APRIL 2017 • CLEMSON UNIVERSITY’S ALTERNATIVE PUBLICATION

UNCOMFORTABLE
CONVERSATIONS

I’M TRANS POLITICAL, P. 4 • MORE THAN JUST MONEY, P. 12

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 Featured

2
The Hypocrisy of Upstate Antifa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Zach Talley

I’m Trans Political . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Matthew Steighner

Odds & Ends

8 The Leisure Skills We Deserve. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9

Publius

Featured

Yale’s Blunder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

Matthew Phillips

More Than Just Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13

Zach Talley

10

Cover by Jack Timmerman

 FEATURED

The Hypocrisy of
Clemson University’s
Upstate ANTIFA
Alternative Magazine
The danger of saying the “F” word
Zach Talley, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jack Timmerman, COMMUNICATIONS EDITOR By Zach Talley
Abbey Fesler, TREASURER
Miller Hall, OPINION EDITOR

I
Jack Timmerman, FRONT PAGE EDITOR
f you’ve been on in likeness to be treated like Hit-
Alexander Cullen, STAFF WRITER
campus or around ler. Thus, because Hitler and his
Jack Timmerman, STAFF WRITER
town over the past supporters were fascist, so also
Clayton Warnke, STAFF WRITER
few weeks you have likely Donald Trump and his support-
Matt Phillips, STAFF WRITER
seen posters from a group ers must be fascists. While this
Mitchell Gunter, STAFF WRITER
called “Upstate ANTIFA,” language has persisted in parts of
Perry Bolick, STAFF WRITER
one of many groups to left-wing activism for decades, it
Publius, STAFF WRITER (ANONYMOUS) have surfaced in the wake intensified tremendously when
of the election of Presi- white-nationalist Richard Spencer
dent Trump. “ANTIFA,” was punched in the face just days
a relatively new term on after President Trump’s inaugura-
social media, is shorthand tion. Spencer is not a good man
for anti-fascist. The term however, he was punched for
TWITTER: @ttobserver
reflects the idea that Don- stating his opinion; for speaking
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/tiger- ald Trump isn’t literally words. This event was a defining
townobserver Hitler, but close enough moment for the left and marked
For comments, questions, editorials, or infor-
mation, please contact the TigerTown Observer
at observr@clemson.edu
To submit a story for our next issue, please send
the story and your name to
observr@clemson.edu
By submitting an article, letter to the editor, or other material to
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electronic media. The Tiger Town Observer further retains the
right to edit material for any reason. Opinions expressed within
are the property of their authors and do not necessarily reflect
the opinion of any other member or the paper itself. The Tiger
Town Observer is a recognized student organization, member of
the Student Media Association, the Palmetto Spectator Society,
and The Collegiate Network of College Newspapers. It is a non-
profit, tax exempt organization. Donations are tax exempt,
under article 501(C)(3) of the IRS Code. All rights reserved.

