January 25, 2007
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Racist Students?
Students from Tarleston State University celebrated Martin Luther King Day by eating fried chicken, drinking malt liquor and dressing up in gang apparel. The problem is they were white students and they placed the pictures on their Facebook account. (Myspace has no comment on losing the “kids placing stupid stuff on their site crowd” to Facebook).
Here is the link: LinkHere are some of the photos that were put on the site: Link
Is it racist to dress up in clothing or outfits that are stereotypes of a certain race?
Comments (151)
Oh, college…
I don’t belive so, because we made the stereotypes in the first place.
Well, if you believe that promoting stereotypes is racism, then yes. I myself would say that believing stereotypes, even enough to know how to dress and act, would be subtle racism.
Oh brother…
Also, the Black people should be insulted because those crackers obviously don’t know what in hell they’re doing. They look even more white in that picture than they do when they’re dressed in all American Eagle.
p.s. whomever those kids are, I hope they read this post and the comments, and realize how absolutely ridiculous they look.
Making fun of people might be funny…until you get bullet shrapnel in the ass by an offended minority.
Yes! Everyone knows only black and Chinese people are allowed to form gangs and dress like retards.
How the heck do you come up with these things, Dan? Haha.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I think I’m going to have to call it quits on that one (c;
It’s not racist, but it’s very tacky.
I don’t think it’s a racist movement, but it’s a generalization of a crowd. And I don’t really see what dressing like a gang member has to do with honoring Martin Luther King Day… very tacky and pathetic, stereotypical, but not racist.
I agree… tacky.
At my place of employment we had a special Martin Luther King lunch on MLK day… it was fried chicken, mashed potatoes and greens. I just bit my lip and thought, hmmmmmmmm.
I think it would’ve been alot more interesting if they were doing it as a political/social point maker as opposed to a frat beer joke.
I mean seriously, it’s a good point to bring up. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of my personal heroes, and I dont think his dream is really being accomplished. Because you have the majority of inner city black kids joining gangs, getting bad grades, and ending up working at some fast food place. What would MLK think about this?
Yes..because calling someone a cracker is not racist at all. *rolls eyes* You would think people would take the time to educate themselves on the history behind the word. Calling a white person a “cracker” is in reference to the slave days when people were “cracked” with whips. Good grief. I would consider how these kids dressed immature and ignorant. I don’t know if I would call it racist or not. Is it racist when there IS a white person in a gang who dresses the same way? Given the day these student choose to do this it was nothing in my eyes but blatant disrespect for others of a different origin.
not racist, jst not smart.
My dad got an anonymus text message on MLK day that said, “In honor of Dr. King, punch the next white person you see in the face.” I don’t think it’s just white people who have Dr. King’s message all wrong.
As far as those kids go, they were just looking for an excusse to party and feel good about themselves. What do you expect out of today’s college kids anyway. I know that’s fatalistic, but it’s also pretty realistic. People just don’t respect anyone these days.
Well than any one of us who has gone to a fancy dress party as a squaw or Indian is a rascist. i suppose it depends on your motive.
I wouldn’t care if I were black and saw that but… i’m not so maybe.
Gangster apparel is ridiculous looking and deserves to be made fun of.
uh yeah. if it was a historical costume, you might get away with it. but its not, its just dumb. This is why I very very very rarely post pics of me or my friends…
certainly. but it is in a lot of ways representative of the low-points of a culture like that, whose forefathers fought so hard for their rights to be respected and they blow it all by losing that respect int he way they act and dress.
Umm… this should be pretty self-evident. Black people embrace their own stereotypes just like white people do, and ALL stereotypes should be mocked, dramatized, and satirized. On a regular basis. Including an MLK Jr. celebration.
Yes
Racist kids in Texas of all places? I never would’ve predicted that…
well, i’m pretty sure MLK didn’t dress like that, so I don’t see how that “honors” his memory at all.
I think I had KFC that day but with no significance. I feel insensitive and rude would be the word.
They’re just clothes. Geeze.
That doesn’t really look “gang”-ish. And I promise, black people aren’t the only people in gangs. Maybe it’s just a really poor representation of white gangs?
THAT IS SO FUNNY, I WISH I HAD DONE IT!!!
Yes, it’s racist in a way, but I really don’t think it’s malicious.
