Tuesday, November 21, 2006

"Halloween in the Hood" Party Organizers Punished

I thought this article was interesting.

Johns Hopkins University has put a fraternity on social probation because of a "Halloween in the Hood" party that angered members of the Black Student Union and sparked debate about race relations.

The university's Student Conduct Board hearing panel found the Sigma Chi fraternity guilty of all charges filed by the administration, including failure to supervise the conduct of the member who wrote the party invitation, resulting in harassment and intimidation.

When I read those two grafs, I had pictures of guys in blackface, hos, and fake lynchings in my head. And my second thought was, "What were they thinking?" Moreso than any previous generation, this one should be acutely aware of negative stereotypes, racism, and discrimination. So what did the party look like? Well, it wasn't quite like that.
The university's Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action concluded that the invitation to the party played on racial stereotypes by encouraging attendees to wear "regional clothing from our locale" such as "bling bling ice ice, grills" and "hoochie hoops."

That's it? That was the offensiveness? That they "played on the racial stereotypes"...that are ever present in hip-hop and rap music?

I'm assuming there's more to it than this because this is nothing more than if they had a party complete with headbanger clothing and hairstyles or hippie garb. That's the music they listen to and the videos they watch.

But at least the university really came down hard on them for this insensitivity.
University officials pledged Monday to continue efforts they started after the Halloween weekend party to promote racial healing. University administrators have held two campus-wide forums and meetings with the Black Student Union.

Oh, yeah. That's gonna solve something. My experience with such "forums and meetings" is that the malcontents get up and complain while everyone else has to feel guilty and stay silent. I don't think that's any way to deal with whatever racism they think the Halloween in the Hood party represented.

What they should be asking themselves is what influenced the kids to create this party with these stereotypes. That is probably not a question the students want to think about or answer, because the answer--their music and entertainment sources--is what influenced that. Not their "racist" parents who wouldn't even know what grills and hoochie hoops are.

There are a lot of people who want to claim that television, movies, and music don't influence culture. Those people must not have children who want to be Pokemon masters when they are little and who grow up thinking a Halloween in the Hood party is funny. It's not very cool to keep pointing out where these things come from, but they ain't coming from those old Tom & Jerry cartoons they've revamped.