Black students at the University of Chicago are calling for campus wide discussions on racial sensitivity following a controversial party held at a campus dorm last month. Under the theme “Straight Thuggin,” partygoers – all of whom were white, according to Chicago’s local ABC news affiliate – followed instructions to dress, act and speak as if they were part of the hip-hop culture while listening to rap music throughout the event. The students said they were also offended with pictures from the party showing participants dressed in baggy clothes, wearing sideways baseball caps, exposed underwear, bandanas and other accessories.
"I don't think that it was meant in a racist way, but I think it was just sort of ignorant in not knowing it would offend people," said Brittany Hamelers, UIC student.
Yes Brittany.
And what is really weird is that this sort of thing isn't an isolated event. From time to time, I've read about similar events on college campuses (often in the context of the Greek system). And for years, white youths in Brooklyn have been attending similar regular "kill whitey" parties. What is going on? At first I was thinking that there needed to be some kind of healthy cautious revival of real white pride. But now I don't really know. Where is this all coming from?
Black News: Straight Thuggin’ at The University of Chicago
Chicago Maroon: “Ghetto”—themed dorm party offends students
Black Entertainment: Themed night by white U of Chicago students deemed racially insensitive
Planet Grenada: "kill whitey"
8 comments:
Ah yeah, this happened here in Tucson. I got incredibly mad at a good friend of mine, a white Jewish guy, for taking part in it. They called it a "Ghetto Party", and it consisted of blasting Gangsta rap, eating fried chicken and buiscuits, and drinking 40s. R-A-C-I-S-T, racist! It was, as far as I know, middle class white kids, and I think they were honestly too stupid to know how racist it was. Tucson is like 45% Latino, but only about 2% Black, so they probably felt safe doing it.
I remember Urban outfitters, a while back, got in hto water for releasing a game called "Ghetto Monopoly" or something like that, where you could get addicted to crack and go on drive bys and shit. I mention this because I think that this is what college kids think is funny (despite the name, who besides college kids shops at Urban Outfitters?). It's their new way of feelin superoir by literally clowning on people of color.
I don't know if you've read "Lyrical Swords", but when Banjoko talked about Hip Hop glorifications of black on black crime, I think he missed a bit of the point. The problem isn't that it gets sold to black kids so much, I think it's so lucrative largely because these types of white people eat it up.
Anyway, off my soap box.
I think "racism" is a funny word which gets used so much that it is not clear exactly what it means anymore. Some people define it really broadly, some rather narrowly. Personally, I don't have a problem with saying that it is 'racist' if a bunch of kids decide to mock a particular group of people by immitating their stereotypes in the way described in the articles or in Da's comments.
But I would tend to think that the kids weren't being super-malicious. And were probably clueless and ignorant and didn't stop to think that what they were doing would offend anybody.
On the other hand, the U of C is supposed to be one of the most intellectual campuses in the world so maybe we should say that they should have known better.
I am also really intrigued by the "identity problem" idea. I think that is probably a really big part of the problem but I'm honestly not sure what is the best way to articulate it properly.
I think its just blackface minstral shows for a new generation of white Americans. Fifty years ago they would put burnt cork on their face now they put on baggy pants and a backwards hat. It all equals the same disrespect and mockery of what they assume is the true representation of blackness.
But their ignorance and coldness within the context of the party isnt what disturbs me. Its the fact that these young college students represent the future leaders of America, and as a student myself I know its just not on their campus as well, but all over the place.
Salaams:
There's been a similar issue w/ some cops out in Queens for a few years now. About three or four years ago, their minstrel show was taped and shown on the local news, to much outrage, but I was reading somewhere the other day that they've just kept on doing it. The news channels had to look for something more interesting. It involved cops putting on blackface, bandanas, riding on the back of trucks, w/ watermelons and generally acting like big idiots. I think that's racist, and ... well, the cops, man. -- UZ
Salaams. This past summer there was a "whites only" picnic put together in my city. Abdul-Halim, this is what I thought of when you mentioned "healthy" white pride. I would never suggest that people need to be ashamed because they were born pale or that their cultures are not valid. But "pride" in one's race, ethnic background, family background, or nationality is inherently un-Islamic to my understanding. And unfortunately I think that it's been proven time and time again that there is no such thing as a healthy white pride that doesn't go too far. That picnic that took place locally, the people organizing it and attending it said it was not meant to be racist, and I'm sure some of them really believed that. But the fact is that they would have had a fit if a Latino or Black group had a picnic and specifically and advertised and posted that whites were not welcome. And then, some of the literature that was getting passed around turned out to be supportive of racist measures and white pride in its worst versions.
Aaminah,
Yes, I totally see where you are coming from. I guess I would make a distinction between people who organize under the label of "white pride" and people who manifest the reality of "white pride".
Like you said, people shouldn't be ashamed of where they come from. People should have a certain amount of self-esteem, appreciation for their own history and origins... "knowledge of self". And that's true whether you are white, Latino, Asian, black, Asian, etc. And I think this is probably a part of why you have things like "kill whitey" parties.
At the same time, whenever I've seen examples white people organizing consciously under the label of "white pride" or "white power" its basically an excuse for racism.
But I would suggest that if a white person in America with all the benefits of white privilege feels a need to join the National Association for the Advancement of White People or some similar organization then they are probably suffering from some kind of insecurity. And I would think they don't really have the healthy kind of white pride I'm talking about.
I think there is maybe a fine line between a costume party and a racial mocking party...if they had invited blacks as well as whites and just called it an "MTV" party or something, telling everyone to dress like they were in a rap video and playing rap music, that would have been ok. Because MTV is a costume party..but if it was an all-white party or people were told they had to eat fried chicken, that's just racial stereotyping/mockery.
Elizabeth,
I agree that there is a fine line. But I think it will definitely vary from person to person. To be honest, a couple times I've been to costume parties and have seen white people I know dress up in Afro-wigs and I've felt like what they were doing wasn't too cool.
Personally I think issue is really charged and there is almost no way for a white person to immitate a black person and pull it off without being offensive.
I think over a decade ago *once* I saw Billy Crystal in blackface on SNL and he sort of did a decent job but he could have easily crossed over the line. I don't think I've ever seen anyone else come close to not being offensive.
White rappers like Eminem and the Beastie Boys manage to not be offensive because they don't ever try to "be black" but they just participate in the music and urban culture in a more natural way.
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