I came across this article on facebook and felt the need to comment. Some of you ladies, especially the author of this article, seem to be too self-absorbed to grasp the point. The party is offensive because it is portraying a stereotype of a personal identification. This is not the same as themes such as toga, celebrity, hippie, etc. To spell it out for you as simply as possible: think about your home state, and for this example let’s say you are from Alabama. You were raised in Alabama, and those you care about also identify with Alabama. Then you go to a college in the northeast, and nearly everyone at that school is from that region. They throw an “Alabama party”, and the most popular costume is overalls without a shirt, “im stewpid” written in sharpie on the forehead, and fake rotten teeth. Now, surely there is at least one person in Alabama who dresses like this. And let’s not pretend it’s not a real stereotype of the south (offended yet?). The bottom line is that even if the party-goers like you and know you are from Alabama, the party sends the message that, at this school, students believe people that the population from your state is poor and ignorant. Sure, it’s a harmless party, but it creates a harmful environment for learning when you’re sitting a classroom with people who have demonstrated that you have something to disprove in order to gain their respect (you may be white, but they can still hear your accent). So you speak less in class, make a lower grade, and lose a little bit of confidence. Does cultural insensitivity still seem so harmless?
I came across this article on facebook and felt the need to comment. Some of you ladies, especially the author of this article, seem to be too self-absorbed to grasp the point. The party is offensive because it is portraying a stereotype of a personal identification. This is not the same as themes such as toga, celebrity, hippie, etc. To spell it out for you as simply as possible: think about your home state, and for this example let’s say you are from Alabama. You were raised in Alabama, and those you care about also identify with Alabama. Then you go to a college in the northeast, and nearly everyone at that school is from that region. They throw an “Alabama party”, and the most popular costume is overalls without a shirt, “im stewpid” written in sharpie on the forehead, and fake rotten teeth. Now, surely there is at least one person in Alabama who dresses like this. And let’s not pretend it’s not a real stereotype of the south (offended yet?). The bottom line is that even if the party-goers like you and know you are from Alabama, the party sends the message that, at this school, students believe people that the population from your state is poor and ignorant. Sure, it’s a harmless party, but it creates a harmful environment for learning when you’re sitting a classroom with people who have demonstrated that you have something to disprove in order to gain their respect (you may be white, but they can still hear your accent). So you speak less in class, make a lower grade, and lose a little bit of confidence. Does cultural insensitivity still seem so harmless?