THE COLLEGIATE
NETWORK
facebook.com/UpstateAntifa

2/ THE TIGER TOWN OBSERVER APRIL 2017


the arrival of the ANTIFA move-
ment. The praises of liberals (and
even some conservatives) for the
assault rang throughout social
media: because Spencer’s lan-
guage and ideas were so Nazi-like,
punching him was more than just
morally right--it was the Amer-
ican thing to do. If you tried to
argue against punching someone
for saying unpleasant things,
you risked being labeled a Nazi
sympathizer. Upstate ANTIFA
echoes these sentiments on their
facebook page and paraphernalia
scattered throughout Clemson.
With lines like “SAY NO TO
FASCISM” and “FIGHTING
FASCISM IS A SOCIAL DUTY
NOT AN ANTISOCIAL CRIME,”
and with pictures of fists breaking
swastikas, they clearly promote a
message of violence as an obliga-
tion against fascism.
The problems with their ideas
are twofold and obvious. First,
what makes someone a fascist,
APRIL 2017
FEATURED
do anything to stop them, even if
violence is required. This is why
Upstate ANTIFA sees no problem
placing their violence-promoting
posters on stop signs, handicap
signs, and private property in
the name of their cause. Their
message is clear: we must to do
anything to fight the Nazi Fascists.
Who are the Fascists? Who we tell
you the Facists are!” A hallmark
of Fascism is an intolerance for
others’ views or opinions. This has
manifested itself throughout his-
tory in political groups that justi-
fied violently demonized portions
of the population with whom
and what can’t be done to them they disagreed. The KKK justified
if they are? Who decides? This violently enforcing Jim Crow laws
can lead to dangerous hypocrisy. in the south, Hitler justified the
When you label someone as the violent persecution of the Jews,
‘other’ that must be opposed with and Upstate ANTIFA justifies the
violence, you justify arbitrary violent assault of their opposition.
violence against an entire group Upstate ANTIFA’s blindness to
of people. Richard Spencer may the irony of their own rhetoric
not be a good guy according to would be funny if it weren’t also
some, but the minute hurting so frightening.
him because of words becomes
justified, it becomes okay to hurt
anyone for any words they say.
When attacking others because of
a label imposed on them, such as
“fascist,” becomes acceptable,you
have a country governed by mobs
rather than laws. This deteriorates
into a catfight of who can call the
other a “Nazi” or “Fascist” the
fastest. Then, institutions are bro-
ken down in the name of eradicat-
ing “hateful,” or merely unpleas-
ant, ideas which, in reality, people
can rightfully hold. ANTIFA and
other radical organizations preach
that if there is an ‘other’ whose
existence you believe may threat-
en society, - you can and MUST
THE TIGER TOWN OBSERVER / 3

I’m Trans Political
My transition from Bernie-Bro to Trump Supporter
By Matthew Steighner
2
015 was a crazy year. Don-
ald Trump announced his
entrance to the 2016 presi-
dential race, Bernie Sanders was
taking the millennial crowd by
storm, and I was a budding high
school senior excited for my first
year at Clemson University. Like
most high school millennials
my age, I was left-leaning, hated
Trump for his “dangerous rhet-
oric”, and #feelinthebern. I was
happy that someone would be able
to give students free college, make
healthcare free, and take down the
greedy 1%! I mean, who wouldn’t
want a fairer society? As the pres-
idential race went on, I started to
get more and more interested in
politics and as a good American
4/ THE TIGER TOWN OBSERVER
FEATURED
I wanted to hear the other side’s
view, even if they were incorrect.
I kept my mind open and started
listening to debates between Con-
servatives and Liberals, reading
articles, and coming to under-
stand the political world as it ex-
isted. One day though, I stumbled
on a college speech that opened
my eyes to the world of Conserva-
tivism. The speaker? None other
than Milo Yiannopolis. I laughed
at how flamboyantly gay and fun-
ny he was and intently listened to
what he had to talk about. While
I knew some of the things he said
was a little out there, I agreed with
the majority of his message, and
that message resonated in me.
From there I started listening to
different Conservative voices and
I slowly began to understand just
how wrong my viewpoints were.
Sanders’ economics were full of
garbage and I saw the Liberal
Party for who they really were:
bigots. To Dr. King’s dismay, the
left I thought I supported only
saw people based on the color of
their skin, not the content of their
character. They shout down ideas
they don’t agree with claiming it’s
“Hate speech” and “Fascism” as
they go out of their way and use
actual Fascism to censor Con-
servative ideas at any cost, as UC
Berkeley and Antifa have shown.
Even as recent as last month,
this censorship reared its head
on campus when the Tiger Town
APRIL 2017

Observer’s newsstands had their
magazines ripped out and thrown
away, replaced with Antifa propa-
ganda. I watched as Ben Shapiro
was silenced at Yale as protestors
filled his speech and refused to let
him talk. I saw Milo Yiannopolis
assaulted and forced to shut down
his speech at DePaul after the
police were ordered NOT to inter-
vene. I saw this and I turned my
back from the Liberal Party forev-
er. From the death of my Liberal
APRIL 2017
FEATURED
ideas came my ride on the Trump
Train. I excitedly watched the de-
bates and supported him through
his campaign as I was excited to
be a part of history. While I didn’t
see him as the perfect candidate,
I regarded him as a well needed
force of nature to tear down the
establishment and I voted for him
in the election. Nevertheless, this
election cycle has turned me into
a political transgender: my transi-
tion starting from my willingness
THE TIGER TOWN OBSERVER / 5
to keep an open mind and to listen
to other people’s ideas, an import-
ant characteristic I fear has been
lost in recent times. Watching the
Women’s March, BLM protests,
and really just ANY liberal protest,
there is a clear closed-mindedness
seen in just about every protestor,
ironic considering the left consid-
ers itself the progressive party.
6/ THE TIGER TOWN OBSERVER APRIL 2017
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APRIL 2017 THE TIGER TOWN OBSERVER / 7


