Clemson Investigating Off Campus Party That Allegedly Disparaged Blacks

Parents Forum
1

<p>When will they ever learn?</p>

<p>"CLEMSON, South Carolina (AP) -- Clemson University and the NAACP said Tuesday they are investigating an off-campus party held during the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend that some considered offensive because white students drank malt liquor and at least one partygoer wore black face.</p>

<p>Pictures from the party were posted online, and Clemson officials learned of the January 14 party this past weekend. The school is probing whether students were harassed or whether there was underage drinking.</p>

<p>Clemson President James Barker wrote in a letter to students and faculty that he was "appalled, angered and disappointed" by the party, which "appeared to mock and disparage African Americans...."</p>

<p>"Many people have been offended and deeply hurt," he said.</p>

<p>The party organizers issued an unsigned letter of apology, saying, "We invited all races and types of peoples and never meant any racial harm."</p>

<p>"We want everyone to know how sorry we are, and that we are willing to do anything to make things right," the letter said...."</p>

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<p>Jeez. I really wish you didn't find these things, NSM. I cringe every time. Why would you do THAT on MLK Day? I admit that I didn't like the gangsta party my D attended either (and I told her so) but it wasn't on MLK Day and in her estimation it was more a parody of eminem, vanilla ice, white rapper wannabe but still . </p>

<p>Keep posting them when you see them and I'll keep cringing. Jiminy.</p>

3

<p>Eek, I hope my D's friends don't read about that! They are already teasing her about the fact that she favors several southern schools. They seem to view southerners as "red necks," and stunts like that only serve to reinforce those stereotypes some northerners have of the south. Of course, D knows that those who stereotype are falling into the trap themselves ...</p>

4

<p>Here's more info from a longer version of the story. I'd posted before about the Tarleton party, but the U Conn Law School party is a new one on me. Kelsmom, you could show that to your D's friends so that they know that there are hicks and bigots outside of the south, too.</p>

<p>" The NAACP also confirmed it was looking into the Clemson party and at least three other similar events held at universities throughout the country. </p>

<p>Earlier this month, Tarleton State University officials in Dallas investigated a similar party that featured fried chicken and fake gang apparel, and at the University of Connecticut School of Law, students who attended an off-campus "Bullets and Bubbly" party held fake machine guns and 40-ounce malt liquor bottles. ...</p>

<p>Lonnie Randolph, president of the South Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said the party wasn't "just harmless fun." </p>

<p>"We once lynched African-Americans as good fun and humor," Randolph said. "We also execute them at a real high rate for fun and humor. We also don't educate them or pay them like we pay others in the community and that's fun and humorous to a lot of people."
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--racistparty0130jan30,0,2659561.story?coll=ny-region-apconnecticut%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/connecticut/ny-bc-ct--racistparty0130jan30,0,2659561.story?coll=ny-region-apconnecticut&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Yet more info about these parties, and more evidence that this kind of fun isn't limited to "southern hicks."</p>

<p>"At an off-campus "Bullets and Bubbly" party thrown by University of Connecticut School of Law students in January, pictures showed students wearing baggy jeans, puffy jackets and holding fake machine guns. </p>

<p>The University of Colorado's Ski and Snowboard Club advertised a "gangsta party" in September, with fliers featuring rappers and fake bullet holes. The theme was dropped after complaints, but some students, who didn't get the message, showed up in gangsta garb, hoping to win prizes. </p>

<p>Often such parties go unnoticed outside campuses until students post pictures on Facebook.com and other websites. That's how images of the Clemson party surfaced this week. One student wore blackface; another white student put padding in her pants to make her rear end look bigger. "
<a href="http://www.aikenstandard.com/news/335941483813155.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.aikenstandard.com/news/335941483813155.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Google "Bullets and Bubbly" and "living the dream" and you'll find a blog with pictures from the Clemson party(including Mr. Blackface and Miss Padded Butt), which apparently was called "living the dream."</p>

<p>From the Hartford Courant:
"WEST HARTFORD -- The interim dean of the University of Connecticut School of Law has scheduled a schoolwide roundtable discussion for today to air concerns raised by a weekend off-campus party in which some law students dressed in hip-hop clothes and toted 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor.</p>

<p>Photos of the "Bullets & Bubbly" party were posted on the popular website facebook.com, dismaying some students who regarded the party theme as racially insensitive. Photos depicted partygoers wearing do-rags, muscle shirts, hoodies, and necklaces with gold medallions....</p>

<p>The controversy also underscored the power of the Internet, which made the photos widely available....</p>

<p>In recent months, there have been similar parties at other colleges. Besides the University of Texas bash, a "straight thuggin' party" at a University of Chicago dorm two years ago and invitations to a "Halloween in the Hood" party at Johns Hopkins University sparked campus debates about race relations."<a href="http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-ctlawparty0125.artjan25,0,5638619.story?coll=hc-headlines-local"&gt;http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-ctlawparty0125.artjan25,0,5638619.story?coll=hc-headlines-local&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>A scarey thought: More than likely these kind of racist parties have been going on for decades, but it's only because of the Internet that they are coming to light and the people who attend them are learning that such behavior is offensive. I truly doubt that this kind of so-called fun is new. What's new is that people who participate in these things are being held accountable for being insensitive and racist.</p>

