Last week, a UCSD fraternity held a party dubbed the “Compton Cookout.” This racist act was allegedly in “honor” of Black History Month. The event was advertised with the theme of “life in the ghetto.”
Male party-goers were asked to be “stuntin’ up in ya White T, anything FUBU.” Females were told to dress as “ghetto chicks” with “short, nappy hair.”
“This is not just mocking ghetto culture, it is linking ghetto culture with blackness,” said David Miller, Professor of History of Race and Ethnicity. Miller went on to point out that not all people who live in the ghetto are black and that 60 percent of Compton is non-black.
“Not all ghetto life is negative. Yes, there is poverty, unemployment, drugs...but the ghetto is also full of good people living good lives,” he continued. “It is wrong to say the ghetto is a ‘black’ thing.”
The “Compton Cookout” was inherently racist. It narrowed the scope of the black experience down to a few negative stereotypes. This type of climate leads to racial segregation and violence.
Defenders say that it was “all in good fun” and that anyone who is offended by it is nothing but a zealot for political correctness. But this seems to be a poor defense.
“I often think that people forget perceptions of racism and stereotyping are two-way streets,” said Carole Huston, a professor in the communication studies department. “The harm is judged by the reasonable response of any receiver. So if you say something that I perceive to be harmful, [you are] judged culpable.”
It doesn’t matter if the hosts of the “Cookout” claim that their party was not intended to cause harm. It did.
The reaction of on-campus media organizations, such as Koala TV, offer further proof that the party was not an exercise in innocent fun. After airing a segment in support of the party, a cardboard sign that read “Compton lynching” was found in the broadcast station.
The environment at UCSD is definitely hostile. Many minority students feel threatened and unwelcome. Black students make up only about two percent of the student body, a similar number to that at USD.
Others rush to point out that one of the alleged party organizers, “Jiggaboo Jones,” is in fact black. They feel that this proves that the party was not racist because a black man can make fun of his own race.
In reality, “Jiggaboo Jones” is nothing but a modern day minstrel, a caricature of stereotypes of black men. His website, JiggabooJones.com, includes everything associated with the black stereotype: fried chicken, grape soda and watermelon. Jones sells this image for a profit, all the while promoting negative prejudices.
Videos for the “Compton Cookout” on Jones’ website include white kids in blackface, echoing back to Jim Crow society and its minstrel shows. There is nothing funny about alluding to such an ugly part of American history.
The whole “Cookout” demonstrates how racism still operates in modern society. Advancements in equality have been made in the previous decades, as seen with the election of Barack Obama, and most institutional racism has been outlawed, but it can still operate under the radar in a more insidious manner.
Events like the “Compton Cookout” degrade a minority group and reassert the superiority of the dominant white culture. There isn’t a magic bullet solution for the monster of racism on college campuses, but education in the university setting, dialogue about these issues and constructive interaction between different people is what can ameliorate tense social climates.
Interacting with a variety of peoples provides a chance for prejudices to be challenged. It is essential to interact with diverse people instead of only forming perceptions based on the representations of minorities available in the media.
Classes that explore ethnic and racial diversity and the history of oppression encourage people to be more open-minded and understanding of how oppression has pigeonholed certain groups. UCSD’s Black Student Union has made a good start in requesting a diversity sensitivity requirement for all undergraduates.
“That is precisely why we need events like Black History Month. Folks need to be reminded about the diverse reality of the black experience,” Miller said.
The “Compton Cookout” was a racist event and a reminder that racism still persists. It should inspire us to renew our dedication to education about the history of oppression and the importance of compassion and appreciation of diversity.
"Compton Cookout" crosses the line
Published: Thursday, February 25, 2010
Updated: Thursday, February 25, 2010
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Now with that being said i just wanted to see what ladies are out there on the blog! shout out to all you cuties. Peace, love and Jake
What happened to the comments section on the womens history article? There was more than forty comments made before it was shut down, some excellent points were raised and a few femnist myths blown out of the water but no reason to shut it down. You cant stop the truth coming out simply by shutting down comments sections, it will surface elsewhere
To some extent the promoters of "Compton Cookout" have shown us again how thin-skinned and racially oriented the editors of this newspaper really are. Rather than respond to the satire of these promoters of "Compton Cookout", the editors resort to the old claim that "they are racists". This is one of the standard tricks of Big Libs to attack anyone who holds a point of view different than their own. They use this trick to try to quash any dissent and make an example of the person who was not sufficiently Politically Correct.Humor and satire are the enemies of such Big Libs and other totalitarians. For example, the Arab crazies attacked the caroonist who showed Mohammad as Bomb-Head. The Compton Cookout was satire in Spades, so to speak.If the editors of this paper were not so racially-biased themselves (Can you see how this unfair attack is used to demonize the other side in debate?) , they might ask whether the entire concept of a Black History Month is an idea whose time has passed. The special treatment of a racial group with the color of their skin used to flag a certain kind of History Month is contrary to the idea of a color-blind America and contrary to the notion that we are all created equally under the law. We are all Americans, whether we are Black or White or some other Color. By sticking with your Big Lib obsession, you have missed a more consequential argument being made by "Compton Cookout."Blacks in America perhaps are subject to a form of discrimination, but it is not from conservatives, rather it is from the Democrats, liberals and leftists (Aren't they all the same?). Blacks should not be told that they are victims, that they need special privileges to get into schools and jobs and that certain Whites are racists. Blacks should be told that they are the same as any other American, and that if they want to become anything they want (How about President?), then they will have to work for it.
