Reading, Hate Crimes?

May 14, 2008 @ 2:40 PM | Comments 19 comments | Add comment Post a comment | Link to this article | | Email this post | Share on Facebook

Posted by green: [#1] [reply] [track]
( posted May 14, 2008 at 3:10 PM )
The truth is that they should have placed out of order signs on all of the Lerner bathrooms a long time ago, given how despicably dirty they are.
Posted by ianc-b: [#2] [reply] [track]
( posted May 14, 2008 at 3:41 PM ) (from campus)
really, do we have to classify every instance of bathroom graffiti as a "hate crime"? petty vandalism like this is offensive and despicable, to be sure, but i think that crying "hate crime" every time it occurs devalues the term. our attention might better be focused on more serious incidents, whether they occur at columbia or elsewhere.

just my two cents.
Posted by typo: [#3] [reply] [track]
( posted May 14, 2008 at 3:43 PM ) (from campus)
*be better focused
Posted by hate crime: [#4] [reply] [track] (in reply to #2)
( posted May 14, 2008 at 3:52 PM ) (from campus)
is a legal term. You and everyone else may feel that this is "petty vandalism," but technically and legally it's a hate crime. So it's not a devaluation of the term, it's a proper application.
Posted by nah: [#5] [reply] [track] (in reply to #1)
( posted May 14, 2008 at 4:37 PM ) (from campus)
only on the first floor. 3rd and 4th floor bathrooms are pretty clean.
Posted by m.b.: [#6] [reply] [track]
( posted May 14, 2008 at 4:37 PM ) (from campus)
at this rate, we will soon have nowhere left to shit on campus except holes in south lawn.
Posted by pro-pooper: [#7] [reply] [track]
( posted May 14, 2008 at 5:23 PM ) (from campus)
There's been a giant swastika in the 3rd floor men's bathroom in lerner as long as I can remember. The stalls are literally falling apart. It's like pooping in some mad max dystopian wasteland
Posted by ...: [#8] [reply] [track]
( posted May 14, 2008 at 5:26 PM ) (from campus)
so check it out. there's a lot to hate about the administration at this school. but lets be honest, their behavior in this situation is to be commended.

if some asshole scrawls some ridiculous bullshit on a bathroom wall. you don't make a big deal out of it and publicize it. you fucking call maintenance, paint over it, and don't give the assholes the attention they so desperately crave.

Posted by COOP members: [#9] [reply] [track] (in reply to #6)
( posted May 14, 2008 at 6:00 PM )
...have an advantage in this regard
Posted by wcb: [#10] [reply] [track]
( posted May 14, 2008 at 6:15 PM ) (from campus)
clearly the vandal knew it would create shock but that doesn't mean the primary intent was to scare the jewish kids. perhaps he/she was a devout jain mocking Columbia's obsession with using "hate crime" vocabulary (see Varsity Show). even if I'm giving the vandal (who's probably a skinhead) too much credit, a swastika marking in itself is not a symbol of hate without clear motivation for its depiction. rather, it's a historically misused symbol that's malevolent significance is continuously renewed by "hate crime" paranoia.

[ external link to en.wikipedia.org ]

Posted by been there forever: [#11] [reply] [track]
( posted May 14, 2008 at 8:23 PM ) (from campus)
I was taking a dump in the third floor lerner bathroom a few weeks ago, there was a giant swastika drawn on the stall. I was incredibly offended.
Posted by Graduating Senior: [#12] [reply] [track]
( posted May 14, 2008 at 9:15 PM ) (from campus)
If whining produced energy, each incident of bathroom graffiti on this campus could power a small country. People need to get real.
Posted by I too: [#13] [reply] [track] (in reply to #11)
( posted May 14, 2008 at 9:19 PM ) (from campus)
was so offended, i literally crapped my pants. Good thing my pants were off, though.
Posted by COOP member: [#14] [reply] [track] (in reply to #9)
( posted May 14, 2008 at 10:08 PM ) (from campus)
protect the golden trowel from vandalism of this nature! stop the trowel swastakiing!
Posted by omfg: [#15] [reply] [track]
( posted May 14, 2008 at 10:56 PM ) (from campus)
chill out, columbia. if you didn't overreact like this, people would be much less tempted to do it in the first place.
Posted by don't worry: [#16] [reply] [track]
( posted May 15, 2008 at 12:47 AM )
it's not funny now, but the rule is that after the seventh time, it'll be hilarious.
Posted by bathroom incident: [#17] [reply] [track]
( posted May 15, 2008 at 11:19 AM ) (from campus)
this title means something different for me.
Posted by well: [#18] [reply] [track] (in reply to #13)
( posted May 15, 2008 at 3:28 PM )
then you didn't literally crap your pants.
Posted by or else: [#19] [reply] [track]
( posted May 15, 2008 at 3:29 PM )
unless, of course, you have bad aim
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