People would still get upset by these things. For instance, the stereotype of bikers is rough, fighting, biker gang types. I know of a "biker group" who frequents a local coffee shop... the group includes bankers, teachers, parents, grandparents, etc. BY FAR anything but your stereotypical bikers. Every one of those will upset someone.

Well, I'm not sure that you will ever please everyone, but I don't think these are likely to offend groups on a particularly deep level.

I'll add that if you join a biker group, it's likely because you either enjoy the stereotype or enjoy turning the stereotype on its ear. You'd be a fool to be offended by a Hell's Angel's type party.

Maybe we should just sit in an empty room and twirl our thumbs.........or would that offend people that are boring?

........so you are really going to sit here and claim that a group of teachers, parents, and grandparents are going to be genuinely upset if a bunch of college students dress like Hell's Angels and drink?

No I was just giving an example. None of these offend me, but my point was that anything you do it's going to offend someone. So just have fun. We shouldn't have to live our lives walking on eggshells about everything.

"The African-American man who claims he was the one who started the tradition of the now infamous Martin Luther King “celebration” among Tarleton State University students now admits that this year’s party bears virtually no resemblance to the one he and two of his roommates hosted three years ago.

“OK, well, I admit that this party was a little different than mine,” Williams said. “But I still don’t think it was racist.”

Williams also steadfastly defended his good friend and former roommate, Jeremy Pelz, who posted pictures of the party on his Facebook Web site. Despite the fact that many of the pictures showed white students poking fun at black culture and history, Williams insisted that those students who attended the party are not racist and meant no disrespect to the black community or to Martin Luther King."

“I know for sure that they (the party-goers) weren’t being racist,” Williams said. “They were just having fun.”

http://www.empiretribune.com/article...ews/news02.txt

so.....?

of course they're not racist. their best friend is black.

Well, I think the point of posting the article may have been to suggest that the party was perhaps not a complete and accurate reflection of the hosts' racial attitudes. Someone who actually knows the hosts doesn't think they're racists, for what's its worth.

ETA: I honestly think that some people think so little about race that they don't anticipate how bad something can look. They don't reflect on the fact that dressing up like some cross-racial stereotyped or mixed-up stereotypes will look some much worse than same race or class stereotype. Now, before anyone wants to lecture me on how unfunny any of it its, consider the nature of most comedy shows, and get back to me. SNL, MAD-TV, Chapelle, Mind of Mencia all rely on stereotype for "humor." You and I may think it's dumb, but it's popular outside of Tarleton State. Rather than being a reflection of these students' deeply held racial views, it may have been just a very ill-advised theme.

My above post isn't trying to diminish the fact that having a racially themed party (no matter how humorously intended) on MLK day is a special kind of stupid.

All white people are considered racist until proven otherwise.

Well, if you're dressed as Aunt Jemima with a gun on MLK day, I'd say the burden of proof is on you.

That doesn't make you a racist. Maybe insensitive........but not a racist.

This was a black guy claiming he didn't think any of the guys were racist.......not a bunch of white guys doing the whole "I have a good friend who is black so i'm not racist."

.....not that I really care though, I figured you'd post something like this at some point.

That alone doesn't mean you're racist, as far as I'm concerned, but I also think it provides enough information for a reasonable person with no additional information, like most GC readers, to draw the conclusion that there's a good chance you might be.

you cared enough to respond.

and i'm saying they can't be racist. their best friend is black.

Starang, and we're interpreting that as sarcasm. People on here often accuse people of racism despite evidence to the contrary.