Comments

1. vandia wrote:

   Ummm……I don’t know what to say! I would grudgingly hand out a medal to the person who said we will see more of these incidents. What could be the explanation?

   Posted 08 Feb 2007 at 3:32 pm ¶

2. Karen wrote:

   Two idiots at a party does not an “incident” make.

   Rather than listing all these student “incidents,” why don’t we focus on what can be done to encourage better understanding?

   Posted 08 Feb 2007 at 3:37 pm ¶

3. Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:

   Karen, see here:
   http://tinyurl.com/y2zq7z

   Posted 08 Feb 2007 at 4:01 pm ¶

4. Brad wrote:

   I work in a inner city trauma center in Tampa. I get stereotypes rubbed in my face all the time from black and latino gangbangers shooting eachother and others, poor white trailer park people, illegal immigrants etc. I DON’T FIND THIS FUNNY. Completely inexcuseable. Forget the coming together crap. If I walk into a hospital function like this I would be fired on the spot, no questions asked . These need to be expelled without refund of their tuition. The dean needs to lay down the law.

   Posted 09 Feb 2007 at 12:10 am ¶

5. Erica wrote:

   Two idiots at a party does not an “incident” make. — No, but a dozen parties across the country, many over MLK weekend, does. Maybe not drinking 40s while wearing a wifebeater, but BLACKFACE? Seriously?!

   I put this up on Metroblogging Twin Cities. Thanks for the tip, Carmen.

   Posted 10 Feb 2007 at 1:50 pm ¶

6. Ian wrote:

   I’m sorry, but this is not a news story. It’s hype. The intention of the party at macalester was to make fun of stereotyping, but you won’t hear that in the news. Why? Because it doesn’t make a good news story. Whoever said that about the students needing to be expelled needs to stop judging on things they know nothing about

   Posted 11 Feb 2007 at 2:40 am ¶

7. Kynn Bartlett wrote:

   Has anyone mentioned that this also happened in Tucson, at the University of Arizona?

   Link and another link.

   Posted 11 Feb 2007 at 2:43 am ¶

8. Brad wrote:

   Ian With all do respect I don’t want to judge anyone based on hearsay. But my opinion still stands. If the information in this is correct, than these students need to be punished. Some these students one day are going to school to be lawyers, doctors, egineers etc. Would you want someone in charge of your health or legal matters acting like this? One of the reasons I started posting on this site is becuase I have been dating interracially for the last several years with an Asian American Female (yes it is the ever popular Wm/Af combo) But that is another rant for anther day. If my girlfriend were sick and I found her doctor was making ching chong jokes or whatever, I would have very serious questions about the care being given. I just believe you should treat people they would like to be treated that’s all. As I said in the earlier post i work as EMT in a major truama center in Tampa I’am also atteding the Fire Academy to be a fireifighter (down in Florida you need to be medically trained to be a firemen) would like hearing how firefighters or hospital personel throwing racist themed parties? I dont think anyone on this board would be pleased to hear of it.

   Posted 11 Feb 2007 at 10:54 am ¶

9. Colin wrote:

   Ian,

   If dressing up as a slave who’s being lynched by a Klansman, one would not be breaking any stereotypes, they would be reinforcing them.

   Maybe there’s something I need to be educated on, because if making fun of stereotypes means making fun of people THROUGH displays of stereotypes, well, it just seems like there’s a logical gap involved.

   And the thing where people said, to paraphrase, “No one at the party was offended,” is dubious at best, and disingenuous at worst.

   1. Why are we to believe that people from offended groups, like descendants of West African slaves, would attend such a party in the first place?

   2. Even if blacks, if we define the aforementioned group as such, do attend the party, why would or should anyone believe they were not offended? When in an environment where a non-black person, I’m guessing white, paints themselves to mock black skin, and then puts on a noose to mock the violent and brutal killing of blacks throughout American history by the Ku Klux Klan, when are offended blacks supposed to feel comfortable telling you they are offended by your supposedly harmless fun?

