It seems that this type of incident happens with frightening regularity, as proud parents send off successive generations of fresh-faced young idiots to college, praying they manage to attend a few classes in between keggers.
Apparently, this is an area where common sense has been abandoned. As an interim solution (pending a ruthless eugenic purge of the appropriate gene pools), I propose that all universities include a specific prohibition into their regulations, perhaps even on the cover of the student handbook, somewhere beneath the obligatory photo of smiling, multiethnic students pretending to lounge casually on the steps of the campus library:
Welcome to [School Name] University! Rule #1: NO RACIST / BLACKFACE PARTIES!
Everyone who attended the party should be expelled. I don’t like the use of the word “ignorant” in this case. That gives them an excuse. They weren’t ignorant. They knew damn well they were being racist and offensive.
I was disturbed to read that the forum divided along racial lines. Not a single white kid was willing to condemn this? Way to represent, there, Texas.
Hey, c’mon. Give the kids props. They were brave enough to do it on a campus where they only outnumbered blacks 20 to 1.
What a bunch of clueless punks.
I agree that it is stupid and bigoted. I also agree that those kids deserve to be smacked upside the head for being idiotic racists, however I don’t think that kicking them out of school is the appropriate remedy. Give them a reprimand that goes on their records. Kicking them out of school won’t accomplish anything. If anything you’ve just made them into martyrs for the stupid. All the right wing idiots will trumpet this as a case of PC going too far.
I think having their pictures posted online and the eventual mocking that they will receive for it may be punishment enough.
Yes, the party is offensive. Those pictures are disgusting. However, there are not enough details to determine whether discipline by the university is appropriate. If the party took place on campus, or was paid for with university money, I’m willing to assume that policies were violated and punishment is justified. If it was a private party, even as horribly offensive as it was, it would still be protected speech under the First Amendment.
It’s a state university. Expelling people for being racist and offensive trips up on some pretty big First Amendment issues. I hate hate speech, but I also hate hate speech codes.
They might have some facially neutral behavior code of which this falls foul, but those are often shown to be flawed when challenged.
The best punishment, which unfortunately does not seem likely to happen, would be everyone else at the school ostracizing these bigotted assholes.
Racists? These kids are racists? does anyone here actually even know what the fuck that term means anymore?
I saw the pictures, I didn’t see any “death to the black man” t-shirts, no KKK, hell the article even said some blacks came to the party.
White kids all over America today got up and dressed just like some of these people in these pictures, but someone does it as a party and its all racists and ignorant… blah, blah.
I’ll admit it was probably done in poor taste, but it also might have been done as a “make fun of sterotype” way as well. Sometimes I am amazed at how far left this board really is. God forbid anybody make fun of a sterotype! Not like it isn’t done a dozen times a day on almost any given comedy stage in america, and probably a few TV sitcoms as well.
You’re right. For some reason I thought the party had occurred at a frat house (maybe because I’ve heard of frats having blackface parties before), but the story doesn’t say where it happened. If it happened off campus, there’s probably nothing the school can do.
I’m from Texas, and this kind of party is as old as the hills. Somehow, it never seems to lose its allure to White kids. (They also do the Ghetto Party as well as the Run For The Border Party.) I guess the memo gets lost every year.
Dio’s suggestion, while fraught with legal issues, might be the way to go. I guess an example must be made. One could argue that such events create a hostile and unsafe campus environment for students. Furthermore, I’ll bet that some of the attendees of the soiree were under 21. I hate to have to legislate common sense and decency, but maybe that’s the only way.
There is part of the 18-20 year old brain that is reptilian and unresponsive to reason and common sense, especially where alcohol is a factor. But the copycat nature of these events year after year make me think it’s some kind of rebellious act in the minds of these kids. “We went to integrated schools, and we don’t call Black people names to their face… we gotta let off some racist steam somehow!” There’s nothing rebellious about this; it’s been done a million times before.
The other thing I think about is how technology and post-teens don’t mix. When I was in college the Fijis had parties like this. Obviously my Black and Latino crew didn’t have invites, so everything we knew about the party was hearsay. The chapter president claimed he wasn’t there, rogue members, etc. Now with digital cameras and websites, it’s pretty easy to make a regrettable mistake live on forever. Which sucks, because I did plenty of stuff I’m not too proud of in college, but there isn’t any photographic or electronic evidence of it… these kids, when they grow up (and hopefully change) might want to do something productive with their lives. These pictures aren’t going to help. I suppose that might a harsh but just punishment in itself.
Not just Texas - I saw these things at Vanderbilt. But at least the rich frat boys had a white trash party too, so I guess they can’t be racist. :rolleyes:
But expelling people for having a racially-offensive party where under 21 year olds drink would require you also to expel those who have a non-racially offensive party where under 21 year olds drink. Otherwise you are violating these idiots free speech rights.
OK, after reviewing the photos I must say that was pretty tasteless. But expulsion-worthy? The only statement that sends is, “You don’t like black people? Well we don’t like you more. Nyah-nyah.” Not productive, at all. Maybe if those kids manage to get some real education, we’ll be getting somewhere.