UCLA students protest after partygoers wear blackface at Kanye West-themed frat party
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-84645928/
Racism? Or are UCLA students just humorless?
Hhmmmm, as an AA man, it at once crude and without any reflection of a heinous past…
I am not black, but I tend to agree with @bookaHI.
I would however ask a few questions. First, is this a well integrated frat, or a lily white frat.
For example, if there were many AA members attending and it turned out that AA members chose Kanye as the theme, I would still be uncomfortable about it, but a lot less uncomfortable.
Second, if the costumes made an effort to look like Kanye (say a white student with an actual Kanye mask) I would think that was okay. However if costumes reflect negative stereotypes and have nothing to do with Kanye (say generic blackface) then I would be upset. JMHO
Blackface has way too much horrible historical baggage to ever be ok. However otherwise dressing like Kanye or having a Kanye and Kim theme is in my opinion totally fine. So is imitating Kim’s uh…most prominent feature. I’m not talking about whether this is silly and shallow, but about whether there’s something hateful or racist in doing things. . There’s no history of using the sort of imitation involved with Kim as any sort of demeaning stereotype. It’s just imitating a celebrity and that’s pretty typical non offensive behavior. A U Wisconsin sorority had a Kanye themed bid day. It was cute and fun. No blackface of course. That would have been reprehensible.
Neither… it is not hard to find that ΣΦΕ chapter’s Facebook page, which has some photos. The membership appears to be more white than UCLA undergraduates as a whole (who are 31.9% white and 3.2% black), but not 100%. None of the people pictured appears to be black.
The same appears to be the case for the ΑΦ chapter involved.
I think it is okay to make fun of Kanye in any way they want. He’s shown no restraint in making fun of everyone else in the world without regard to their color, feelings, status.
I just don’t know why anyone would want to have a party with Kanye and Kim as the theme. Yuck.
Do we really not have something better to discuss on CC? There are 3 threads about Greek life.
Why? Maybe because they are topical and obviously attract diverse interest–in fact, in many instances, some of the most read posts.
So many fraternities have gotten in trouble for doing this that they ought to know it’s likely to get them put on probation. However, I believe they should be able to do whatever they want to on free speech grounds. But since most colleges don’t care about free speech, they should have had the sense not to do it because it’s likely to cause them a lot of grief.
Thank goodness some of the kids who knew better and protested. This kind of behavior is shameful, and the sooner these kids realize that it’s not social acceptable, the better off they will be when they go off into the real world and it costs them a job or friendships. There are social consequences for poor judgement – I say good on the other kids who had the courage to confront the fraternity.
I’ve always thought the “White Dinners” showed poor judgment.
And, I wonder what runs through the young ladies minds when they accept invitations to events like this.
I particularly like this thread because I am interested in what others think and especially in a diverse audience. The subject is so charged, it is difficult to do this in person even with friends. The anonimity of the forum allows people to share what they really think, which I appreciate.
I think these partys should be encouraged. And put on facebook. And tag the photos. Makes it a lot easier for potential employers to make decisions.
Did not happen (blackface). Kanye/Kim should be fair game, often.
And all are being actively read and commented.
@JustOneDad - What is a White Dinner?
It’s a formal dinner/dance where everything is white; the attire, the decorations, the entertainment, even the food. I have heard of variations where the function is held outdoors in an undeveloped location.
I once organized a Black & White party. The guests had to wear black and/or white. There were some really creative costumes.
Find a picture of anyone in black face. You can’t, it’s literally just students wearing beards and using coal to put smudges on faces to imitate miners.
^^^ you should probably explain that “miners” are a reference to Gold Digger. Kanyes biggest hit. That’s actually pretty clever. And the pictures I’ve seen don’t even look marginally like blackface. And I don’t Understand why imitating Kim’s big behind is offensive. If girls dressed up as Marilyn Monroe and enhanced their chests it wouldn’t be offensive. Why is this?