The act of hanging a noose at a library is not a real threat against another individual. The hanging of a noose in this public place is a statement of sorts, perhaps a statement that Blacks should not receive special privileges. The statement may even be a statement to bring the question of low-Black enrollment numbers to the attention of all. The hanging of the noose statement, however, in no way threatens harm against any specific individual and in no way causes physical injury to another.
One may disagree with the sentiments of the noose-hanger, but to punish the person for his or her statement is an effort to punish the dissent of the person. The First Amendment right to free speech was adopted to protect the right of citizens to make statements free of the disapproval of others. It is the right to express disagreement that the First Amendment protects. Statements that others agree with and statements that are non-controversial do not need such protection.
The University's suspension of the student for the noose statement is an effort to chill free speech on a college campus. The suspension should be lifted immediately, and consideration should be given to replacing the University's provincial decision-makers who have trampled on this student's free speech rights.
The protests of students against the statement of the noose are essentially a form of speech too. The protestors are perhaps saying that racism still exists or that Blacks and other so-called minorities ("Whites", as they are labeled, are no longer the "majority" in California.) should continue to receive special privileges and additional special privileges. These protests are not just a response to the person who made the noose statement; if it were merely a limited response, they could have hung up a sign next to the noose to indicate their own disagreement. No, the protestors are largely seeking additional special privileges for themselves or other so-called minorities.
The protestors' idea of granting such special privileges for certain racial groups is antithetical to the idea of judging the individual by the content of character, as Martin Luther King described. The protestors' idea is also contrary to the idea that people should be admitted to college based upon that individual's qualifications (such as grades and test scores) for success in college. The granting of such special privileges (e.g., admissions preferences) has the effect, however, of discriminating against other individuals on racial grounds. We should be asking why these protestors are racially prejudiced against Whites and Asians who have superior qualifications for higher education. The racial prejudice illustrated by the protestors is at least, if not more sickening than a noose statement in a library.
Second, a fraternity definitely did not "hold" this party. Fraternity students may have been in attendance and/or been some of the organizers, but that does not mean it was a fraternity event. The media has turned this into a hurricane of poor journalism, and as a white UCSD student, I am suddenly forced to be politically correct day in and day out. "Battle Hate." What hate? Yes, the party invitation was in poor taste, but it was NOT racist. Yes, the university should launch a campaign to attract more African-American students. No, the university should not be wasting time and money investigating this party and launching an erroneous "racism campaign" to save their p.c. faces. To the writer of this article, I find it HILARIOUS that you actually think Jigaboo Jones was the party organizer. Are you kidding me? Have you actually watched his videos? He definitely was not the organizer nor was he at the party. He is a crazy online "sensation" trying to cash in on the sole fact that his face was used on the party invite. End of story.
You are a filthy liar and a Poverty Pimp Opportunist looking for trouble because you are either bored or have a victim complex or are trying to make something out of nothing so as to cash in on it personally in some way.
There is no racism at UCSD. Whites are actually a minority at UCSD as they are only 26% of the student body even though they are 42% of the California population. There has never been a racist attack against any Black student at UCSD. No black has been denied entry to UCSD due to racism, no black has been denied a job or a promotion at UCSD due to racism, and blacks actually enjoy a preferential "victim" status at UCSD, leading the University to bend over backwards to appease the Black Student Union whenever they demand anything, no matter how absurd the demand.
You are delusional liberals who have all taken too many classes offered by liberal professors.
In addition, No Fraternity held this party -- It was actually organized by a Black Comedian who calls himself "Jiggaboo Jones" to launch a new DVD of his.
There is real racism in the World - such as the Palestinians being repressed by the Israelis; or by the Blacks in the South of the Sudan being killed and enslaved by the Arab Moslems from the North, or by the Iranians and Turks and others who oppress their Kurdish minorities, etc... and so on. In contrast to the real racism in the outside world you bunch of pampered financial aid & affirmative action recipient crybabies look pathetic. Get real! Pick a real Major that will prepare you for the real world, and grow up and develop a sense of perspective and a sense of humor!
As far as the Koala goes, the Koala's producers are quite incendiary and are always doing things like this to piss people off on purpose...when the pole vaulter died they made fun of him...they are not representative of a massive school like ucsd they are more like a campus tabloid shock jock publication...
in terms of compton being 60 percent nonblack...this is biased because they are still a majority groups since that 60 percent of nonblacks is divided into many other ethnicities...
"most institutional racism has been outlawed" what federal or even private institution (business, college, etc.) still harbors racism? why is the qualifier "most" included?
outrageous broad claims without support....just plain journalism
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