The Leisure Skills We Deserve
But not the ones we need right now
By Publius
H
ere at the TTO we believe
in having the uncom-
fortable conversations.
In that spirit we feel it is time to
address the elephant in the room;
to say what everyone is thinking.
We need new Leisure Skills. Don’t
get us wrong, a lot of them are
great however, they’re more of our
parent’s idea of leisure. Clemson
needs to embrace the 21st cen-
tury. Millennial ideas of leisure
have gone past the traditional
boundaries of camping, dancing,
woodwork and other skills that
may actually be useful. It’s time
to embrace the new leisure. The
leisure that matters to college age
students. The leisure that we need
to be skilled on.
The Metaphysics of Netflix
Binging:
It is a fact of life for most college
students that the phrase “play
hard” is less about playing these
days then it is about “watching
hard”. Netflix has allowed us to
absorb information (most of it
useless) in an unparalleled capac-
ity. However, there is too much
information for anyone to obtain.
We need to be able to sift through
all of our friends recommen-
dations to determine the shows
8/ THE TIGER TOWN OBSERVER
ODDS & ENDS
worth binging. Some might say like them, we share them. Howev-
that no shows are worth binging er it is not enough to just appre-
and it would actually be better for ciate means. It is important to be
us to spend our time interacting able to make them and under-
with one another. To those people stand when to properly use them.
we have one thing to say “shut A professor of Memes would be a
up, I’m trying to watch the new wise addition to Clemson Univer-
season of Longmire.” What’s more, sity staff. There is enough misin-
Netflix has created a whole new formation in the world as it is, we
series of philosophical questions need to be able to get it out of our
that must be explored. What is Memes. They are sacred things.
binging? How is it different from
gluttony? At what point do I feel
my personal value has gone down
as a result of binging? These are all Tinder:
skills and questions that Clemson
University has an obligation to Once upon a time there was this
help their students wrestle with. thing called “dating.” Our grand-
parents did it, our great-grand-
parents did it, heck even our
parents did it. It involved human
interaction and vulnerability and
Memeology: time and money and all sorts of
of other things millennial’s either
Politicians lie, Hollywood lies, don’t have or don’t want. Through
the news lies. In this day and age the wonder of technology we’ve
where it is so hard to tell who is simplified the art of romantic
telling the truth millennial’s know engagement to an unromantic sci-
there is at least one place we can ence. Tinder combines our short
go – Memes. It’s no secret for the attention spans and animalistic
average millennial that Memes urges to create the perfect expe-
are an integral part of life. They rience. However, like any other
are how we entertain ourselves in piece of technology it requires an
class, they are how we make politi- expert to get the most out of it.
cal points with zero prior infor- A class on Tinder emphasizing
mation involved. We see them, we minimal emotional involvement,
APRIL 2017