PS-
Dan, you should check out my latest entry and consider asking it (you can use the picture too if you want), because I don’t get a lot of traffic on my site and I really do wonder what to do in the situation.
Pleeeeease ask it? (:
Kids will be kids…assholes as always. I don’t see it as racist..stupid looking, not racist.
I personally think they look like dorks…i feel kind of embarassed for them.
Christ hangin’ off the cross… They won’t regret doing that…NOT!
Where do they find the time to put together something so awful? I can’t believe no one stopped this ‘party’ before it happened.
This was specifically for MLK day? Yeah, that’s pretty fucking ridiculous.
In this case, most certainly.
They’re just ignorant.
It’s not racist, nor stereotypical. Have you seen black people today? It’s all doo rags and caps without bended brims and 3/4 tees and metal on their teeth. Even Chappelle has commented on fried chicken and watermelon, because he can’t understand what’s wrong with it. I love fried chicken and watermelon. And if it is racist, then holy shit it’s racist, but it ain’t illegal.
Myspace still gets plenty of kids posting really stupid stuff on their sites. Petty crimes have been solved due to police finding pictures someone posted proudly of their grafitti and stuff like that.
As for these pictures… if it were Halloween, maybe it’d be ok. But I think that’s pretty disrespectful for MLK day. It’s sort of like a slap in the face to him, I’d think.
I don’t think I can go a day without hearing about gang violence among the black society, with drive by shootings and night club stabbings.
LOL! Are you serious? Come on now… It’s college for cryin out loud.
get these dumb kids off of facebook
I guess I’m one of those people who’s a bit mystified why “liking fried chicken” is a negative stereotype. But why dress like a lower class person in order to “dress black”? Why not dress like, say, a Secretary of State?
Yes.
To be honest, I have been taking classes that deal with race and gender all year long. It has been an eye opening experience. I never realized how deeply embedded racial notions were in my psyche. My answer to your question is yes I do think that it is racist.
It seems to me they’re making fun of the sterotypes, not the race. But it is pretty tacky.
i don’t believe it’s “racist”
As I looked at those pictures, I got the sense that I was looking at the pics from some kind of dress up party. Even that they held it on MLK day doesn’t really mean much, except that they might have skipped a class or two on Tuesday. I think what it really comes down to is where the line between intent to offend and intent to be offended is. When I complain about all those lazy &%* @#*!>, that displays an intent to offend, and people would be right to be upset with me. When I point out that minorities as a whole are lagging academically and can’t realistically catch up yet, you have to want trouble and confrontation to take offense.
And you’ve got to give them some credit, I have no clue what fried chicken has to do with the whole thing.
Dr. Carasco
A little, but whatever.
sort of.
but why does it matter? they’re making a jackass out of themselves anyways. look at eminem.
only for the fact that it was mlk day.
It’s Halloween again-
In this instance, I think it’s pretty obvious that they were just messing around…
Oh pleaseee…. it’s just ignorant college kids. While I believe that is in poor taste, I have guy friends who ate fried chicken, watermelon, and beer on MLK day. Let me repeat: GUY FRIENDS.
probably. but I personally am not going to be too worried about it. It’s a bunch of drunk college kids, people.
Not so much in this case. It was just college kids being college kids. I’m pretty sure they didn’t mean to offend, and didn’t mean to be racist. They were just being college kids.
no
That’s not racist. It is, however, a little odd.
looks like fun to me
That’s horrifying. Yes, it is racist—absolutely, and without a doubt! Dressing up like Aunt Jemima for MLK Day? I am so saddened that any young adult in America thinks this is appropriate.
Not in this case. They were just being college kids. Sure, they look ridiculous, but I don’t think they had malicious intent. Unless you feel that promoting stereotypes (which everyone has come to learn aren’t all too accurate anyhow) is “racist.” Because that’s what they were doing. I mean, other than being stupid.
What
EVER
>_>
I feel like it is the in thing now to say that things are not racist even when they are. Everytime race is brought up, whites in particular jump in with, “it’s not racist”. Maybe it’s because no one wants to be labeled a racist. Who does? I grant you: sometimes its really not about race. And some people overplay the race card. But I think people forget that we all have some racism within ourselves and that sometimes, some things people do and say can only be described as racist. Racism is not a dead issue, it is not a closed issue, and it won’t be for some time. And it certainly won’t be if people are not honest with themselves and with others about what is and is not racist.
