Racism rears its ugly head again with the explosion of the “Asians in the library” video by UCLA student Alexandra Wallace. Wallace posted a video on YouTube that portrayed the Asian community of UCLA in a negative, racist manner. There was immediate backlash and there are reports that she will withdraw from UCLA due to the numerous death threats her family received.

Was she wrong for saying the things she said? Of course, but how quickly we forget about free speech when someone says something we don’t like or agree with. I understand why someone would be offended by the contents of Wallace’s YouTube post, but all American citizens, even the dumb ones, are protected by the First Amendment. It is her right to say racist things, it’s her right to think whatever she wants to, but it is not right for her and her family to be threatened.

In all honesty I’m more disappointed in the response to the video than the actual video. As a nation built on freedoms, we cannot stand for the censorship of someone’s personal beliefs. She was not telling people to do harm.  She was merely stating her opinion, which is protected by the Constitution.

The fact that this video has even become an issue is disheartening. We have collectively made a mountain out of a mole hill. This could have just been another stupid YouTube video, bound to fade away into obscurity with time. No, now it is gaining national media coverage and will probably haunt this girl forever. Was she dumb? Yes. Does she deserve to be put to death? No. She has already apologized. What more can she do?

Ultimately, the lesson here is don’t post anything anywhere unless you’re willing to stand by it, because apologizing the day after uploading is a waste of everybody’s time.