STOP BEING SO STUPID!

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Kappa Alpha Order did (maybe still does) the Old South formals where folks dress in antebellum garb. They flew (and maybe still fly) the Confederate flag, etc.

I don't know the status of Old South, but I'm pretty sure KA has forbidden use of the Confederate flag.

Originally Posted by DrPhil

You are leaping.

In that case, schools and GLOs need to revise quite a few of their policies and procedures. They violate our Riiiiiiiiiiiiights.

Not really, if I understand what he's saying, given his comment upthread about this action possibly being okay if the school were private and the prison reference for Westboro Baptist.

I think he's saying in America, you aren't entitled to see the government punish someone because you or others find their speech offensive. And that's true. And the government includes public universities. (Free speech rights may not be quite as absolute in primary and secondary schools because of the nature of those schools.)

Of course, that doesn't mean people or groups are immune from the non-governmental consequences (from fellow students, from GLO HQs, etc.) of their speech. And there could be "hostile environment" considerations beyond speech itself.

And I think there is a legitimate question raised: Is dressing up in sombreros and serapes for "Taco Tuesday" "speech" in the constitutional sense?

[DrPhil]

I didn't notice this was about government punishment. How did this discussion become about government punishment? Even when talking about public vs private institutions and organizations, schools and GLOs always maintain the ability to impose sanctions. They don't have to use government hate crime legislation to do so.

I'm talking about schools and GLOs choosing to do something beyond a cliche' racial sensitivity training.

There's nothing wrong with Taco Tuesday as long as attendees don't show up imitating and mocking "Mexicans" (or looking and acting like Speedy Gonzalez, gang members, etc). The proposed subjectivity is why it is up to the school and GLO to figure out wether there will be a sanction and what will be the sanction. This is no different than the costume parties GCers rant about annually.

[Low D Flat]

I don't remember parties like this in the 80s.

I don't know whether to say that my community was more worldly or less? I attended Luau and Fiesta parties into the 90s. These sometimes included costumes like grass skirts/leis or sombreros and Mexican embroidered blouses. (Definitely not fake mustaches or "gang" attire.) Earlier, in my '70s childhood, some moms like mine threw themed birthday parties that might be "Oriental," complete with parasols for the kids, egg rolls, yada yada. I dressed in various ethnic garb on different Halloweens; my parents were well traveled and proud to dress us up in a real Indian sari (plus hairdo and red dot), a real Japanese kimono, whatever. I had some kind of robe with jingling coins on it that they got in Egypt. We thought we were far more cosmopolitan than the kids dressed up as witches and superheroes. We would never do any of that nowadays.

In the Southern Belle Primer, when they're talking about rush parties, it's mentioned in passing that one party is Japanese themed and everyone takes their shoes off at the door. I don't know if that was just a one-time deal.

[AGDee]

We were mimicking Animal House with the toga parties so ...yeah. Hawaiian parties typically consisted of wearing Hawaiian shirts.

[IndianaSigKap]

Originally Posted by AGDee

We were mimicking Animal House with the toga parties so ...yeah. Hawaiian parties typically consisted of wearing Hawaiian shirts.

TO-GA TO-GA That was one of our recycled themes, too! We had 70s themes with lots of tie dye and a barn dance every fall with jeans, boots, flannels and bandannas.

[redryder27]

i'm sorry but i just have to put in my two cents. cal state fullerton is in anaheim/fullerton. most of the population in anaheim and fullerton is hispanic. i'm sorry but people are being way to sensitive about this ENTIRE THING!! since these are college aged women just playing around, i really don't think they were thinking about serious sanctions like this when they were dressing up, maybe like they did to high school.

and also cal state fullerton is part of the california state university system which is public. cal state fullerton is not part of the UC system.

[DrPhil]

Contrary to misconceptions race and ethnicity-based cluelessness and ignorance increase with racial and ethnic diversity.

This can happen for two reasons or a combination:
1. Presumed familiarity can breed "some of my best friends are _____" or "my friend is _____ and she doesn't mind that I use that word".

2. Diversity can breed a sense of threat that the powerful group is losing or lost dominance.

These women were probably #1.

