Students at George Washington University are arguing that it is a “microinvalidation” to criticize the school’s campus ride service.
At the beginning of the month, George Washington University students lodged several complaints against the drivers of the campus’ rideshare service. The students said that the drivers were often behind on schedule. One student even said that a driver made her feel unwelcome in the vehicle.
“It was helpful, but the driver should be a little bit nicer and more welcoming because people use it when they are scared,” one student said. “When the drivers are just as mean and scary as the people you are scared of, it’s scary.”
A November 9 report from the George Washington University student newspaper says that a number of students are upset with the criticisms that have been lodged against the campus ride service.
A freshman majoring in criminal justice said at the town hall that the article was a “microinvalidation” against the black community. She said the article indirectly labeled black drivers as “being scary,” which she said is “very far from the truth.”
“I just feel like when I read that article — not going to lie — I felt offended,” she said. “You’re invalidating those drivers, you’re invalidating their work.”
Another student accused the complainant of racism for her suggestion that the driver made her feel uncomfortable. “When we have people speaking on behalf of the campus and they don’t speak carefully, they don’t tread lightly, that’s when we deal with impact over intent,” the student said. “She might not have intended to say something racist, but that’s what we felt, that’s what the population in this room felt, and we were offended and that’s what matters.”
It is unclear how the university will approach the situation going forward. The tension over the nature of the complaint could potentially make it more difficult for the university to fix the issue with drivers arriving behind schedule.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.