What these boys did was foolish, insensitive and yes, it was racist. Martin Luther King’s dream was that one day we would one day judge each other not by the color or our skin (or by dumb racial stereotypes) by the content of our characters. As long as we deny the fact that we carry this weakness within us, I’m not sure we’ll ever get to fulfill his dream.
And I can tell you right now, that it doesn’t sound as if those kids have much content in their characters yet.
they look so dumb i dont think they got what they were doing
I think any kid in my high school class has an IQ higher than all of them combined, honestly. How stupid do you have to be?
Racist? Yeah. Tacky? Duh.
I think that is really, really dumb.
now the whole world will see these culturally ignorant people’s faces…
Oh goodness. Don’t these children think? Stupid, stupid kids.
looks like it would be racist and offensive to some people. i myself (not a racist) find it hilarious, but i do have a sick sense of humor. and they were completely missing the point of MLK jr’s dream.
no i think it’s hilarious.
nope. i think it’s funny
As I read through these comments, I am very perturbed by a prevailing attitude of permissiveness towards college students.
Since when do “college kids” get permission to be racist & ignorant? Why is there NO expectation of maturity or intelligence? Is college the new pre-school, or is it the place where adult Americans receive a very expensive education that will launch them into their professional lives and into our communities as productive, contributing members of society?
WHY shouldn’t we expect college students to do the right thing? If memory serves, it was college students who helped fuel the Civil Rights Movement, the Feminists Movement, the Anti-Nuke Movement, and every Anti-War Movement. I thought the college years were the time when young Americans got their first taste of social activism. I remember protesting nuclear war, holding hands across America, and campaigning against apartheid. Am I alone here?
When did we become so permissive and patronzing towards college students?
1.)they are horrendous at it. if your gonna throw signs up, throw real ones like the kings or the disciples or the blood up..
2.)fried chicken and all the “stereotypical black food” is eaten in the south by people of white race too, and its damn good. better then peanut butter and jelly or macaroni and cheese anyways
3.) idk, what was their true intent? it does seem racist, but i wonder what they actually did/say at the party.
No, cuz that’s just what they are…. stereotypes. If you don’t fall under them, why get offended? It was just a bunch of silly white kids being silly. And as someone said earlier, it’s the people who create their own stereotypes, so…. what’s the big deal?
It wasn’t rascist becaus of the way they dressed. Believe me, there are more than a few ‘white’ kids dressing up in clothes that are associated with what black people wear around here.
What was racist is that they meant to pretend to be black. On Martin Luther King Day. They knew what they were doing.
OMFG. If only they knew how fucking retarded they looked. Yea, all black people are in gangs and all white people are in the klan.
They look more like good old fashioned Southern bred trailer trash to me.
It’s immature and tacky.
But they’re mocking the ghetto-rap culture, not black people. I think it says something about all of our prejudices when we immediate associate gangs and alcohol with a certain race.
With that said, I agree with Crush these classes except for the fried chicken being good part. I think it’s kind of gross but that’s just me.
stereotypes aren’t necessarily rascism. I mean, to me it looks like these kids are making more fun of the south than they are of African Americans. The fact that this was done on MLK day is tacky, I agree, but seriously. If these students said they were making fun of hillbillies or something, a stereotype within their own race, then no one would care. I think it’s ridiculous for someone to get offended because a white kid decides to wear a bandana.
MLK wanted everyone to forget about color and live in peace.
I like that MLK day is moving away in many places from just being about African American pride. It’s about helping out the less fortunate and working together.
MLK not only wanted racism to stop between blacks and whites, but between ALL people.
But anyway, that’s sort of rude… MLK wore suits, for God’s sakes.
i don’t get it…
its not a stereotype if it’s true….
I think it’s funny that many people here are quick to qualify themselves as “not a racist”– I believe that in our ignorance we are all somewhat racist. It’s a fact. Deal with it– work through issues with compassion and with the hopes of stomping out your own ignorance. Don’t claim you’re not racist. It’s like saying you’re not a sinner.
Gosh, smooth_moby, maybe you haven’t noticed, but the average black American man is NOT a gang-banger kicking back 40s. Black women are not walking around in ‘kerchiefs on their way to pick cotton in the fields. I think it might be time to turn off the MTV.
tasteless
Dressing up like that is not necessarily racist, but the way it was done in those photos on MLK day is. They obviously meant to mock blacks and MLK’s memory by behaving in that manner.
