After Frat Video Scandal, Good and Bad Parenting

SAN DIEGO -- The controversy over a video showing University of Oklahoma students who belonged to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity reciting a racist chant isn't just about bigotry.

This story is also about parenting. Both kinds -- good and bad -- were on display last week. Consider the reactions by the families of two of the students after the video went public.

For leading their fraternity brothers in singing these lyrics, which included the "N-word" and a reference to lynching, Levi Pettit and Parker Rice have both been expelled. And the fraternity has been banned from campus.

University President David Boren isn't playing around. He said that he expects other students to be disciplined once the school's investigation is complete.

"This is not a place that wants racists or bigots on our campus or will tolerate it, so I think you have to send a very strong signal," Boren told reporters.

In a lengthy public apology, Rice called his actions "wrong and reckless." And while he didn't offer it as an excuse, he also said that "the song was taught to us."

That raises more questions: Who taught these young men these lyrics? Where else have they recited them? Has anyone complained before? What, if anything, was done?

Meanwhile, in Dallas, about two dozen protesters holding signs gathered outside the Rice home. The family left the house and shut down their social media accounts, claiming they got death threats.

This situation is getting way out of hand, and some people are overreacting. They need to calm down.

The protesters brought along a provocative message. One sign read: "Racism is taught." The implication seems to be that young Parker wasn't just taught the song but also how to think about race in an unhealthy way -- and that some of those lessons may have taken place at home. So far, there's no evidence of that.

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