integrated exercise for thumbs
(gotta improve that swipe game),
and strategies for ducking out of
bad matches will increase students
“romantic” productivity consid-
erably. With all of that saved time
they can do better things- like
binge Netflix.
The Art of the Selfie:
Twice a year Greek life gains a
new batch of inductees. These
bright young faces, clear minds,
and innocent hearts are filled with
possibilities. They personify this
through their selfie art. Unfortu-
nately, it isn’t much of an art form
any of these students. Freshman
in particular fail to understand
the nuance of the selfie. There are
angles to consider, filters to be
APRIL 2017
ODDS & ENDS
chosen, backgrounds to remem-
ber, and of course captions. So
many students go home for their
first Christmas to judgemental
questions from relatives and high
school friends directly related to
poor selfies. A selfie (when done
properly) can make debauchery
seem classy. It can make it seem
like you’re having fun when in
reality you want to stab a pencil
in your eye. Perhaps most impor-
tantly, it can give the appearance
you are living a fulfilling life when
in reality you’re terrified you
have chosen an unemployable
major. This is an art which has
been handed down from senior
to freshman in an informal way. It
is time to canonize these lessons
in a way that is guaranteed to
save many young Tigers embar-
rassment. This would not just be
THE TIGER TOWN OBSERVER / 9
beneficial for the students but for
the entire image of Clemson Uni-
versity. We are already champions
at football, let’s be champions at
pretending to be champions of life
as well.
There were many runners-up that
didn’t quite make the cut. Among
these were skills like “learning to
let a pet fill the hole in your heart
meant for children” and “how to
con your parents out of money
into your thirties.” But these are
more post-graduation millenni-
al skills. We are confident that if
the skills were implemented as
classes at Clemson it would lead
to a healthier, happier(?), more
well-rounded education. Do
you have anything you think we
missed? Email us or hit us up on
Facebook.

Yale’s Blunder
Preserving the legacy of John C. Calhoun
By Matthew Phillips
A
sk someone from Phil-
adelphia what they are
proud of, and they will
tell you of Benjamin Franklin and
the Constitutional Convention.
Ask a Bostonian the story of their
city, and they will narrate the tale
of Samuel Adams and the Boston
Tea Party. Ask a Virginian about
a great man from history and they
will speak of Thomas Jefferson and
the Declaration of Independence.
Ask someone from South Carolina
what their heritage is, and watch
as they struggle to answer.
Recently, Yale University an-
nounced that it would be remov-
ing the name of John C. Calhoun
from one of its residential colleges,
coming to a decision after months
of heated debate among its student
nytimes.com
10/ THE TIGER TOWN OBSERVER
CURRENT EVENTS
body and faculty. “The decision
to change a college’s name is not
one we take lightly,” they said in
an official statement, “but John C.
Calhoun’s legacy as a white su-
premacist and national leader who
promoted slavery as a positive
good fundamentally conflicts with
Yale’s mission and values.”
The situation at Yale bears a close
resemblance to one Clemson
students are all too familiar with.
We attend classes in the shadow
of this controversial figure, as
various buildings on campus are
named in his sake. Yale’s decision
forces us to question our own use
of Calhoun’s name, and whether
we too should remove it in light of
his shortcomings.
Make no mistake about it: John
C. Calhoun held beliefs that were
deplorable by any standard. He
saw the institution of slavery as a
positive good and a necessity for
a successful society. He fought
adamantly for the South to retain
its rights to slavery even after
many in the region began to turn
against it.
I am not going to defend these
beliefs – how could I? The vul-
gar, obscene racism of Calhoun
reminds us of a time of racial
oppression and genuine human
suffering. Calhoun defended this,
and that can never be forgotten.
But I nonetheless believe that re-
moving his name from our build-
ings would be a mistake.
Like us today, John C. Calhoun
was a product of his times. This
does not exonerate his failings, but
it puts them in a context. More-
APRIL 2017
 CURRENT EVENTS

