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1906254 Responseshttp://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/02/whats-with-the-theme-parties/What%27s+With+the+Theme+Parties%3F2010-03-01+03%3A45%3A22Sam+Richards to What’s With the Theme Parties?
Although I do believe that it is mostly white people who do have these theme parties and I do agree that it makes fun of stereotypes, I do not agree it makes of fun black people. I have personally been to 80’s themed parties and jersey shore parties. Although the one is offense to Italian Americans, the other is offensive to a whole generation. I do not know exactly what theme parties this person is talking about but I would like to know because in all honesty I cannot think of a theme party I have ever been to that stereotypes black people.
I’m going to be completely honest, questions like this annoy the hell out of me. Why would it ever be said that only white people hold “theme parties?” This literally sounds like a black girl that is completely uninformed about white people, and consequently makes ridiculous generalizations. I am a white male that has engaged in my share of parties over the four years that I have been at Penn State and not one time have I ever engaged in a “racist theme party.” The theme parties I have attended are as follows, white trash party (racist to impoverished whites if anything), CEO’s and tennis hoes, black light party, anything but clothes, toga party, costume party, strippers and nitrous, none of which are racist and/or bigoted. In fact the problem that exists is a lack of equality. People need to think of the repercussions of such accusations. I don’t think tat caucasians act a certain way toward parties and I certainly do not think that whites try to be racist when having theme parties. I am thoroughly disappointed by such accusations as I believe in a world of equality. I understand that at PSU, people are extremely cliqueish and so most times it turns out that blacks party with blacks and whites party with whites. Obviously there will be a few at each party, but when it comes to the majority the colors will remain the same. To take this information and assume that only whites have “racist” and “themed” parties is just absolutely ignorant. As I said before, I have never attended a racist party? The thought of it is absolutely ridiculous. I think that saying theme parties are only done by white kids and they are usually geared towards race is a small perception of what a theme party actually is. In my opinion, theme parties don’t have anything to do with racial issues. If you think about it, Christmas parties, thanksgiving parties, St. patty day parties are all holiday parties which are themed to that holiday but that doesn’t mean Christmas parties make fun of Santa Claus, or Germans. The reason why race relations gets so convoluted is because people see these kinds of parties and things going on in the world and make assumptions. Racial issues follow us everywhere but that doesn’t mean we can turn every little thing into a race issue. Themed parties in particular are just a silly way to make a party more interesting- like Halloween. We enjoy dressing up for the pure fun of it. I don’t think there is any malicious intent with a themed party. To make this jump and say themed parties are just white kids making fun of other races is just ridiculous.
I only read a few short little blurbs of others replies, but my opinion is pretty much the same. My guess is the girl that posted this heard of one or two parties that were themed "ghetto" or .. I honestly cannot think of any other party theme that would be offensive to blacks? But anyway, this girl probably heard of one or two of those parties and assumed that there were so many people that do that , when in reality its very few and far between. I have been to many themed parties here at penn state especially since I have been a part of THON for the past three year and just about every social that there is is themed.I have been to more themed parties that were more offensive and making fun of white people then anything else. And those themed parties were not just full of white people either. There were many people of different colors at these parties "making fun of white people". But even if there was a ghetto themed party, why is that so offensive? Maybe that kind of dress is typically black, but I also know a fair share of white people that dress 'ghetto". So therefore I would not be able to understand a black person ,thinking a bunch of white people dressing that way for a party, being upset about it. All I kept thinking about was Halloween. I'm pretty sure a lot of different groups of people are portrayed and mocked yet no one really says anything about that. People dress up as nerds, as goths, as cheerleaders, as jocks, the list could go on. And all of those groups are being made fun of. I guess what I am trying to say is that A. the girl who posted the video was wrong in her assumption that a LOT of parties thrown by "whites" are themed making fun of blacks, and B. I feel like there is not much justification behind being offended by people dressing up ghetto. And I keep saying ghetto, because like I said before I really have no idea what other kinds of themes there are that would be portraying a black person. I also think that it is unfair to assume that all these parties are being thrown by white people. Sometimes I feel like black people can be very quick to assume that whites are out to mock and make fun of black culture. That is really the farthest thing from the truth. I hope the girl that posts this video reads some of these and realizes her fault in assuming these things, but not to be discouraged since her question I understand came from a honest place.
I disagree. I’ve been to quite a few themed parties throughout my college career, which accounts for about 4 years of experience, and I have never been to a party that stereotyped black people. But let me give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that maybe I am just in a unique and narrow group of friends that hasn’t been invited to such a party. From my point of view, the idea behind having a party with a theme is not to insult any particular group of people, but rather spice up the social scene with something new. Parties are great, but over time, they can get to be repetitive. So what better way to bring new life to a party than to give it a theme? I am a white male, and I am trying to put myself in your shoes. My best guess is that you are putting too much emphasis on the theme itself, rather than the actual purpose of the party. When it comes to parties, at least at Penn State, the purpose is to celebrate, bond with old friends, and make new friends. I would like to think that we don’t throw parties to simply insult a particular group of people. And if we did, then we have made fun of just about every group of people including ourselves. I can’t think of what it is called, but there are themed parties where you find an old school photo of yourself and try to dress up exactly like it. If the point of the party is to insult a group of people, then many of us who have participated in the school photo party have insulted ourselves. There are also tons of other parties that don’t even make fun of a particular group. For instance, highlighter parties are very common at Penn State, as well as all over the country. What is the point of a highlighter party? Does it actually make fun of any particular group of people? The answer is no. It was just some cool idea someone came up with to help spice up his/her party and make it stand out from every other party going on that same night. A party is a party, whether it is themed or not. A party is just an excuse to gather friends together and have a joyous time. Adding a theme to it is just to switch it up from the regular once in a while. I think to say a party is insulting to a particular group of people means that you’re missing the main reason for having that party. I pity those who misinterpret the meaning of a party and take offense to it.
