critique of “ghetto fabulous” party
a quick post before i go to school this morning…..i just read yet another interesting article by Robert Jensen, this time about some law students at the University of Texas who threw a “Ghetto Fabulous” party where they dressed in afro wigs and wore gold chains, etc. Jensen is critical of the Dean’s response to the students, which has couched language and doesn’t confront the issues seriously:
The email to students doesn’t use the terms “racism†or “white supremacy.†The only reference to the racial politics of “ghetto fabulous†is the description of the party as being “named in a way that was easily understood to have negative racial overtones†and a reminder that being “racially insensitive†is inappropriate. While many of the students at the party may not have thought they were being racist, it’s essential that we name such activities as rooted in white people’s sense of privilege and entitlement, the result of historical and contemporary racism in a white-supremacist culture.
…First, Sager [the Dean] suggests that some students “might be seriously offended by the party, and especially by the pictures taken at the event.†No doubt many people were offended, and we all should avoid unnecessary offense to others. But the key problem is not that such images are offensive but that they are part of an oppressive system of white supremacy. In a pluralist society, we all can expect to be offended by some things other people say and do. Such offense becomes an important political issue when connected to the ways in which some people are systematically devalued and discriminated against.
Racist, sexist, and heterosexist images and words are a problem not merely because they offend but because they help keep non-white people, women, and lesbians and gays in subordinated positions. Framing the problem of oppressive systems as a question of offensiveness often leads people to argue that the solution is for the targets of the offensive speech or actions to be less sensitive, rather than changing the oppressive system. Sager’s email doesn’t suggest that, but it could play into that common feeling among people in the dominant classes. We live in a world in which the legitimate concerns of non-white people about racist expression and actions are often met by white people saying, “Stop whining — get over it.†In such a world, white people trying to resist racism should be careful not to do anything that could contribute to that.
The rest of the article is quite good. I really like Jensen’s writing, especially having just read his excellent book, “The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism, and White Privilege.”
Ride hard, ride free