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<p>Clemson has a diverse student body, too. You'd think they would know better.</p>

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<p>Backhand, Clemson's amount of ethnic diversity isn't particularly notable. And some Black students have complained about the general state of race relations at Clemson.</p>

<p>While I am surprised at some of the reported events (I bemoan the attitudes of future lawyers of America, the folks whom will be defending or destroying the constitution in years to come), I am not particularly taken aback. I've noticed an absurd fascination in gang culture by middle-class young people in recent years. And it's not just parody or satire.</p>

8

<p>Were these college-sponsored events or just private parties? It is hard to get too interested in college students showing poor judgment and bad taste in their private social gatherings. Sort of a Dog Bites Man story, isn't it?</p>

9

<p>LakeWashington: Really? </p>

<p>Northstar: How are you doing? How about your son? How is he? My oldest never went back to college. I'm distraught but he is happy with what he is doing now.</p>

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<p>kelsmom:</p>

<p>There are racists everywhere. Probably the most overtly racist cab driver I ever had was in Cleveland.</p>

<p>That said, I often visit the Southern town and area where I grew up. The schools there didn't desegregate until after we'd put men on the moon. Frankly, I don't notice anything more than surface differences. It sure feels the same, and white people still commonly use racial slurs when around other white people.</p>

<p>On a percentage basis, I believe it's very likely that one will find more white racists (and maybe more non-white racists but I wouldn't know) at a Southern school, if that matters to you or your daughter.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
I've noticed an absurd fascination in gang culture by middle-class young people in recent years. And it's not just parody or satire.

[/quote]
Yep. Those were the people being made fun of at the party D went to. (At least that was her take.)To see a white kid from Highland Park in Dallas wearing an Iverson jersey and jeans 5 sizes too big and hanging barely on, driving his Mom's old suburban with new 22's, and saying "yo,yo,yo" is pretty dang funny.</p>

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<p>


</p>

<p>Mine was in NYC. He got everybody on his way back to Midtown from the Bronx Zoo. My D and her friend were just stunned. The discussion was turbins and long beards and blacks and Asians and Puerto Ricans and Eastern Europeans ...I mean he got everybody. It was a teachable moment they'll remember for a lifetime. ;)</p>

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<p>My daughter and I saw the photos on our local news last night. Dreadful!!!From pimp my ride, visit my crib type MTV shows I think there is both a streak of meanness and a streak of emulation in our whole culture. ( have never watched the shows, just mean the use of urban slang-is it emulation or nasty?)
I would however love to wave a magic wand and remove low hanging jeans, gang style dressing from the wide world. hate those underpants showing.</p>

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<p>I was minding my own business in a Midas repair shop waiting for the old VW to be attended to. A young fella in his early twenties, or so he appeared, entered the shop selling baseball caps. He was white and the Midas shop was in a very diverse area of Jersey City. His prices were reasonable so I bought a Florida State University Seminoles cap. Well, apparently he belived that my purchase entitled me to a tirade about Jews. Talk about shocked!</p>

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<p>Is it racist and insensitive when Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and Ludicris make fun of the gangsta/pimp culture? When the Wayans brothers sent up black exploitation films in "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka"? Or is it just funnier considering the source? Just askin' ...</p>

<p>The most racist cab driver I ever met was in LA. A middle eastern guy, couldn't stop talking about what bad drivers asians are.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Well, apparently he belived that my purchase entitled me to a tirade about Jews. Talk about shocked!

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Bet you're glad you didn't buy two!</p>

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<p>I agree that it is demeaning to parody any segment of society in a cruel and insulting way; and, when it goes into really racial parody (like fried chicken, black face, Aunt Jemima, etc) it should absolutely be stopped. But, having a "ganster party"? When you turn on MTV, there are riduculous shows about the "gangster" life. As long as this is part of the culture, it is going to be parodied.</p>

<p>At our highschool one of the pep rally themes is nerds. The kids dress silly with fake glasses and pocket protectors. Should the administrators ban such activity? I'm sure it is offensive to smart kids who wear glasses. They also have an 80's day where everybody makes fun of the way people looked in the 80's. I am hugely offended because I proudly wore my hair with mall bangs and I had big puffy sleeved dresses with polkadots.</p>

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<p>Well if they have a '70s day I am going to be offended. Where's my ivory leisure suit?</p>

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<p>ag54, I think the difference is that the gangsta thing is often thought of as being part of the black culture, therefore parodying it can be construed as being racist. In my area, though, there are plenty of white gangsta types. But it is important to help young people understand that there is a fine line between being funny and being racist. Being sensitive to others is never a bad thing!</p>

<p>By the way, my daughter is well aware that racism exists everywhere. It's her classmates that don't seem to realize that! My in-laws live in Augusta, GA, so we have spent lots of time in the south. Yes, there is more entrenched racism in many ways --- but the hearts of men & women are similar all over the country. It may not be okay to have segregated schools in the north, but gee, if everyone lives in certain areas, it kind of naturally occurs. No one "makes" people live apart here, and most northerners would insist that it's by choice --- but the result is the same.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
That said, I often visit the Southern town and area where I grew up. The schools there didn't desegregate until after we'd put men on the moon.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>When did the schools in South Boston desegregate?</p>