Friday, February 02, 2007

OLDER BLACK WOMEN ARE WISE BEYOND THEIR YEARS. YOUNGER BLACK WOMEN ARE...PROSTITUTES

The title comes from The Sarah Silverman Show, which was a lot funnier than I expected it to be. I enjoy Sarah Silverman a lot but she tends to tell the same jokes in different ways and I was a little afraid her humor wouldn’t translate well into a TV show. I will be watching it in the future if I happen to catch it but won’t be programming it into the DVR, at least not yet. However, she does know what is comedy and what is just plain old wrong.

Anyway, I was inspired to join on the bandwagon of discussing these fun college parties that have gotten completely out of hand. I’m talking about the “let’s act like black people” parties. Now I don’t remember any Pimps and Hos parties at Sarah Lawrence. I remember Sleaze Week and the Coming Out Dance when plenty of people looked like Hos but that certainly wasn’t the message. I also remember plenty of 40oz drink being consumed, but not with the intent that we were hardcore thugged out gangstas. Why not? Because while dressing scandalously and drinking 40s is plenty of fun, we had more sense than to think we were being “ghetto”.

College students these days are just getting stupider by the minute. Aren’t they supposed to be learning something? Aren’t they supposed to be in school becoming more socially aware and expanding their minds? Maybe that was only my aim in college and most people just don’t care as much. I guess that’s part of why I didn’t even consider any schools with Frats/Sororities on campus (except for UW Madison as a fall back but we knew I wasn’t really going there), cause I didn’t want to be surrounded by beer drinking retards (even though my Jr. year falls directly into that category). I realize this is a generalization and know there are some Greek organizations that do good work out there.

It seems a day doesn’t go by when I don’t hear about some party on some campus (and I rarely hear of students of color being at these parties) where people are encouraged to dress “ghetto” drink malt liquor and “act black”. Now any sensible person knows there are plenty of black people who would never consider acting that way. They also know there are plenty of white people (and of all other races) who act that way all the time. Even the people who are seen on TV with this type of attitude rarely sit at home on their couch acting that way (unless MTV’s Cribs is coming by) I actually saw (a white) someone’s facebook profile that had a picture of them at one of these parties with a caption under it that said “I’m black” and a friend comment “love the nig gear”. The picture has since been changed. Yet students that attend these parties continually say they are not being racist or offensive.

The shit hit the fan the other day when I read about one of these parties being held over Martin Luther King weekend with the title “Living The Dream”. These students also claimed they were not being racist or offensive. Who are they kidding? Last I knew Dr. King’s dream didn’t include ill-informed white college students dressing up and acting how they thought black people acted. I hear people say that racism is no longer an issue in this country every day. I can’t understand what they are seeing around them to make them feel that way. It mystifies me.

On a happier note it’s Super Bowl weekend and that means, per what I read on Michael C’s blog, that 90million people are going to be flushing their toilets during halftime. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. There is a little fear in Miami that there could be a problem. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA. Good times.

Zak and Sara, Ben Folds- I really love the Rockin’ The Suburbs album. My love for it was seriously highlighted when Ben Folds opened for Tori Amos in one of the greatest piano pairings of all time. That concert was amazing. Thanks Mom.

Hot Ones, Shudder to Think- A song from the fantastic Velvet Goldmine soundtrack. I spent so long listening to this soundtrack that I think it has been permanently imprinted in my brain and I can call it up without any type of actual media player. It’s a good power.

Happy Industries, Lupe Fiasco- A great local artist. This song is sampled from the oh so fabulous Feel Good Inc by the Gorillaz. Both are fantastic songs. Lupe spends half his song talking about how he is rhyming over Gorillaz. Speaking of a nice positive rap act let’s give Lupe Fiasco one big hug. He is pooken and I want to pat his precious little head as he kick pushes along.

13 comments:

Mrs. Loquacious said...

Do people get together and have Chinese parties? I've not heard of the "ethnic party" trend, although I have been invited to a few potlucks with ethnic-based food themes (e.g. "Mexican" or "Italian" etc.).

I wonder what a Chinese party would be like. Would people wear mandarin collars and kung-fu canvas shoes? Would they eat wontons and egg rolls all night long?

This whole college-ethnic party thing of which you speak sounds utterly ignorant, not to mention incredibly politically-incorrect!

Anonymous said...

This morning I sent an email to the local paper to register my outrage about a racist comic strip someone told me they ran a few days ago in which some idiot comic-strip writer thought it would be amusing to "threaten an african american" (I'm quoting what was quoted to me).

At lunchtime I read an article about some Mexican American gang members in LA killing African American people just for being black in their neighborhood.

Anyone who thinks that racism is a thing of the past needs to wake up. That's the first step.

