<p>Well, unsurprisingly, a few frat boys organized a costume and alcohol bash on MLK weekend where party-goers stereotyped African Americans in word and deed. The baggy pants, backward caps etc. were there for all to see. A headline in a major newspaper led with something like 'Students mock Blacks at Party!' As expected a Black minister from Phoenix and others stepped forward to demand that Arizona State expel the students.</p>
<p>Am I supposed to become indignant at these boorish students? Few of us enjoy being mocked but I wouldn't advocate for a full-court press against these fraternity boys by the ASU administration. Anyone is free to be a bigot. Anyone is free to be a idiot. That's not the issue. The issue is that not every African American wants to expend the time and energy to address simplistic nonsense from every corner, whether on a campus or elsewhere. As long as no one's rights or opportunities were diminished, why should we react to idiots?</p>
<p>People do things for reactions. Giving them reaction feeds it. Just rolling your eyes and scorning them is much more effective. Losers, not worth the time of day.</p>
<p>Stupid is as stupid does. Expel students for having bad taste? Being offensive? Sorry doesn’t rise to that measure for me. Honestly, I am getting tired of all the outrage everyone seems to be displaying these days. It’s almost a cultural phenomenon. </p>
<p>In the corporate world, employers are increasingly loath to ignore incidents (subtle or otherwise, crude and boorish, etc.) If you’ve got a manager at your company who has racist photos on his or her desk (a jokey type photo of the family dressed in Klan costumes) it isn’t hard to find a lawyer to take the case that an African American employee felt that this manager had created a hostile work environment.</p>
<p>So it’s not too early for this bozos to learn that actions have consequences. One person’s bad taste is another person’s cause of action. And I wouldn’t like to have to look at a pornographic calendar when sitting in my managers office, even when he tells HR “she should get a sense of humor, it’s just a joke”. And guess what- in 2014, HIS manager is likely to explain that if you want to have pornography displayed in the office, go get a job at a strip club.</p>
<p>Don’t see anything particularly “black” or mocking about the clothes in the photos. I don’t see anything “non-human” (a woman said blacks were being depicted as “non-humans” ??) about wearing sports hats, jerseys or baggy clothes. They look like any FB photos of college kids. I wouldn’t even know what the “theme” of the party was from the photos. Non story.</p>
<p>If I were a prospective student, black or white or whatever, I would want to know if incidents like this took place at a college I was looking at. I would also be interested in the reaction on campus. Outrage? Yawning? Excuses? And I would care what the students thought vs what the administration thought.</p>
<p>Story in my book. Instructions to “dress black” . . . at frat that is already on probation and isn’t even supposed to be hosting any parties? I see nothing out of proportion about ASU now suspending the fraternity. I may have missed it, but I didn’t see that they were kicking the student out of school for being insensitive boors (although some called for it). They are just making them do it on their own time and not as a member of an officially sanctioned organization. In a world where a well meaning wish of “Happy Holidays” is taken to be a war on Christmas, why should an intentionally disrespectful caper like this “in honor” of a national holiday not be called out? </p>
<p>I suppose I should just accept that frats are looking for any port in a storm RE drunken theme parties. It would have been more fitting, however, if all the young men in question wore a suit and tie like those who they were supposed to be honoring. I have a feeling that such a dignified presentation might have been costume enough for many of them ;)</p>
<p>And Lake W, I would hope that some day we can reach a place where it actually is surprising. When people with these attitudes grow up and come into positions of management and power they may very well infringe on the rights and opportunities of others. Changing attitudes happens incrementally and it takes some push back at times like this to keep the change heading in the right direction.</p>
<p>I am not saying that people should make a federal case out of it or put it on the national news, but I see nothing out of proportion in an ASU or local media response.</p>
<p>Because it’s a state school supported with public money. They cannot tolerate racially insensitive incidents. I don’t like being mocked because of the color of my skin, especially by people I don’t know. Prior to the civil rights movement, this kind of behavior by white people predicated a lot of lynchings, because they knew they could get away with it, so yes, suspend them. YES, get it all over local the media, including their full names, so other locals can know who they are. They are adults if they’re college students, after all. After being denied a few jobs, maybe they’ll learn these kinds of jokes are no longer acceptable and will not be tolerated.</p>
<p>State institutions do have to watch the freedom of speech line in their actions. Suspending the TKE chapter does not cross the line, because the TKE chapter was clearly in violation of its probation terms of “no parties” which was imposed after a fight. Disciplinary action against the TKE chapter’s officers for willfully violating the probation terms by having the party may also be legally safe for the school to do. But disciplinary action against individual students at the party for mere “speech” type of actions (however insulting) would be more questionable in this context.</p>
<p>Of course, freedom of speech includes freedom to make a fool of oneself.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus-Freedom of speech protects you from criminal prosecution. It keeps you from being arrested, going to jail, or being executed for the things you say. It doesn’t protect you from being suspended or expelled from school, including public schools, for the things you say. Freedom of speech was never consequence-free.</p>
<p>If I were a prospective student, black or white or whatever, I would want to know if incidents like this took place at a college I was looking at.</p>
<p>well, considering so many colleges have some of these incidents, it would be hard to choose one that is incident-free. And if you found one, then an incident might happen during your four years…then what? leave?</p>
<p>Even the UCs which are sometimes thought to be pretty progressive in regards to racial issues, have problems with students acting in racist ways. </p>
<p>when you have a bunch of 18-22 year olds, you’re going to get some bad behavior…racist incidents, arrests, sex crimes, under-age drinking, and so forth. </p>
<p>I’m guessing that the larger the school, the more incidents there will be.</p>
<p>The fraternity suffered a public backlash Tuesday after photos were posted over the weekend of party attendees wearing stereotypical clothing, such as baggy basketball jerseys, bandannas and baseball caps worn backward, and drinking out of watermelon cups. Students used hashtags such as #blackoutformlk, #ihaveadream and #mlkparty to accompany their photos.</p>
<p>I find that pretty offensive. Arizona hurt that Florida is taking attention away from them?</p>
<p>What seems like a million years ago now we attended a co-op toddler group with a parent education component. A very wise “toddler group teacher” said that a 2-3 year old’s job in life is to gain independence and test boundaries. Hand in hand with that a parent’s job is to help them to learn where those boundaries are. 18-22 year olds are quite similar. They are sort of kind of adults but still working on wise independence and exploring boundaries. Yes, we should expect that. However, I think that it is good for all concerned that in cases like this they discover that there are some very firm ones and that the grown ups in the room aren’t afraid to enforce them where appropriate.</p>
<p>Sort of kind of adults?
Maybe if they arent ready to behave as adults, they should live at home with mommy & daddy instead of expecting the state to parent them.</p>