Why Similarly Offensive Party Themes are Socially Acceptable?
When first viewing the film Dear White People I was appalled at the end scene of the blackface party encouraging students in attendance to “unleash their inner Negro.” I couldn’t imagine that happening in the world today and people actually attending something like that. However, after thinking about it for a bit, I realized that I have (and I’m sure most other students) have taken part in celebrating similarly inappropriate college themed parties. For example a classic theme here is cowboys and indians- where people dress in minimal clothes, walking around with feathers in their hair and face paint on their cheeks (calling themselves indians). Is that theme not equally offensive to Native American culture as a blackface party is to Black culture? Or what about a fiesta themed party where students walk around in sombreros and ponchos drinking tequila- is that not as offensive to Mexican culture as a blackface party is tho Black culture? We all know that Native Americans and Mexicans do not walk around like that, so why is it okay to portray them like so? Why do these themes pass as socially acceptable? By writing this post I’m not at all trying to defend the blackface theme- I do think it is incredibly offensive and shouldn’t be allowed. But rather I guess I am asking why no other culture has stood up to defend themselves against such political incorrectness, or why we haven’t heard about it if so.
On a different note I do take a bit of offense to the title of the movie because white people are not the only group to take part in furthering such stereotypes. And from personal experience I have seen many Black students attending cinco de mayo and cowboys and indians themed parties without thinking twice. So no culture is really innocent when you think about it.
I agree with you, if black face themed party were to happen on this campus there would most likely be a sizable backlash. However the same would not occur for a Native American or Mexican themed event. There is backlash against culturally appropriating these and other cultures, however it does not get the attention or air time that black culture does. It is generally a much smaller group voicing these complaints. A few years ago there was a campaign that ran against culturally appropriative Halloween costumes, and while I do know a lot of people who saw them, they were generally regarded as jokes and not taken seriously. Maybe it is because there is not the same kind of widely publicized tensions surrounding other minority groups that makes people not take these as seriously or just not think anything of it. There is also a lack of education on the negative effects of appropriating stereotypes
I think college students in general do not understand the ethical and political implications of having ethnocentric party themes. While I have seen people dressed as cowboys and Indians during Halloween, I have never encountered a party that specifically had that dress code. Since the Indian population at Lafayette is slim to none, it could be a valid reason why no one has taken offense to such parties. In college, everything goes until someone blows the whistle and I think that college students are simply testing the boundaries of what is acceptable and what isn’t. But one point you do make that I never thought about it how the title Dear White People may be offensive to Whites. As a New Yorker, I am well aware that Whites are not the only ones who are racist, but it never occurred to me that the film could be perpetuating racial biases through its title. I think this title was chosen because White people are the film’s target audience; however, I do think a better title could have been chosen, one that is less offensive to any particular group.
What was shocking for me after viewing Justin Simien’s movie Dear White People were the news clippings he included during the credits that depicted how often this type of racial insensitivity actually occurs on American college campuses. As to the question of why similarly offensive party themes are socially acceptable, I definitely think the history of the relationship between black and white Americans plays a huge role in this debate. People still get uneasy and hesitant when discussing the years of slavery in American history, and honestly it is a touchy subject. Using blackface to blatantly objectify and mock a race our ancestors once enslaved probably stirs up more heated emotions than a shot of tequila and sombrero on a Friday night.
You are right about one thing. Other races are not standing up for themselves as much as the black community is, but there is a reason for that. The obvious answer is because America has oppressed black people ever since slavery. It’s the first race we look at when it comes to racial issues, because it is the most prominent. Not discounting any other minorities, but that’s the reason we see the black community before all else, because we oppressed them the most. Also taking offense to the title is not really the point, and if you just look at the title and think it’s only that at face level, then you missed the whole point of the movie. The movie wasn’t just a movie bashing on white people, it was about the individuality of the characters, who they are and what they represent. This movie could have been named Dear Spanish People and it would still have the same concept. Beyond that title are four genuine characters who are trying to figure out who they are as people, specifically within the black community. The movie never states that Spanish, Black, or any other race don’t do what the white people have done, but the movie is not wrong by having white people at the forefront. It is a matter of privilege.
I thought this was incredibly interesting and for me brings up the thought that as long as it’s not me it’s okay. Honestly, I am guilty of definitely thinking that black face is worse than wearing feathers or sombreros. At first I thought that maybe it was because of the American history of slavery and oppression of blacks in general, that we as Americans are more culturally sensitive to the black struggle. But then I thought about the oppression of Native Americans and how awful it is. A few things that come to mind are Tiger Lily from Peter Pan, Andrew Jackson, and casinos. American culture in some ways has been worse to Native Americans, and life on Indian Reservations today is pretty terrible. I think this is an even harder conversation to have than the one about black racial problems. As a white girl, I find that I live a pretty privileged life and at least the movie accomplished in getting me to question that privilege.