But what most importantly is, is that I've truly discovered a new tone between seriousness and sarcasm. And I don't even know if it's funny. OPINIONS, dammit! I have them. And these opinions'll get you thinking, laughing, and yelling in no time. I write about what interests me. Perhaps, but not always, but most likely, I'll be writing about current events, racism, pop culture, hip hop, and ideas to change the world. So, make way!
i wrote a poe m a bout girls n stuff that you can read a mill ion timez if u want n stuff
So, I was jotting some ideas down about women and it turns out if you organize those thoughts in a way trying to make it all mean something more than the words themselves... that's poetry! Or so I'm told.
I guess I post poems here now sometimes. ... I'll be posting more articles and stuff, I just have been compiling and slacking.
Without further ado, here for you to judge... my poem about women!
Crowded strip
And look
A woman is
clearly a carnival
ride;
park and she's amusing
She amuses
if you listen
You're up and left
Her baited voice is drowned in the highest
Ferris wheel cart
No ticket
to get in
can be too pricy
With a winner every game
Grand prize
is hers
to award
Dump your trash
Give her your coat
And please leave with a smile
What is wrong with these individuals that would lead them to think and act this way? Just… look!
Aaaand… that’s the wrong picture. I’m sorry. I know I have it saved here somewhere. Let me just…
In the meantime, here is a quick review of what happened:
Fraternity brothers from Arizona State University’s TKE chapter held a party this past weekend (January 19) to spoof the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. It made headlines after someone, simply reported by CBS 5 as an ASU student, emailed pictures to Tempe local news outlets detailing the celebration’s racy theme. The student wrote with concern for the university’s Greek life stating that the chapter’s actions do not reflect TKE positively and that the whole fraternity should be embarrassed. He noted that the chapter’s very own president posted pictures online of the party; a party held annually whereat, the anonymous notifier writes, “all students dress up as a stereotypical black person”.
Aah, okay, here we go:
Again, what is wrong with these individuals that would lead them to think and act this way?
What’s even more disturbing — than throwing a “dress like a black person” costume party for all white people, that is — is what the prevailing images were that came to mind as these party goers asked themselves, “How do I look ‘black’?”
At least they didn't go with the "Kelvin" filter, right? That would have been embarrassing!
As seen in the pictures posted to the attendees’ Instagram accounts, their list of answers doesn’t appear to have been very long. Remarkably, there has been no evidence that anyone’s list contained black face-paint. But do keep in mind, there was at least one moment for each “MLK Black Party” attendee wherein they arranged a list like this one inside their head:
Okay, so, I’m making light of it and no one actually wrote a list. But the sentiments are the same. And in a way, that’s even worse. It’s worse that these ridiculous stereotypes were readily available as soon as the partygoers went to go dress up. And they actually did dress up. And they actually did go to the party. And they actually did post photo evidence of it for all of their friends to admire. These young people with the power to vote and impact more lives than just their own — these people seeking a higher education — actually did this.
I’m not going to go deep into what a possible punishment should be for the fraternity or for the students who attended the party. Suspend the fraternity? Remove the fraternity? I don’t care. That’s not the biggest concern in my opinion. Besides, I don’t exactly have my mind made up about “political correctness” or scripted “press conferences and statements” or “public apologies”. You can read about how the university has responded and the details of the frat’s suspension elsewhere. I will say that I think a punishment is important, but I also think that a culture that produces minds that see it fit to ridicule an entire race of people is a larger concern of mine.
And to those who will likely misattribute this to a matter of violated free speech or freedom of expression, I can only say that your passion for fairness is misguided. No one is saying these young people deserve to go to jail. And no one is saying it should be illegal to offend someone (or many someones). Saying otherwise and turning this into a discussion about the 1st amendment is straw man debating at its most annoying.
So, please, try this. Can you recognize that one reason universities promote Greek life is to display a standard for the type of student the school seeks to enroll? The same can be said about a specific chapter and its father fraternity. So, consider the following: ASU’s rapid attempts at rebranding the university as more than “just a party school,” its already complicated relationship with all its frats/sororities (which led ASU to literally demolish the frat houses and displace them further off campus), and the fact that this is not the TKE chapter’s first offense in recent years (Google it). With all that, how is it an attack on free speech to punish members of a fraternity that continue to violate codes of conduct and jeopardize the public image of Arizona State as a whole? The fact is, you may not find the TKE brothers’ actions offensive, but equally significant populations (be they larger or smaller) sure do. At the end of the day, which is more important: Letting a school-sanctioned group of college kids get drunk and pick on their fellow students (all because today is the day dedicated to a man who helped realize those fellow students’ civil rights) OR respecting the historical as well as modern-day sensitivity to those stereotypes; stereotypes that continue to negatively impact the race of people, not just outside of, but also within their own communities?
I’m sure some will roll their eyes. Even if they receive punishment, I'm sure those involved will continue to see the humor in the costume party. Sadly, even more will completely miss the point as to why it's even a big deal.
And to those people, I pose this scenario. Imagine this:
You attend the most populated university in America.
Students you don’t really know decide to throw a party in the name of your grandfather and dedicate it to your family [The McGees]. Partygoers are encouraged to wear costumes as the invitation reads:
“In honor of Sgt. Colin McGee, a man who fought to enrich and preserve the legacy of his family, please come to our party this weekend dressed as a member of the McGees."
Strange. You aren’t invited. Not that you’d go anyway once you find out the party’s not-so-hidden intention.
The next day, when you log onto your favorite social media site (take your pick), you see pictures posted from the party.
Everyone seems to have gone dressed as either a criminal; a cocky exaggeration of the McGees who have found success in a certain sport; and they didn’t forget the most important thing — to serve drinks out of food meant to indicate that as rich as your family history is, you’re still too stupid to expand your palettes beyond fruit served to 5 year-olds at birthday parties. I mean, I heard you guys really love your watermelons. That's so whacky! And stupid!
And just so there’s absolutely no way for you to misconstrue this imitation as genuine admiration, you see that the McGee Day Party attendees all sarcastically captioned their pictures with broken English alongside your grandfather’s most memorable quotes.
Free at last…
This is what these people think of you. This is what your fellow students think of you. This party serves as just another example that you can succeed, you can go to the same university, you can read from the same books, you can do everything expected of you (or unexpected of you) and it never seems to matter. To what feels like the rest of the world, you are every negative at once. You’re a thug. Your successes are a commodity. You’re unintelligent. You’re an outcast. You’re worthy of nothing but being the subject of ridicule. And you’re inferior. No, they don’t care about your feelings. To them, you are a nigger. Got it? Good.
Man, am I glad that was only hypothetical. Now, go eat some watermelon.
This was part one of two editorials about the ASU Racist Frat Parties. To read how I tie it into groupthink, pop culture, and the reclassification of blackness, Click Here
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