   3. Even if somehow there were blacks at the party, and they didn’t understand the circumstances behind the racism involved in the party, how is that supposed to represent the offense upon an entire population in America?

   4. How do parties like this NOT engender a racist atmosphere, an unfriendly atmosphere where minority groups are made to feel unwelcome, unincluded, unwanted?

   How do these sorts of parties, these outlandish, even if unknowingly so, displays of racist ideas NOT tell whites it’s okay to hate and non-whites they won’t be truly accepted socially as people, but as a collection of stereotypes?

   5. “In a place where stereotypes and acceptance are so politically correct, it was a fun idea to try to go against that.”

   There’s the term ‘politically correct’! If only I had a nickel every time someone used the idea of being anti-PC, I’d have a bunch of nickels, lots of nickels. But enough about nickels…

   Political correctness, the idea that critical discussion of racism, sexism, etc. in America is anathema to the First Amendment of the US Constitution, is a lazy excuse for a defense for racism-apologists.

   Ian, I would hope you don’t honestly subscribe to an ideology that says being racist to be offensive is somehow better than criticizing said racism, but if you think as this David Nifoussi supposedly does, then I would better understand how you could think that the party wasn’t doing anything bad.

   I hope I am wrong.

   Posted 11 Feb 2007 at 5:43 pm ¶

10. Misunderstood wrote:

    I’m a student at William Jewell, and I would appreciate it if some of you would take the time to hear another side, rather than the media…

    Dear Student Affairs,
    If I’ve learned anything about William Jewell in the past week, it’s that they love blowing things out of proportion. The way you handled the incident involving a student dressing up in “blackface” offends me. Notice I didn’t call it a “racially motivated event”, because the event in fact was NOT racially motivated. This event has been debated between many students…and one said “The intent doesn’t matter…it doesn’t matter whether or not he intended to be racist.” Well, guess what…yes it does. If the student in fact did not INTEND to be racist…then it is incorrect to call this a RACIALLY MOTIVATED event. Perhaps you should choose your words more carefully before you decide to send out a mass email to the student body regarding this incident. Also, maybe you should inform the dean of students more of the details before you let him address the press. Headlines of numerous papers stated that “7 WHITE MALES were involved in a racially motivated incident.” 7 White males, huh? Maybe I was misinformed, but I heard from people who were involved indirectly that there was an Asian, an African American, and a Female involved. 7 White Males? It’s really hard for me to respect your intentions when you don’t even bother to get the facts straight; you made the situation look worse than it actually was. I feel like you used this situation as a Platform to lift yourselves up and make Jewell look like angels. Did you stop and think about what you were doing to this student? I did not attend the town hall meeting because I had other obligations, but I heard details about it. I know that an African American stood up and defended the character of Jerome, and said that he’s not a racist individual and that he worked with him on a mission trip. This individual was ignored, and everyone else just went on ranting. There are a number of African Americans who have said that you blew this way out of proportion, so you can’t tell me that they were hurt THAT badly. The way you handled it hurt this individual and many others more than he hurt anybody, especially since he didn’t even INTEND to hurt anyone. It was YOU who caused the hurt. I believe that this situation should have been handled within these students and the school. Privately. I’m not defending what they their actions; it was a stupid thing to do. I can’t remember ever being this frustrated with an organization. You claim you want to “heal” all of those who were hurt by what Jerome and these other students did…YOU did the hurting. YOU sent out a mass email and exaggerated the facts. They were goofing around and trying to scare their friends, mimicking a you-tube video. Did I mention that there was an AFRICAN AMERICAN involved? Everyone who knows Jerome knows that he didn’t do this to hurt anyone. People make mistakes. People are usually given opportunities to LEARN from their mistakes. Well, not at William Jewell, apparently. This situation has made me question the kind of institution I’m attending. One of the nicest guys I know was forced to leave the school because of your poor actions, and I’ll probably never see him again. Thank you for that. I am not racist. I am not ignorant. I AM empathetic. I understand the hurt that this may have caused individuals, but you didn’t inform anyone of his side of things. Only a handful of people know what really went on. When I read the email I was in shock that somebody would do that. When I heard what REALLY happened, I was in shock that Jewell would be so careless. I know you’re reading this and you’re thinking… “We didn’t release his name.” Well, this is a small enough campus, anyone could find out who it was by asking a few people. I don’t feel comfortable attending an institution that cares MORE about their REPUTATION than a student’s life. This is supposed to be a CHRISTIAN school. Last week, I didn’t feel like I was attending a Christian school. I am offended as a Christian. I am angry. I have lost respect for William Jewell, an institution that I was so excited about attending. I will continue my education here, but I can’t promise that I will talk highly of the school, because I would feel that I was lying. Like I said, I am offended, angry, hurt, and confused…and I know for a fact that many other people are too. What are you going to do about it? Nothing, I’m assuming. Again, props to you for forcing one of the nicest guys I know out of the school for something that got carried away. I am tempted to sign my name, but I am leaving it anonymous because I don’t want to be kicked out of school.

