Anonymous posting gives voice to campus hate

By Thresher Editorial Board     9/9/25 10:37pm

People at Rice used to have opinions. They used to write op-eds with charming titles, like “Dry your eyes, young men: Baldness is in” and letters to the editor accusing the Backpage of everything from libel to not including enough personal attacks (both in the same week, no less).

Most striking about these opinions is that people used to sign their names on them. The Thresher’s opinion section used to be a place to proudly proclaim, “Here’s what I think — fight me on it.” Today, not so much.

Admittedly, it’s understandable why some students and faculty at Rice may be hesitant to express their opinions in the current political climate.

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Recent actions by the Trump administration, including a policy that lists “antisemitic activity on social media” and affiliation with “educational institutions linked to antisemitic activity” as grounds for denying visas, have rightfully stoked fear on college campuses. Their “Catch and Revoke” campaign has already led to the cancellation of hundreds of student visas, including revocations tied to pro-Palestinian protest activity. That kind of surveillance chills speech and encourages retreat into anonymity.

However, the trend of refusing to share opinions publicly is not unique to the last few months. It’s a broader epidemic, and one that — as peculiar as it may sound — should be at least partially blamed on Fizz. 

This anonymous social media app has gained significant popularity on campus in the three years since it was introduced. Many of the posts are harmless jokes and observations about life at Rice. After all, the app was created with the intention of providing a connection for college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some posts, though, have much darker intentions. 

Don’t get us wrong, we all enjoy scrolling through Fizz every now and again. But recently, it seems like more and more of the posts are hateful or downright violent. Take the case of Martel College’s Texas Party, after which someone posted a picture of a guillotine in response to a question about who Martel’s head socials were. 

Even more widespread in recent weeks has been racist commentary on the announcement of Rice’s 12th residential college, Chao College. 

This is cyberbullying 101: hidden behind a screen and a clever alias, people feel empowered to spew hateful rhetoric they would otherwise likely be too embarrassed to utter aloud. 

The people who come across hateful or upsetting posts when innocently scrolling on Fizz aren’t afforded the same privilege of anonymity. There are real people reading these posts, and there are real impacts on our campus culture when we don’t call out hate simply because it’s framed as a joke. Online attitudes translate to in-person interactions, making the campus as a whole less safe. 

So, don’t hide behind anonymity anymore. Call out the problems you see on campus wherever you can in op-eds, letters to the editor, social media or conversations with your friends. 

Prove to the fraction of Fizz users who spread this bigotry that you’re not afraid of accountability. Say your opinion and say it proudly, because that’s the path to a safer campus. 

Editor’s Note: Thresher editorials are collectively written by the members of the Thresher’s editorial board. Current members include Sarah Knowlton, Kathleen Ortiz, Juliana Lightsey, James Cancelarich, Noa Berz, Jenna Perrone, Arman Saxena, Andersen Pickard and Evie Vu.

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