What seems racist to me is that people are making a big deal about it. You know if a bunch of black kids would have dressed like that and had a party, no one would have batted an eyelash.
Really, who cares? Yeah, it’s tacky. Probably 99.9% of us do tacky things in college.
Absolutely.
I think it borders on racism…it is certainly asinine.
Isn’t that what fashion is all about.
It is called “having fun”, which has been outlawed in our politically correct society. There is to be no fun anywhere. We are all to lead miserable lives with no fun and that is an order from the politically correct police.
In my books, it’s only racist if you are doing it because you’re making fun of blacks.
Which was what it looked like by the pictures and what they were doing.
So… they were just a bunch of dumb racist college kids.
Big woop-dee-doo.
yes and amazingly ignorant.
No watermelon?
That’s pretty bad.
i think the whole outrage about it is pointless. they wanted attention now everyone is giving it to them.
If the stereotypes themselves are offensive.
It’s sad that they chose to do this. There is no excuse for their behavior but do not blame their behavior on where they are from. I am from this region, and I can tell you that what they is not looked on with approval. I am disgusted as well as my fellow classmates from an nearby University.
It’s sad that while discussing sterotypes, we are thus sterotyping. Blaming it on ”typical college student behavior” is a sterotype and so is referencing that they are from “Texas or the south” is another. Sad that while upset about sterotypes we choose to continue to use them.
I wouldn’t say ‘racist’, but definitely stereotyped.
It would have been stereotypical if they were black too.
Here is the thing: they did it in good humor without intension of explicit discrimination.
Granted it’s Texas, but at least they didn’t hop into a ghetto car and did a drive-by.
In other words–it’s okay. I wouldn’t care if someone made fun of my people in an Asian holiday, as long as it is done as a joke (like this one.)
If they did the lynching route or something, though, that’s just wrong.
It doesn’t offend me. People of all kinds of races like friend chicken and malt liquor and being of a certain race or ethnicity doesn’t mean you’re immune to joining a gang.
If it had been on any other day besides MLK day, it could have been possible to pass this as a way to get a chuckle.
This is the case of immature little college students trying to do something interesting.
It’s not racism but it is a social commentary from their perspectives.
-David
Looking at that fried chicken made me hungry.
No, and their MLK celebration sounds like it was a lot more fun than all that PC crap they had out here. I could go for some malt liquor and fried chicken right about now.
I wouldnt say they were racist..
This was probably just for fun, a joke.
Who cares what these kids do?
They’re still quite immature…. and all that jazz.
ok, now the aunt jymima was a little too far, but the rest i see at my school all the time. the chicken is a racial slur of sorts, but not national attention worthy.
derek
people are so afraid of being racist that it doesn’t take anything like racism to be labeled as such. America has taken the being nice to minorites thing so far we actually discriminate against white men. those kids were being silly and that’s all it was.
How incredibly crass.
Just poor poor taste…
I dress in stereotypes.
Scene, Emo, Punk, Gangsta…It’s just a name.
Stupid white kids.
<3.
-Paige.
I like fried chicken.
No, it’s not.
But then of course it can be, depending on how you go about it, and what your motive is behind it.
I wouldn’t call what those college kids did exactly ‘racist’ but I’d definetly call it ‘stupid’.
Ok, I don’t mean them having fun and enjoying a holiday.. but I think it’s dumb that they say “We’re celebrating the life of Martin Luther King” and then go around celebrating in the way they chose. If that makes sense….
Call it, ‘Pop Culture.’
It’s not racist….it’s stupid.
I mean sure, the stereotype is pretty bad and I personally thing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be pretty darn upset. But, it’s not racist.
And the whole, dressing up like gangs members and eatting fried chicken doesn’t honor Dr. MLK in anyway at all. Depressing.
Years ago gangs were mostly white. Bad, too.
It is not racist to dress up like that. Their actions however were racist. The problem as I see it is two fold. They chose a day that is supposed to honor the highlights of a race and chose to focus on its problems, the other and bigger problem in my opinion is that they chose to dress like that but did not have the decency to dress like that using adequate costumes which shows even less respect and interest in african American culture than the day that they chose. They very much looked to be suburban upper middle class white people at halloween or something.
