Rachel's Tavern- Shakesville Comment on Whiteness and Racial Awareness
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Feb
19
Another Racially Themed Party–”South of the Border”
Filed Under Education and Academia, Original Essays and Analysis, Race and Racism, Uncategorized by Rachel
Another week.? Another racial costume party.? Students at Santa Clara University decided to have a “South of the Border Party.”? Here is a quote:
Photographs taken at the private, off-campus party and splashed on Internet sites reveal a crude and narrow portrayal of Latino life. One student hammed it up before the camera with a stuffed balloon on her belly, under her blouse. Another posed for a close-up shot of her puckered mouth, thickly lipsticked and lined in black. One student wore a janitorial costume complete with the long, rubber gloves commonly used to clean bathrooms.
Once again the photos were posted on facebook.
This is not the first Latino themed party to draw scrutiny.? Last year? a? Tri-Delta? sorority and? Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at? University of Illinois hosted a “Tacos & Tequila” party, which lead to protests on campus and subsequent sanctions from the campus fraternity and sorority boards.? The University of Illinois is also home to the facebook group “Students Against Racially Themed Parties.”
Both of these cases also reveal the patterns of racially themed parties.? In the Santa Clara case there was another party labeled “Fresh Off The Boat,” and at Illinois? there was? party called “Big Booty Hoes & Ghetto Bros.”
The student newspaper at Santa Clara has been covering the story, and they have a few of the pictures from the party.? The editors? blurred the faces out of the pictures, with an “interesting” justification at the bottom of the article.? In their defense the student paper? gave an excellent editorial on racially themed parties.? Here is a quote:
These theme parties are nothing new, and many Santa Clara students have attended them, dressed up or not. The people depicted in the pictures of this specific party were just the ones that got caught. Whether it be a “South of the Border,” “Ghetto” or “Fresh off the Boat” party, feeding into ethnic stereotypes at parties has become a pastime of predominately white, upper-class students at colleges nationwide.
What is it about our backgrounds and education that has made us think that racism is a form of entertainment?
It may be the way our generation has been raised on satire. From “The Simpsons” to “Family Guy” and “Chapelle’s Show,” manipulating ethnic stereotypes for humor is nothing new to us.
But the true issue at hand is that many white students are ignorant of race issues that minorities face on a daily basis, in some cases because of a lack of contact with people from minority ethnic groups or disadvantaged economic backgrounds.
And in that respect, Santa Clara is failing in its mission.Would the women at the party have chosen to dress the way that they did if they had done an Arrupe placement in a community where immigrants work long hours at custodial jobs just to pay the bills? Maybe not.
The paper makes a good point.? Racism and poverty make great fun for those who are not the victims of it, and it is? important that? universities take a lead role in educating students about this.? Unfortunately, many students are? not getting an? appropriate education on racism and its destructive effects from their primary school, their secondary schools,? or their families.
Thanks to Bean for the heads up on this!!
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19 Responses to “Another Racially Themed Party–”South of the Border””
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that was a good point that college students have been exposed throughout their socialization to “satires” on various tv shows
and that these tv shows have been cultivated under a racist order where color-blind ideology is the dominant ideology
this ideology permits these racist rituals to flourish
the declining position of the us in the world system and the dismal career / mobility prospects of the euro-american college student compel them to celebrate their whiteness in these rituals
no matter what happens they still have their whiteness and i think that is what these parties are about
they are also a ritualistic affirmation of the post civil rights era white racial backlash
someone should a ma thesis or diss. on these parties using racism literature
It’s kind of like how rich kids used to “slum it,” I think, where these kids are trying to “see how the other half lives.” Only instead of actually going out and meeting people of color, they’re using media stereotypes and racist tropes to “imitate” them, and since racism supposedly ended in the ’60s with the Civil Rights Movement, they think it’s okay, because they’re just having fun and they don’t really mean it. It’s a total disconnect from the reality of race relations in the U.S.
I’m just in awe over the sheer number of these parties that have taken place recently. It really reflects a lot of problems in this country, especially regarding the teaching of racism and stereotyping.
[...] ex Machina Just another blog « “It CAN happen here” Last Finals Redirection: College racism February 19th, 2007 I’ve actually been picking away at an entry on this during my freetime, but in the meantime, Rachel’s Tavern has picked up on another racist college party, this one aimed at imitating stereotypes of Latinos. Rachel gives a brief rundown of some racist parties aimed at Latinos and other immigrants, and says: Racism and poverty make great fun for those who are not the victims of it, and it is important that universities take a lead role in educating students about this. Unfortunately, many students are not getting an appropriate education on racism and its destructive effects from their primary school, their secondary schools, or their families. [...]
“Racism and poverty make great fun for those who are not the victims of it, and it is important that universities take a lead role in educating students about this. Unfortunately, many students are not getting an appropriate education on racism and its destructive effects from their primary school, their secondary schools, or their families.”
Well said. It’s not about political correctness, but seeing others as humans…as beings who are not just these stereotypes. Would it have really been that much of a downer to have a “tacos and tequila” party with just tacos and tequila? Or is it impossible for the privileged to have fun these days without slamming minorities?
