I go to Amherst College, and every week or so the college Social Council throws a themed party called TAP. Themes range from “TAP 11,” the first one of the year, to “Michael Jackson TAP” or “Computer Matching TAP.”
About a month ago, the theme was “Pimps and Ho’s TAP.” I never saw a problem with it- it seemed to me like a costume party: the women would dress in fishnets and miniskirts, and then men would wear clashing clothing and gold chains. However, some people calling themselves “feminists” spoke out against the theme, claiming that it supported prostitution and, subsequently, the subjugation and sexual domination of women by men.
I think it’s an overreaction. It seems to me that people are taking this too seriously, and that it’s supposed to be just a screwing around with another facet of a popular pimp-ized culture (see every single rap song ever written)… and not meant to imply anything against women.
So what do you guys think? What would your reaction be if this was going on at your campus??
Utter disgust. This isn’t very different from those frat rats at Auburn who dressed up as Klansmen for a frat party. Generally speaking, pimps hate women and hold them in contempt, considering women to be their rightful prey. What if somebody wanted a Nazi party (no pun intended) on your campus and complained that any Jews who took offense had no sense of humor? How about a Pol Pot bash or Charles Manson rally? Would you consider that good, clean fun? The fact that the pimp/whore sub-culture is not overtly political does not make it any the less oppressive and dehumanizing, and it is horribly depressing that the jerks planning this party actually have to be told such a thing.
That’s what I figured. I dunno, I don’t have a problem with it, but I could see how some people might. Having the women as pimps and the men as prostitutes seems sort of satirical to me.
I agree. Especially since the women can come as pimps.
If a fraternity member wants to dress as a klansman for a party, it’s their choice. It’s also their problem if people give them hell for it. You can do whatever you want, but if you do it in public, you’re inviting public comment.
It depends as well on whether this is a university-sponsored event–if it is, more caution should be taken as to what the universtiy’s approval is associated with.
I also feel utter disgust. This isn’t very different from those in Hollywood who trumpet plastic surgery as the best means to look good. Generally speaking, this type of person holds the the surgically unaltered in contempt, considering adoration and popularity their very right. What if somebody wanted a statutory rape party on your campus and complained that anybody who took offense had no sense of humor? How about a Bangcok child prostitution bash or a Woody Allen rally? Would you consider that good, clean fun? The fact that the king of pop sub-culture is not overtly political does not make it any less oppressive and dehumanizing, and it is horribly depressing that the jerks planning this party actually have to be told such a thing. Michael Jackson TAP, indeed.
All kidding aside, there are many humorless people that want to be offended about something. This is especially prevalent on college campuses where activism can be in fashion. The “pimps and ho’s TAP” seems like it was tongue in cheek and is obviously not advocating prostitution or the subjugation of women. The protestors will most likely forget about this in less than a week as they move on to the next issue that is en vogue. If they lack an issue they can always fall back to the old standbys of “Free Tibet” or “Stop Japanese Whaling”.
This of course doesn’t mean that all protestors are like those that I described above. I just doubt that the people who are genuinely serious about a cause would waste their time on such an issue as the “pimps and ho’s TAP”
-**Beeblebrox
Now logic is a wonderful thing but it has, as the processes of evolution discovered, certain drawbacks. Anything that thinks logically can be fooled by something else which thinks at least as logically as it does.
Does it really have to be one of two extremes? either perfectly acceptable/funny why0don’tyouhaveasenseofhumor or Nazi like in its conception?
How about this:
Parties are supposed to be fun things.
each person has their own sense of whats’ fun and /or funny.
each person also will have their own sense of what’s too painful to be fun /funny.
It’s impossible to correlate all three of these things to insure that simulateneously all folks will have fun and no folks will be pissed off. (MHO)
That having been said, how well would a ‘come as your favorite fatal disease’ party go over? Perhaps well with some and others would find it terribly distasteful (I personally have always wanted to throw a 'come as your favorite dead celebrity party [sup]TM[/sup])
In this instance, I think (garden variety psychobabble warning coming up) that the party goers, because they have (probably) no real idea of some of the realities involved in the prototypical pimp/ho lifestyle (assuming street walker variety vs. Heidi Fliese & co), that it’s far enough removed from their own perceptions of their personal futures that they feel it’s ok to do a surface skimming parody of it. Shrug.
How do I feel about it? pretty much the same way I felt when I heard my one psych prof in college say that hookers had an easy life, they did nothing but lay on their backs and make money. I’ve worked w/convicts for a long time, and the hookers I’ve known A. didn’t dress the way that folks believe they do, B. had an extremely dangerous, difficult job and C. often wished they were doing damn near anything else.
But then, I’d have found something else to do the night of the Klan party too.
Ah yes, racist joke using a historically hostile, racist slur laughing about overt violence in the form of a lynching compared to a party that does not advocate violence or oppression. Very effective analogy.
LonesomePolecat probably was serious. His profile says he is from the south. Ya know how fucked up people down there can be. I keep telling them inbreeding is not a sport, no matter how much you do it.
Indeed it does wring. I’m not at all saying that the pimp/ho relationship is one of love and respect. I’m not sure, however, that it is as emotionally painful (except to those involved, of course) as racially motivated lynchings, simply because racial discrimination is on a broader scale than prostitution, if you get what I mean.
Again, I’m not saying that I don’t see how people could not have a problem with the pimps/hos party. I do. But then, I also look at things like the old Kids in the Hall sketches with the prostitutes and their pimp. Poor taste? Probably. But not nearly as poor as if they had run comedy sketches about the relationship of some black guy getting lynched by some white guys.
To be honest, I have a feeling that most of those participating have more of the Super Fly/I’m Gonna Get You, Sucka type view of the whole thing, as evidenced by their using the urban slang ho, instead of whore. I’m not doing a very good job of getting across what I’m trying to say here, and I recognize that…there’s more to what I’m thinking than the semantics I think I am arguing here, but I’m having difficulty expressing those thoughts.
The relationship between the pimp and the ho has historically been all about overt violence and oppression. When a ho turns a trick do you know what percentage of money she gets to keep? None, the pimp takes 100% of the money and then decides how much he wants to give her.
