Meanwhile at UCLA, Sig Ep and Alpha Phi do Kanye & Kardashians

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

I did look. They party was mocking a song by an AfAm artist.

And what's your point? So any music by any AfAm artist is somehow sacrosanct and is now too serious to be mocked in any way? Okay.. so that is a new rule. Kanye West is so super serious, must be taken seriously.. gotcha.

Why don't y'all make fun of Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney and Tammy Wynette.

You don't get to use the word "y'all" in this context unless you agree I can say "you people."

I mean, every C&W song is just ripe for mockery.

Fabulous. In this sentence, you committed every bit as grave a sin as anyone in any of these UCLA chapters. Your organization should be suspended pending investigation.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by Kevin

And what's your point? So any music by any AfAm artist is somehow sacrosanct and is now too serious to be mocked in any way? Okay.. so that is a new rule. Kanye West is so super serious, must be taken seriously.. gotcha.



You don't get to use the word "y'all" in this context unless you agree I can say "you people."



Fabulous. In this sentence, you committed every bit as grave a sin as anyone in any of these UCLA chapters. Your organization should be suspended pending investigation.

Are you offended, Kevin?

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

Are you offended, Kevin?

Not at all. Just pointing out that in this instance, you are being an asshat.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by LAblondeGPhi

But - I do want to recognize the limitations of my own perspective, so I'm coming at this with genuine curiosity and open-mindedness. Here we go:


...
At what point does the outfit cross the line?


I'm sure there were other costume variations at the party, so I'm sure that there were plenty more offensive than those listed here. But the thing is, I've seen plenty of "Tennis Pros/Golf Pros/CEOs and Something Hos" parties, or "White Trash whatever", or even "Famous Couples", and all of those are going to make fun of some group.

So is the real issue that the theme was "Kanye Western" and not "Taylor Swifty"?

The real issue for me is the need to purposely darken your skin for the event. Gold diggers come in all races, ethnic groups and genders. Gold diggers are not limited to one group.

Originally Posted by DTD Alum

Appropriate Black cultural identifiers? By dressing up as gold miners? A profession that, by the way, was predominantly white? Or was it when they dressed up as a white woman?

95% of these parties, I agree with you. This one is patently absurd.

Gold diggers in the context that Kanye used it in his song is about women who are only after men for their money. The fact that a Black man is singing a song about that is really no reason to darken your skin.

Originally Posted by Kevin

Not at all. Just pointing out that in this instance, you are being an asshat.

No, I'm pointing out that on the surface, it really does look like this NPC chapter was doing "blackface". Maybe that was not their intent, but it appears like it was. We can debate and split hairs over "is it really blackface or not", but I can assure you most people aren't going to debate the issue. They are going to go based on what they see.

As I said before, NPC / IFC / NIC groups have historically mocked other cultures for the purpose of a party theme. This incident may not be blackface per se, but it does fall into the realm of it.

[DTD Alum]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

Gold diggers in the context that Kanye used it in his song is about women who are only after men for their money. The fact that a Black man is singing a song about that is really no reason to darken your skin.

I know exactly what a gold digger is in Kanye's context. I'm not 80. That's not what the girls dressed up as. The girls dressed up as "gold diggers" literally as a play on the song title...they dressed up in flannel shirts, denim, and "gold pans" as if they were panning for gold in the 1850s. The "skin darkening" in question was a charcoal smudge on each cheek as if they were dirty from panning for gold, not blackface.

For pete's sake, look at the damn photos if you're going to get righteous about what they are dressed as. You clearly haven't.

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

The real issue for me is the need to purposely darken your skin for the event. Gold diggers come in all races, ethnic groups and genders. Gold diggers are not limited to one group.

Oh man. You really haven't even seen the photos, have you? You're right if they were dressing up as women that were seeking a rich man for money. I'd be with you 110% and I even said so earlier in this thread. That's not the gold digger they actually dressed up as. They dressed up as the country western one.

This rush to criticize without even understanding what happened is exactly what we are arguing is absurd about this outrage, NOT that GLOs often do throw parties that are offensive.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by Kevin

And what's your point? So any music by any AfAm artist is somehow sacrosanct and is now too serious to be mocked in any way? Okay.. so that is a new rule. Kanye West is so super serious, must be taken seriously.. gotcha.

I don't even think Kanye takes himself this seriously. And that's saying a lot.

Also--pop singers are way more visible than C&W singers so it's a weak comparison. they're simply not in the public eye as much.

Listen, there wasn't even blackface at this party. The professional outragers barked up the wrong tree and now a lot of innocent people are being punished. Ugh.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

I don't even think Kanye takes himself this seriously. And that's saying a lot.

Also--pop singers are way more visible than C&W singers so it's a weak comparison. they're simply not in the public eye as much.

Listen, there wasn't even blackface at this party. The professional outragers barked up the wrong tree and now a lot of innocent people are being punished. Ugh.

I guess it is okay to act Black, as long as you are not actually Black.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

I guess it is okay to act Black, as long as you are not actually Black.

Who acted black? The gold diggers? The women dressed up like Kim Kardashian? Please let me know because I am missing this.

[sigmadiva]

Originally Posted by Munchkin03

Who acted black? The gold diggers? The women dressed up like Kim Kardashian? Please let me know because I am missing this.

You're right.

A more correct statement would be to say that I guess it is perfectly okay to appropriate Black cultural identifiers for the purpose of ridicule, as long as the one who is carrying out the appropriation is not Black himself / herself.

[DTD Alum]

Originally Posted by sigmadiva

You're right.

A more correct statement would be to say that I guess it is perfectly okay to appropriate Black cultural identifiers for the purpose of ridicule, as long as the one who is carrying out the appropriation is not Black himself / herself.

Appropriate Black cultural identifiers? By dressing up as gold miners? A profession that, by the way, was predominantly white? Or was it when they dressed up as a white woman?

95% of these parties, I agree with you. This one is patently absurd.