Those kids are extremely stupid.
Yeah definately racist. Also embarrassing as hell to all white people. Mirror image effect definately comes to mind.
Yeah, and ridiculously ignorant. I wouldn’t even smile at such a display. But I wouldn’t get to up in arms over it. I would just never hire such cracker white trash in my department.
East Indian, African American, South Asian, and it is a very well run department, holding true the American ideal of hard work, dedication, attention to detail and loyalty to one’s job.
The ignorant crackers are the joke, and they fall further behind drinking the 40s instead of studying, and these kids would shit their pants in Newark, where I consider moving next, because the young buppies are so attractive in the buidling I am looking at…
That was both offensive and hilarious at the same time. Actually, the guy with the number “branded” on his face really bothered me, but other than that…that’s college for ya.
No. Somewhat tacky though.
Ewww…
I think it is funny and a lot of ganbangers are other races…………
If that’s the idea of the whole party, and it’s a “celebration”, I don’t think so. I just really don’t understand what dressing up like gang members has to do with Martin Luther King Jr.
rofl, of course it wasn’t. what the freak does racist mean, if that’s what it means? stereotyping? uh oh, we’re all racist. and sexist. and regionalists. and… you get the picture.
BTW, you spelled the college’s name wrong. No S.
i dunno about racist…definitely stupid tho. man…hope they don’t piss off the WRONG black person…haha.
I see nothing wrong with this. The kids just thought they were probably being funny.
if i wear a sari or other traditional indian outfit, i am not being racist since i got them from an indian friend who knows my intentions; likewise, if my m.i.l. dresses in the african outfit she received from her friend, she is not being racist, either. in this case it was not so much the dress itself, but the actions performed while wearing the garb that were racist.
*shakes head in disgust*
What does the black / african american friend have to say about all this?
Yeah… its pretty much saying the same thing.
I found those pictures pretty hilarious… the costumes were just silly! does that make me a racist?
At my college the “Martin Luther King special” in the cafeteria was fried chicken, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, and peach cobbler. I was really amused. There should have been watermelon, too…that would have made it even more stereotypical.
No, it’s a stereotype. It’s not the way that race IS.
Judging by those outfits, they were just dressing low-class. It’s demeaning to black-people to say that they are all like gangstas and dress like they just buggered out of prison. It’s ridiculous and not reallistic.
Those kids are stupid. I am so sick of lower-middle class kids misbehaving at university. They should be thrown out, they don’t have the mental capacity to do the course work.
cheers,
m
Oh, but the ideas behind the actions were racist and foolish. Martin Luther King was a fabulous man and should be honoured for his efforts, by everyone.
GOT MLK?
I think they just look stupid…
They are just stupid kids.
Think about it: aren’t YOU the racist one, if you look at pictures of people wearing certain clothes and eating certain foods, and think, “Oh, that’s what MY race does, you are making fun of me, you meanies! You can’t dress like us and eat our food! Meh!”?
Yeah, this is pretty stupid. Being oversensitive is one thing, but being totally arrogant just doesn’t make sense. MLK was a great man and these students don’t get it.
Those people just looked like stupid frat kids.
I say let them waste there parents money on more parties so they drop out of college, because they probably don’t care to be there, anyway.
…
did you really just ask if it’s racist, essentially, to defy a stereotype?
oh yeah !!! those are terrible—NOT ! it’s a party for christ’s sake ever hear of halloween ?
Those kids were being racist and they just looked stupid.
Heck no. How is that racist?
It could be considered insensitive by some.
I think it’s funny when people make fun of white stereotypes (and I’m white). I don’t see why it would be racist for me to find it funny of other stereotypes as well.
I completely agree with what SykoJonnyboy said:
“I think it would’ve been alot more interesting if they were doing it as a political/social point maker as opposed to a frat beer joke.
I mean seriously, it’s a good point to bring up. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of my personal heroes, and I dont think his dream is really being accomplished. Because you have the majority of inner city black kids joining gangs, getting bad grades, and ending up working at some fast food place. What would MLK think about this?”
*giggle*
No… It’s stereotypical.
You know that some of the kids that had their bandanas folded around their necks or their faces were cowboys.
Thats how I wear my bandana when I ride.
Am I racist?
omg most definately. How can you not find that racist? And I doubt Martin Luther King Jr. dressed like that and behaved in such a way.