Re: Re: Re: And the Blackest Chi Omega Award Goes To...
 

I agree, and I certainly don't think that Candice would be in Chi O and Z Phi B at the same time, which is something else that a poster seemed to be trying to say.

Thank you for the added insight from an insider's point of view.

And hey I was right -- no current Black members of the chapter. :)

:)

I figure this. I figure that every group of friends interacts differently. It's the intent that bothers me or doesn't bother me. If I knew that Chaldean and the person he won the "Award" from, and it didn't seem like the guy had bad intentions, I wouldn't flip out over it. I mean yeah I'd think it's ignorant, but I wouldn't think it was worth more of my time than that.

I constantly hear people talk about cars that are "Riced" up, people using the phrase "Don't Jew me", television shows with black actors saying to white actors "You're so white", or referring to things as "Ghetto" or "Gay" or "Retarded" and I'm sure most people do as well. And before you say it, it's not just on TV. I've had my friends make fun of other guys because they can't dance and say they were "So white". Most people don't put it on ABC news anytime they hear something like that.

-Rudey

Racial insensitivity isn't always about bad intentions. This is because you can't prove someone's intent, you can only observe the outcome, and people don't always THINK.

It's your choice to not take such things seriously and not to voice a concern. However, if you DID take it seriously and voice a concern to avoid a slippery slope effect, you'd be well within your right. You aren't socially obligated to ignore such things in an attempt to keep the peace and not ruffle any feathers. People should always challenge each other and ourselves to be socially conscious and to understand how common phrases like "he Gyped me" are rooted in racial, ethnic, and/or cultural insensitivity.

I appreciate what you're both saying, and I think you're both on to something. While I may not get bent out of shape over an insensitive or offensive comment if it is clear that no offense was meant, it's still is worth saying something, I think.

A collegue and I used to frequent a particular Mexican restaurant. One day, we noticed among the many banners and signs in there one with the word "Kike!" in very large letters. While neither my friend nor I are Jews, we still had a "what the . . . ?" moment. As we were paying, we asked the Mexican-born manager, who saw us in there frequently, about the sign. With a big smile, he said "Oh yes, Kike (kee-kay) is a great football player." Made perfect sense. We said "cool," but then we told him what else the word means. He had no idea. When we came back a few days later, the sign was gone.

In that case, it was a matter of honest ignorance -- he didn't know what that word used in an American context meant. I think he was glad to be told so that he wouldn't offend customers, and I think he appreciated that we told him in a way that showed we were sure he meant no harm and would want to know.

I've given people the benefit of the doubt quite a few times by saying "I'm sure you didn't mean anything by it, but have you thought about how someone else might feel about what you just said."

Hey guys lets be sensitive to each others feelings!

The entire situation is a hot mess that needs to be filed under, "What the h*ll were you thinking?".

That's an excellent example, thanks. :) That speaks to cultural differences.

However, within a larger American context (with the assumption that there's a such thing as American culture that most of us have assimilated into) people usually have a general idea of what things could be insensitive. Sometimes people honestly don't care and are protesting against the social demand for political correctness.

An example of this is after the last election there's a local coffee shop that had a "post your caption" competition. The manager had posted a caption of Condoleeza Rice smiling and shaking Bush's hand. The caption read something to the effect of "Rice is so glad that Bush has rescued her from the sharecropper's field." I do not recall if the terms "massa" or "plantation" were in there. Now, I told the clerks that I was offended because of the racial and social class assumptions embedded in that caption. Not to mention the political overtones that could alienate a large % of that company's consumers. The next day the caption competition had disappeared. :)

Let's start by not calling a room full of women AND men "guys." ;)

So why aren't there protests daily when white guys that can't dance are called so white? That's just one example. Why doesn't it make the news?

-Rudey

Someone tell Rudey we have already addressed such questions in this thread.

Because it's a well known fact among Earthlings that some Caucasians CAN'T DANCE!!!!!!!!! Can you dance, Rudey? :rolleyes: :p

I'm going to assume you're joking.