    hopefully this gives you another perspective

    Posted 11 Feb 2007 at 7:05 pm ¶

11. Colin wrote:

    Misunderstood,

    Thank you for giving me another look, one from apparently inside William Jewell. It’s at least good to know you feel comfortable stating the case for the party with a group that you would think don’t agree with you, myself included.

    That all said, let me get to what is the meat of the problem for moi. (Carmen, I’m sorry this may be a little too “point-by-point”, if so, please let me know)

    Now, I don’t know if you wrote that yourself, if it was actually delivered to ‘Student Affairs’ or not, or what, so I’ll refer to the author of the piece as just that – “the author” or some facsimile.

    *The author’s stating that intent is unimportant in this case misses quite a bit of the point, for me at least. To say intent determines what is, or even should be offensive ignores social responsibility on the part of a speaker or presenter, etc. Also, from what I can tell, it also seems to put the onus for the offense taken upon the offended, it becomes the victim’s fault that they are hurt, because they’re taking it to be offensive.

    Taken like that, I cannot, in all honesty, understand how someone can boldfacedly tell someone offended by this incident, implicitly, “I know I mocked your skin tone and your heritage and I know I made crude, disgusting remarks about you seem cool and hip, and I know I made entertainment out of rehashing tired caricatures, but I didn’t mean to, so stop feeling hurt! It really offends me when you get hurt by my senseless actions, okay?!”

    I have more to ponder over in that letter, but I believe this was the biggest worry, this idea that the people who see racist attitudes, racist stereotypes, racist imagery promulgated are best just rolling with the punches cannot be left alone by any empathetic, anti-racist individual.

    Saying that, I thank you for your forthright nature.

    Posted 12 Feb 2007 at 7:09 am ¶

12. merq wrote:

    Misunderstood:

    Surely, you’ll understand if I say I didn’t read much of your post.
    The Enter/Return key is your friend.

    Posted 12 Feb 2007 at 8:01 am ¶

13. Sewere wrote:

    Merq,

    O fe pa mi… Trust you for the one-liners that leave me clutching my sides…

    Posted 12 Feb 2007 at 7:56 pm ¶

14. fgs_sfdg wrote:

    As for Misunderstood’s post, just read all the capitalized words (preferrably in a single breath), and you’ll get the gist of the argument.

    Posted 12 Feb 2007 at 9:41 pm ¶

15. Jason Wilkes wrote:

    There is nothing innocent about Black Face. The thing is that people that do “Black Face” are not making flattering impersonations. They are not putting on brown skin makeup they are putting on black colored makeup red lipstick and acting like apes, and morons. That’s the problem. And why is it only Black people that are being made fun of. Why is there an inherent desire in this country to degraded people of African decent? That’s the bigger question.

    Posted 25 Jul 2007 at 9:36 am ¶