Friday, February 19, 2010

When they promise you a taste of “life in the ghetto” you can thank Hollywood and Wack Rappers.

A White Fraternity at UC San Diego decided to celebrate Black History Month the best way they knew how. The good men of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity decide to have a ghetto-themed "Compton Cookout." Nothing says Black History Month like urging women to dress as "ghetto chicks" that "usually have gold teeth, start fights and drama, and wear cheap clothes."

Somewhere there is an ill informed black person that is saying “its 2010, I can’t believe this type of stuff is still happening.” Well dummy, it is!!! I’m not going to go into the usual “Boycott/Request someone be fired/I hate racist people/ rant because I’ll save that for the Rev. Jesse Jackson (if he isn’t somewhere fixated on President Obama’s nuts).

Danny Widener, a UC San Diego History Professor, said that less than 2% of the undergraduates at the school are Black. And he described the environment as being, “inhospitable to them.” He also said “the campus climate is one in which you (i.e. Black Folks) are constantly regarded as a statistical anomaly at best.”

Well Professor if you know this, why are you still teaching at “KKK University?” This is problematic because it speaks to the overall climate of the university. Why do blacks make up only 2% of the campus population? What is UC San Diego doing to actively recruit blacks? Is it possible that the lack of diversity on campus has made white students feel that their ignorance towards blacks will be rewarded? And why are minority professors teaching at places that don’t promote diversity. Trying to get tenured? Wanting to work somewhere close to the beach?

I’m biased because I went to an HBCU for undergrad. Unlike the black folks at UC San Diego, I went to a school that actually wanted me there. I didn’t have to worry about being discriminated against during Black History Month. Sometimes it might not be in your best intrest to fit in, because you might get what you pay for......but I digress.

Once again, white folks have decided to play fast and loose with stereotypes to get a quick and cheap laugh. The majority of blacks don’t live like these played out stereotypes but that doesn’t stop Hollywood or your favorite Rapper from portraying the types. Sometimes I don’t’ know who to be mad at. Hollywood for pandering to white audiences with inaccurate portraits of black life or Rappers for pandering to white and black audiences with how they think black life is. Happy Black History Month people!!!!

5 comments:

Val said...

Outstanding post, CO! Outstanding! And UC schools make me sick taking my tax money and then excluding people that look like me.

Anonymous said...

Why are you attacking Danny?

Citizen Ojo said...

Val - I appreciate your kind words. Thank you.

Anonymous - My problem with Danny is why would a man teach at a place that he says treats blacks as numbers. He was the one that talked bad about the school not me.

the uppity Negro said...

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaah....

Hmmm, heard about this one and kinda rolled my eyes and smugly said to myself, "This is why I went to an HBCU."

Seriously, whatever %'age of them that went there cuz they "wanted a real life/world experience" rather than go to an HBCU, then I simply say "Have fun with that one." And for the ones that didn't have a real choice to leave the city or the state--well, hell, you're just SOL.

NEXT!

Citizen Ojo said...

The Uppity Negro - ha ha, you got no love for them... ha ha ha. I shouldn't laugh but I get so tired of hearing that "wanted a real life/world experience" bullcrap. Reality is where you are, it's not a place you go to.