Ugliest/Most Horrible Paraphenalia you've ever seen?

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

IThey are using hip hop culture to promote organizations that are, historically, comprised of the white and privileged. I think there is a distinct difference between, for example, a Wizard of Oz-themed bid day shirt and a Notorious B.I.G.-themed bid day shirt. I also think there is a difference between, say, the Society of Women Engineers using a "99 Problems" slogan and an NPC group using the same slogan.

It's specifically the friction between the exclusivity of NPC groups and the origins of hip hop culture that rubs me the wrong way. It's sorta like when a conservative political candidate runs some music in their ad by a liberal artist, and the artist has to be like "hey, stop that!".

Are you implying that "Wizard of Oz" is a symbol of whiteness whereas "Notorious BIG" and "99 Problems" are symbols of Blackness? Should NPC orgs, and white people in general, therefore avoid these references?

I'm not buying that because it creates a nonsense, surface-level response to inequality which pretends that this is all about people feeling offended by ANY type of reference. "Just stay away from it altogether and there will be no problems." I call nonsense on that. There are clear images of white people mocking non-white cultures, including racial slurs, blackface, and "dressing Black for a day." Every reference to something that is one aspect of one component of nonwhiteness is not offensive regardless of intent and outcome.

Originally Posted by Mevara

Just a note with the shirts I posted none of them are approved by the respective org. They are just shirts by a (popular) third party vendor.

Did you know that the Minerva one was in reference to an NPHC sorority? I am still searching for the racial and ethnic mockery there beyond the nonlicensed (probably white) third party vendor's motives.

Originally Posted by 33girl

I just read the lyrics to 99 Problems, and the song is apparently delineating all the problems the lyricist has...however, girl problems are not one of them. What does that have to do with a sorority? (Or the SWE, for that matter)

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Actually, on further thought, I revoke my statement that it would be okay for the SWE to use it, but for different reasons, namely that it is not very egalitarian to refer to a woman as a "bitch".

So, now the issue is gender inequality and sorority life? *brain fart* I thought the issue was supposed to be mimicking and mocking Black folkseseseses. LOL.

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Sorry for the double-post, but I just got an e-mail from HQ saying it will be taken down ASAP. Goodbye, blackface Sir Fidel.

We all have a voice!