Marie Antoinette frolicking with the sheep, anyone? or for that matter Paris Hilton. the racism just gives it that extra -charm.-
>Or is it impossible for the privileged to have fun these days without slamming minorities?>
apparently. apparently it isn’t fun unless you can simultaneously piss on someone else.
>Well said. Its not about political correctness, but seeing others as humans>
Yeah, no kidding. “Politically correct” is such crap. The real question isn’t about how -naughty- it makes you for doing this (as though everyone would if they weren’t so hemmed it by faux-politesse, you know); it’s, why on -earth- does it even occur to you to do this in the damn first place? What the hell are you thinking? In what universe does this even make -sense-? Do you not actually know any nonwhite people? …o, right, okay.
This sounds like discrimination.
Where are the racist Asian, Arab, and Native American parties?
Rob.
“This sounds like discrimination.
“Where are the Asian, Arab, and Native American parties?”
Depends on the level of “heirarchy” your group/race/ethnicity falls on.
Black people being looked upon as being at the bottom, are fair game period for abuse, disrespect, slander and insult.
What the Hell, is it not true that we black people are sub-human, and incapable of having any semblance of feelings or sensitivites that can be offended?
Latinos are just the smoke-screen thrown in from time to time, to make it look like whites are not just picking on black people.
But, anyone whose lived in the good ‘ol USA knows that black people are America’s scapegoat.
Always have been.
Always will be.
Tom, what is interesting is how routinely they cite people like Chapelle as an excuse for their racist behavior. I think part of the problem is that they really don’t get the satire. It’s hard to get sometimes, especially if you are unfamiliar with the subject matter.
Kyla, kerri, and belledame222,
Putting all of your points together, I keep thinking of this as a twisted form of racial tourism. A way to go “experience the other” while maintaining one’s privilege and power position.
What do you think?
this party was not held on campus, and therefore has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE UNIVERSITY. this is a free country. people have the right to make idiots of themselves.
can’t we all just hate each other???
c’mon, folks. let’s try.
If it had nothing to do with the school, then they shouldn’t have posted the photos on facebook, where it is connected right back to the school.
[...] The latest racist campus party comes to us from California’s Santa Clara University, where students decided to um, honor their Latino brothers and sisters by throwing a”South of the Border Party.” Students dressed up as janitors, female gangsters and pregnant women. (Hat tip to Rachel.) From the Contra Costa Times: Photographs taken at the private, off-campus party and splashed on Internet sites reveal a crude and narrow portrayal of Latino life. One student hammed it up before the camera with a stuffed balloon on her belly, under her blouse. Another posed for a close-up shot of her puckered mouth, thickly lipsticked and lined in black. One student wore a janitorial costume complete with the long, rubber gloves commonly used to clean bathrooms. [...]
This party did not have anything to do with the school. Just becasue students posted photos on facebook doesn’t mean the school had any control over this party. SCU is taking steps to investigate this party and some of the people who attended have made public apologies. SCU has done an amazing job providing opportunities for students to be exposed to diversity in the community. Every quarter there are literally hundreds of students that volunteer several hours each week in the community with low-income or homeless families and children, in particular with immigrants. SCU can’t force people to stop acting this way, but it has done an amazing job providing education and opportunities for its students. The problem comes from those rich kids that are never exposed to diversity and who don’t know what it is like to work a minimum wage job and barely get food on the table for your family.
Ann:
Everyone has been America’s scapegoat. While playing victim Olympics is wrong, it’s also wrong for you to project the idea that blacks seem to be the only people that have been wronged in this country.
Rob.
“While playing victim Olympics is wrong, its also wrong for you to project the idea that blacks seem to be the only people that have been wronged in this country.”
No. There you go. Putting words in my mouth. I never said that black Americans were the only group wronged by this country. Those are your words.
I’m just being realistic.
White America makes sure she doesn’t come down too hard on non-black people, most of the time.
All you have have to do is open up your eyes.
It’s not “victim Olympics” when it’s someone else’s race/group.
Oh, but let a black person speak of their history of atrocities we’ve suffered in this country, then it becomes a sliding scale of victimhood that is hurled back only at black people.
I told the truth.
White America uses other groups as smokescreens, just enough to keep the heat off the fact that white America by large, has never accepted their fellow black citizens.
And they still do not.
Only, in the case of black America, we’ve been the lambs led to the slaughter.
Okay,
Ann I have to agree with you here.
I forgot I’d commented here! I think you’re right, Rachel, it is sort of a racial tourism kind of thing. They think they can have all the fun they think Latinas or African Americans are having, without any of the hardships. And Rob, I don’t know if I’ve heard of people dressing up as Arabs for parties, but as for the racist Asian and Native American parties, I think they call it Halloween.
The worst purveyor of ignorance and racism is rich white people, who have survived, relied, and flourished under the guise of racism. They then take this ignorance out into the professional world without an ikling of reality. College is a white man’s bubble. De facto segregation is rampant. Very little if any interaction with other races or the world. Their bubble is a bubble of priviledge. Our is a wall to overcome. I wished these kids the worst misfortune to humble their overprivilege ass.