over, there is no question that good and the bad. It allows us to Denying inconvenient facts about
Calhoun did many great things. be proud of the accomplishments our history has the effect of eras-
Coming from South Carolina, he of the man whose name stands ing the good ones too, leaving the
served as Vice President, Secretary with the likes of James Madison people of this state with no heri-
of State, Secretary of War, and two and Alexander Hamilton. It al- tage to lay claim to. However, if
terms in the Senate. He cham- lows us to remember the injustices we leave John C. Calhoun’s name
pioned the cause of states’ rights committed by our ancestors and where it is, we teach our sons and
(one of the most important prin- look on them with regret, learn- daughters to be proud of where
ciples in the Constitution) and has ing from them to see the failings they come from, while reminding
been named one of the five great- for which future generations may them of the cruelty to which all
est Senators of all time. He is, condemn us. Most of all, it stands are susceptible and must never
without a doubt, the greatest and to remind us of the fallen nature happen again.
most important political thinker of mankind and of the reality that
in the history of South Carolina every generation commits acts of
and was pivotal in the founding of evil.
Clemson University, which resides
on his former estate.
Calhoun’s accomplishments merit
him a spot among the greatest
names of this nation, and yet he
has never been properly remem-
bered. This is a result of deci-
sions like Yale’s; they are trying to
redress the injustices of Calhoun’s
era by erasing the past. But with-
out the past, what do people have
to lay claim to? Without great fig-
ures to look back on, what do peo-
ple have to be proud of? Without
seeing the shortcomings of these
same figures, what do people have
to feel regret? A people without
a heritage is a people without
identity.
If we are serious about remem-
bering the past in the best way
possible, Clemson should not take
the same action as Yale. Treating
previous wrongs as if they never
occurred does nothing to over-
come them. Were Calhoun’s views
on slavery reprehensible? Abso-
lutely, and they should be treated
as such. But leaving his name on
our buildings allows us to reflect
on the Calhoun as he was – the

APRIL 2017 THE TIGER TOWN OBSERVER / 11


More Than Just Money
Clemson spends $27,000 on diversity training for faculty
By Zach Talley
This is my last publication as Edi-
tor-in-chief of the TTO so I might
have been a bit excessive in articles.
There was so much to say and it’s
been such an awesome publication
over these past two years! I know
The Observer will go on to do big
things so keep reading!
All the Best,
Zach Talley
F
ollowing up on a promise
after last year’s Sikes Sit In,
Clemson University has
unveiled a new employee diversity
and inclusivity training program.
Last Spring Clemson Universi-
ty experienced a nine day Sit In
which took place on the steps of
the main administrative build-
ing on Clemson’s Campus- Sikes
Hall. This Sit In was a reaction
to a purported racial hate crime.
It was later revealed by some
Clemson students that Clemson
Administrators did not believe
this incident to be racially moti-
vated based on testimony from the
perpetrators but concealed this
information, allowing the rest of
campus to believe that it was. As
a result of what was termed the
“Sikes Sit In” a number of de-
mands were made by protesting
students, faculty, and community
members. Among these was a
12/ THE TIGER TOWN OBSERVER
CURRENT EVENTS
demand for diversity and inclu-
sivity training for Clemson faculty
and staff.
Clemson University President
Jim Clements agreed to capitulate
to this and other demands made
by the protestors. And now, on
the eve of the anniversary of this
protest Clemson University has
unveiled this new training. This
new program was developed by
Workplace Answers; a service
specializing in online workplace
compliance training. Campus
Reform has obtained snapshots of
the material faculty and staff are
“educated” on as well as some of
the questions that Clemson em-
ployees are required to answer in
order to complete the mandatory
course. The Tiger Town Observ-
er has discovered the invoice for
Workplace Answers which reveals
the cost of this program. In total,
Clemson University spent nearly
twenty seven thousand dollars on
this material.
As a public University this means
that Clemson used taxpayer
money as well as student tuition
fees to satisfy a protest which was
built on false pretenses. Clemson
Administrators allowed the com-
munity to believe a racist atrocity
had taken place against students
and proceeded to use those same
student’s money to pay for a
service that would likely not have
been demanded had it not been
for the misperception administra-
tors fueled.
At best, this is an enormous
amount of fiscal incompetence. At
worst, it is a demonstration of col-
lege administrators placing more
value on political correctness than
the truth. Every individual that
pays tuition to Clemson and every
taxpayer in South Carolina should
ask themselves if they’re comfort-
able with this use of their money.
The purpose of a university is to
educate its students and to place
within them a desire to know
and discover truth. When the
leaders of any university decide
truth must be sacrificed in order
to appease protests and generate
good PR then they have ceased to
act as leaders of a university and
have become the heads of a cam-
pus of indoctrination. As a result
of these actions Clemson admin-
istrators may very well have cost
students much more than twenty
seven thousand dollars.
APRIL 2017
 CURRENT EVENTS

APRIL 2017 THE TIGER TOWN OBSERVER / 13