[MaryPoppins]

Breware the Kragle

[DrPhil]

And the "these are college-aged people" ignores the demographics of "these college-aged people". It is no coincidence that most of these parties are thrown by white people--despite the prevalence of predominantly non-white college environments in which racial and ethnic minority students (GLO and GDI) have parties (some are themed parties and usually without racial, ethnic, and cultural themes).

Therefore, it is about something more than being "college-aged". I find it amusing when people attempt to race-neutralize these discussions.

[DrPhil]

Perhaps the people in the OP story were not as stupid and extreme as other parties but this is still a good time to remind people of this article:

http://blackathlete.net/2013/02/spor...theme-parties/

No disrespect to white people but I am not shocked when white college students have these parties (and take photos). I am shocked when nonwhite college students participate in the parties and photos. The photo of the women (I assume a sorority chapter) and there are nonwhite sorority women smiling like idiots---that grates my nerves. Perhaps it is an example of people so happy to be accepted and assimilated as "white enough" that they will do anything to prove they are not an Other.

The Omega-mockery photo is horrible but it still makes me chuckle. How dare they.

[PersistentDST]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Perhaps the people in the OP story were not as stupid and extreme as other parties but this is still a good time to remind people of this article:

http://blackathlete.net/2013/02/spor...theme-parties/

No disrespect to white people but I am not shocked when white college students have these parties (and take photos). I am shocked when nonwhite college students participate in the parties and photos. The photo of the women (I assume a sorority chapter) and there are nonwhite sorority women smiling like idiots---that grates my nerves. Perhaps it is an example of people so happy to be accepted and assimilated as "white enough" that they will do anything to prove they are not an Other.

The Omega-mockery photo is horrible but it still makes me chuckle. How dare they.

We have quite a few students who enjoy dressing up as Black people on Halloween. And little do they know, I have saved their lives from getting their faces pounded in because I didn't want to offended students to get in trouble. I don't care too much about the "they are college students" argument, and neither do others who are offended.

AND I WISH A CHICK WOULD WEAR MY LETTERS AND BE IN BLACKFACE.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by PersistentDST

We have quite a few students who enjoy dressing up as Black people on Halloween. And little do they know, I have saved their lives from getting their faces pounded in because I didn't want to offended students to get in trouble. I don't care too much about the "they are college students" argument, and neither do others who are offended.

Exactly. "They are college students" implies college students are clueless and stupid (which counters the notion that college students are legal adults who can handle running chapters, having jobs, etc.). I cannot stand when humans want to be adults and then want to be children when it suits them.

Some of us weren't allowed to be clueless and stupid, in general, and especially when it pertained to race, ethnicity, culture, and socioeconomic status. It requires privilege to act or claim clueless and stupid.

Originally Posted by PersistentDST

AND I WISH A CHICK WOULD WEAR MY LETTERS AND BE IN BLACKFACE.

The closest I have come at different schools is attending predominantly white parties where white women were OOO-OOOPing and carrying on. LOL. Those were my last predominantly white parties.

[PersistentDST]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

The closest I have come at different schools is attending predominantly white parties where white women were OOO-OOOPing and carrying on. LOL. Those were my last predominantly white parties.

I totally get that. I had to attend a multitude of meetings when some young ladies got stupid. It made national news.

http://www.bgnews.com/kent-state-sor...b624a9ac8.html

[amIblue?]

Originally Posted by PersistentDST

I totally get that. I had to attend a multitude of meetings when some young ladies got stupid. It made national news.

http://www.bgnews.com/kent-state-sor...b624a9ac8.html

W.
T.
F.

I have no words. Damn, some white people are stupid.

[SoCalGirl]

What I find interesting about the situation is that no pictures of the offensive outfits have popped up and the vagueness of how many women were actually in offensive costume.

The 93% of the chapter participated in Taco Tuesday is useless info. Taco Tuesday is not offensive. It's a completely common thing in California.

The article claims nobody was told to dress in costume but 90% of women did, of which some were offensive.

So if the chapter is around 60ish women (guesstimate based on photos I found online) then how many were offensive?

If it's such a small number, the punishment most definitely does not fit the crime. A lecture, a seminar, and extra philanthropy hours for the offending women makes sense to me. And all of that still seems stiff to me.

eta: After re-skimming the article realized, most were in costume (90%) but "some" were offensive.