Stop the insensitivity toward white trash - Article Title

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From UT - Austin's campus paper:

By Matthew Hardigree

Daily Texan (U. Texas-Austin)
09/22/2003

(U-WIRE) AUSTIN, Texas -- Last year it was brought to the attention of the community that certain frats and groups around the south and even around our own campus were sponsoring racially insensitive "Ghetto" themed or "Gin & Juice" parties. It was also revealed that some Caucasian students wore blackface to a costume party.

This, we can assume, was part of a greater program by the fraternal order to demonstrate the understanding that can only come from making the difficult transition from affluence and privilege in Westlake to a life of affluence and privilege in West Campus. People were outraged by these actions and rightly so.

Being the optimist that I am I believed that we, as a community, had gone beyond the need to generalize and insult other cultures to have a good time. When I saw that barrel coming down 26th Street and the bucktoothed undergrad within I knew I was wrong.

Recently the weekend frat parties have been filled with coeds dressed in ill-fitting overalls and mechanics jumpsuits. These culturally insensitive students often blackout teeth and wear their wife-beater T-shirts in order to imitate and poke fun at those who are different. Because one frat did it, we can assume the others, with their overwhelming sense of originality, will do the same.

These displays do damage on many levels. First, they generalize the culture of Anglo Americans. Now, I am not white trash myself, though some of my relatives are. Just because my skin is pale does not mean that I listen to Motorhead, eat roadkill, place numerous red No. 3s on my Chevy truck, or go to monster truck rallies. I am capable of utilizing the rules of grammar and I rarely say I am "fixing" to do something.

On a second level, these social gatherings only point out the worst aspects of white-trash culture such as the post-depression economic degradation, the lack of proper hygiene and the rampant racism. White trash America has contributed much to our society. Where would we be without the mesh trucker foam hats? What kind of country would we have today without NASCAR? Who would chew all the Skoal?

These events do nothing but humiliate white trash students that came to this university accidentally, when they meant to go to A&M or OU. Humiliation of another group is forbidden under the Interfraternity Council's Constitution, Section two of the code of conduct.

"All Chapters and/or their representative members are not to engage in any form of harassment of any individual or group. Harassment is defined as extreme or outrageous acts or communication that are intended to harass, intimidate or humiliate an individual or group."

I think the saddest part of all is that these white-trash individuals probably do not even know they are being openly mocked by the university community. Many of them probably cannot even read this newspaper. I say it is the job of those who are on the side of understanding and those who are literate to go to the Luby's, go to the truck stops and let these people know that even though they are being made fun of, as you will point out, there are those that care.

Next time you are invited to a Toga party, think of how Socrates would feel when he passed by and saw that centuries of philosophical and scientific contributions were reduced to sheets and cheap beer. At the very least, invite him in.

Speaking of parties... this weekend is my annual "German-American Picnic." We're going to sit around, munch on some schnitzel and spaetzle Grandma Eugie made, drink some good beer and try to take over the Eastern European studies department... again.