BTW, I think there have always been stupid college students. That doesn't excuse them, though. And this new insanity is just plain wrong.

Foofa said...

Mrs L- I haven't heard of that, maybe because Chinese stereotypes aren't as "dangerous" and "fun". Personally I would love a wonton and egg roll party but I would certainly leave all the stereotypical mess out of it. I just like Chinese food. Obviously a potluck is different though. I was shocked to see how many parties like this there appeared to be.

Mom- Of course college students have always been stupid, I just hope they aren't THAT stupid. Racism certainly still is alive and well.

Michael C said...

Thanks for the shout out! Sadly, no matter how hard try, I never feel hip when I say that ;-)

I just saw a commercial for the Silverman show. I'll have to check it out.

I can't believe there are parties like that on campus. Is there any hope for our future??

little things said...

Grrrr.....the whole racism thing just drives me nuts as you know, Natalie.
I've heard of a pimps and ho's party but didn't associate it with any particular race. Now that I read this, I feel my stomach churning.
About two years ago, I was working at an famous architectural firm. A fancy man came in to 'write' our book for us. Since he was a well traveled handsome Latin man, I thought I would ask a few questions about his life and get to know him better. I thought he would be interesting, having done all that he did.
He lives in Boston, so I started with asking about Boston.
His response was something about project not being developed there because the "Irish" lived in the neighborhood.
Being Irish, I didn't understand what he meant and said so.
You know how the Irish are, he answered.
I responded that I really didn't 'know how the Irish are' and could he explain.
They are so stubborn, he answered. And now this building can't be built because the Irish complained about their neighborhood being torn down.
What an ass! I thought to myself.
It's not about them being Irish, it's about their neighborhood.
Gawd!

little things said...

And...what would happen at an Irish party?
Would be stand in corners and refuse to concede a point to each other?
Ha.

With Love, Fat Girl said...

I know what you mean. I work in a college, and one professor asked the students if they knew what NAFTA was.

Not one hand in that lecture hall of 200+ kids went up. The future looks bright.

Anonymous said...

"beer drinking retards..."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

I never thought you would so succinctly describe Matty Cole and Moskovitz. HA!

BTW, I read in the last SLC Alum update that one of those two is now the editor of the Advocate? HA!

And for some reason, I don't think it was Mike....but I could be totes wrong about that...

Johnny Yen said...

I have witnessed, and even been the recipient, in my life to just about every concievable combination of racism, and have concluded it's a human problem. I believe that there's no panacea-- it'll just take time and work.

When I see these things-- about the "pimps and ho's" and "gangsta" parties, I just cringe. I guess I've been fortunate enough in my life to have been around, been friends with, and even in love with people from varying ethnicities, and just can't imagine how people would not see how these things are offensive.

I know it makes me sound like a cranky old bastard (I'm all of 45), but I feel like there's a dumbing down of society in general that is crossing class, culture, age and ethnicities. Maybe that's why I've taken to blogging-- I feel like I've found a refuge from that trend.

At the very least, bloggers can write. I guess that alone weeds out a lot of the morons. : )

CS said...

I have never understood why people will say or do offensive things (and these parties certianly fall easily into that category), be told it's offensive and still insist that it is not. It's a pretty simple rule, really - if you are offending people, you are being offensive.

Anonymous said...

"Beer drinking retards" made me laugh a whole lot as well. Don't forget about the ones I lived with. Ah, the year of the bullhorn.

Uh...The Advocate? You've gotta be kidding me.

Steven said...

I Kind of expected the Sarah SIlverman show to be a little funnier than it was...

I dunno...I just didn't laugh.

Steve~

Foofa said...

Michael- There is hope for our future, I just haven't quite figured out what it is.

Little Things- People are all so incredibly judgmental (I'm by no means immune but I try) that I think you just have to confront idiots as they come at you and hope they learn something. Isn't St. Patrick's Day kind of one of these Irish parties? All sorts of non-Irish people deciding to be as "Irish" as possible and drinking till dawn. They probably don't concede many points either.

With Love- NAFTA? They really didn't know? That makes me want to cry.

Jaclyn- Really? Really? It sometimes makes me cringe to think that they have jobs. But honestly, for beer drinking retards they did have their moments. Like when they took the party outside to the lawn so I could study for MCATs. That was nice.

Johnny- I'm a cranky old bastard at 27, don't feel too bad.

CSL- To realize they are being insensitive would be too much like right. These people are all about wrong.

Brooke- You lived with many as well. Somehow yours seemed a little cuddlier. I just remembered the bullhorn played The Thong Song. My copy of The Big Lebowski has never recovered from the month of continuous play those boys put it through.

Steve- Yeah it could have been a lot funnier. I just really liked Cookie Party. I don't know why but it tickled me.