A Turning Point USA chapter at an Illinois high school disbanded after a sponsor stepped down following allegations from two Democrats that a poster critical of the Chinese Communist Party was deemed "racist."
The poster, which featured a red character from the online game Among Us with a hammer and sickle on it, along with text reading "China kinda sus," was put up by the Glenbrook South chapter of Turning Point USA.
In the game, Among Us, players try to figure out the identity of the "imposter," a character who is tasked with killing the other players in order to win. When someone displays characteristics of the imposter, other players often say that that player is "sus," which is short for "suspicious" or "suspect."
The poster thus suggests that China is the imposter, and that they are displaying behaviours that should make the other players (nations) wary. While some saw the poster as a clever jab at the Chinese Communist Party, others thought it was racist, and might spur anti-Asian rhetoric.
According to The College Fix, District 225 administrators demanded the poster be taken down "upon learning of the context." Despite having originally approved the image, they add that it " ... wasn’t in compliance with [the district's] policies and guidelines."
An investigation was soon launched, during the course of which, the chapter's sponsor decided to step down. As The College Fix reports, " ... the District’s policies require there be a sponsor for all active clubs." Thus, the chapter was forced to shut down.
It was reported that two Democratic politicians, Senator Lauren Fine and Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, met with school officials before the poster was ordered to be taken down.
In an interview with Journal and Topics, Representative Gong-Gershowitz claimed that "the clear intent was to stoke xenophobic anti-Asian [sentiment]." Senator Fine said that the pair "were contacted by constituents and Asian organizations, not just from Glenview, but from across Illinois, upset and offended by the poster."
Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Turning Point USA, made it clear that "the poster is not discriminatory towards Chinese people, but is instead against the Chinese Communist Regime." He explained that "Communist China, just like Communist Cuba and the former Soviet Union before it, commits atrocious human rights abuses including ethnic cleansing and forced sterilizations of their own people, and is generally attempting to sabotage American interests however they can." Thus, he continued, " ... just like the term ‘sus’ is used in the game, identifying China as our greatest geopolitical foe is not bigoted or racist—in fact it has nothing to do with race—it’s basic international affairs."
Neither Gong-Gershowitz nor Fine has said whether "any criminal or hateful incidents had been tied to the poster and what specific policies the free-market student group broke by posting the poster, approved by school officials," according to The College Fix.
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