More instances of racial slur graffiti have been cropping up on campus lately. I’m not sure if this is something done with true hate crime intent, or if it’s just a few drunken idiots who think they’re being funny. Either way, it’s still disgusting.  Whether or not malice and hatred were specifically intended by the offenders, that is what is coming across to the rest of this campus. Clearly there is a lack of understanding and maturity among some of the students here.

There seems to be the idea that a person can make racist comments and not be racist, as long as they present their thoughts in the form of a so-called joke. If anybody voices an objection, the person making the racist comments can get defensive and act offended: “I’m not racist! It was just a joke! Lighten up!”

I’ve encountered this  sort of behavior quite often. I have known people who do not give a second thought to calling my bi-racial nephew by racial slurs or making fun of his racial background. If I object to my 4-year-old nephew being referred to as a niglet, I’m being overly sensitive, because, of course, they were just joking.

The same goes for sexist comments. It is nothing for men to ask me why I’m watching the game instead of making them sandwiches in the kitchen where I belong, and then accuse me of being overly sensitive or a feminazi if I react with anything but laughter. Women are casually referred to as “this bitch in my math class,” or as a “dumb whore,” if they decline a man’s request for a date.

I’m tired of all these offensive words being excused as normal or casual speech. I, along with just about every other woman and minority in this country, am tired of my objections being dismissed as “politically correct BS.” Asking people to abolish words like slut, fag and the n-word from their vocabulary is not censorship or politically correct nonsense. It’s common sense.

People who use these terms so flippantly act indignant and offended when they are asked to stop. This is probably a knee-jerk reaction to the embarrassment they feel — or at least should feel — when they suddenly discover that the people around them are not impressed and don’t find them funny.

Let’s all of us take the hint and grow up. Incidents like the racial graffiti are not hilarious pranks. They are hurtful, hateful and offensive, and in every situation should be treated seriously. There simply are no excuses for this behavior. Most people on this campus are 18 or older; legally, we are adults. Let’s start acting like it.