A YouTube video,
recently posted by members of Lambda Theta Delta, an Asian American fraternity
at UC Irvine, has sparked outrage, controversy, and allegations of racism. The
video is a parody of Suit and Tie by Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z. In the parody
one fraternity member appears in black makeup to impersonate Jay-Z. While the
students said they were just having fun and in no way attempting to be racist,
other student organizations and the university’s administration have condemned
the video. The university’s vice chancellor for student affairs said that
whether or not the video was intended to be racist, “it is reprehensible.”
Many
student organizations, including the Asian Pacific Student Association and the
Black Student Union, have called the video “deeply offensive” and have made
formal complaints. At last night’s Greek Council meeting, many students
gathered in protest. In response to the apology, posted by the fraternity to
its Facebook page, one black student said, “Your insufficient apology is not
enough and it will never be enough,” and accused the fraternity of using
blackface in their videos on multiple occasions. Lambda Theta Delta denied
these allegations; however, another video surfaced in which a student wearing a
grey undershirt and red bandana wears blackface. The fraternity president said
that the video was recorded at a 2010 Halloween party and was then edited into
the chapter’s 2012 recruitment video. He said that while the costume was not
fraternity approved, it was “the equivalent to a female powdering her face to
go as Snow White.”
The
fraternity has claimed that they believe the behavior of its members in the
video is offensive, insensitive, and unacceptable; however, from the
president’s last comment it appears that they don’t take the matter very
seriously. It is obvious that they don’t view these videos as racist. Instances like this have occurred at many
colleges all over the country. For example, “gangsta” themed parties and
fraternity/sorority swaps are very common. At these events, students wear the
stereotypical clothing of rappers and girls in rap videos, and in some
instances, even blackface.
While
blackface is typically thought of as racist, these college parties are not.
Even when they are accused of being racist, the usual “its not racist because
I’m not trying to be racist” defence is used. This was exactly the excuse given
by the Lambda Theta Delta members that posted their Suit and Tie parody. In a
case like theirs, where blackface is used, this excuse is rarely considered
valid, but what about when things don’t go quite that far? Is this excuse ever
valid?
I don't think this excuse is valid because you should mean what you say and say what you mean. If the Lambda Theta Delta members said/did something racist, it can only be interpreted as such by others who do not know their intentions. Intentions are not always present in what one says, but that does not matter. You can't say something based on hope that people will be able to read through the lines and only see your intentions. This excuse, like you said, is hard to accept because of the blackface, but it would not be acceptable under other circumstances either. If one makes a racist joke, but puts it off as simply something for humor, that does not detract from the fact that it was in fact racist.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Annabeth. Your intentions are not conveyed in your actions, Even though you may not be trying to be racist, no one can interpret your intentions and it is therefore conveyed to the outside world that you are in fact, being racist. The excuse of not trying to be racist is seriously just ignorance at its finest.
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