I think theme parties are not guided by race but more by television or some kind of media. The reason why I say this is because I see theme parties every weekend and they are always related to something in TV, for example jersey shore theme parties where hitting state college left and right at one point because of the mtv show that was being televise at that moment. With that said I can also see I guess white kids throwing different race theme parties but I mean I can just say that the reason for this is because people of color got more flavor I some way and me being latino don’t mind going to a white host party with a latino theme I just personality thing its big deal but that just me. I don tknow what type of parties that girl hits on the weekends but I have never seen a party were they disrespect a different race I mean if anything people worship rap music and the lifestyle from what I have seen in the United States. This might be irrelevant to the question but I feel like a lot of black people look for any excuse to bash of whites which is un fair cause they are pretty chill and yeah some ass holes and they usually get their ass kick but why come with attitude and shit taking because just sitting in class I have heard some black people just talking mad smack about people around then not only is disrespectful but annoying at the same time.
I’m sorry but I do not really understand why you think this. A theme party…racist? So when I go to an anything but clothes party, toga party, beach party, I’m attending a racist event? Oh, I really do not think so. I mean I can partly see if someone would have a “ghetto” party or something like that, but aren’t there white people in the ghetto too? And I mean what if a black person would come to a “ghetto” party? Are they then racist against themselves and the white people in the ghetto or whatever? But I do not really think many people actually have “ghetto” parties, I mean I have heard of people going to something about executive and something hoes or something like that, but is that not making fun of people in offices, etc? I am just a little confused as to why you would think theme parties are racist. I mean I really do not see it at all, but maybe that is because I am white and I do not see what you see. In any case though, I feel as though there are actually not that many parties with a racist theme running through them. I mean take Halloween for example, if I were to dress up like a “gangsta” would I be racist? But what if you were to dress up like a cowgirl, could I take offense to that? I really feel like Halloween cannot be counted in a racist theme party because if I dress up as something, it means I like it silly! Not that I hate it; why would I dress up as something I hate? I mean I know some people dress up as people to make fun of them, like when the Kate Gosselin costume was a hit this year or last year when I cannot even count how many boys dressed up as sorority girls (black leggings, ugg boots, northface jacket..classic!) but I feel they are just poking fun at them, not having hate towards them. Maybe there was an incident that we do not know about where there was a theme party having an underlying racist theme to it, but other than that, I really do not know how or why a person would like a theme party is racist. I mean people have “redneck” parties; my high school was literally surrounded by farms, I would not consider myself a redneck but I know many people who are and if I would attend a “redneck” party, I would not take offense to it, it is just a party after all. I feel as though if you are invited to a theme party, that you like to have fun so I think that you should just take a breath and have a good time and not worry about it.
I really don’t understand this blog question. I have been to many theme parties, none of which have had anything to do with race. Theme parties I have been to are like highlighter party, Jersey Shore, CEO and corporate hoes, anything but clothes…None have ever had to do with race. I have heard of doing white trash parties and maybe ghetto clothes parties which maybe this girl is posting about. I completely disagree with this post. I think that these parties, along with all parties, are meant to be fun. Isn’t that the point of a party? I don’t think anyone intentionally would have a party, especially at a place like Penn State where there is a lot of diversity, to try to hurt or put someone down. I think that someone claiming that theme parties are made to hurt someone or put down a persons race or ethnicity is a really far reach. It seems to me that she is really trying to make something out of this that really isn’t. It is one thing to not want to attend a party because you may not like the theme, but to say that they are creating this theme and party to put you down is really ridiculous assumption. The party was created for everyone to have fun. I am white and would attend a white trash social or a ghetto themed social because it’s a party and its fun. I guess I don’t read into things like this girl and some people do. I think that if you don’t like the theme that is one thing, but to claim everyone is racist and out to hurt your feelings by throwing that party is really silly. I think theme parties were created to simply change up the party scene, Themes such as Jersey Shore or ghetto pick that because it is easy to mimic the clothes. It is easy to exaggerate and mimic clothing styles so themes are often picked based on that. I have never heard a theme party be called based on race. I have never heard of a black theme party or an asian theme party. I don’t think these exist. Tying theme parties to race is a bit of a stretch in my opinion. I think that people should stop looking into things so much and take things with a grain of salt. Be mature enough to understand that the party was not created to put you or your race down but to be a fun time. I don’t think the people who created these theme parties put two and two together that people who are “ghetto” may get offended by ghetto themes but simply put the party together that is fun and easy.
I really don’t think that theme parties at Penn State are racist at all. There are so many different types of parties that go on and I think that the only reason that they happen is because people enjoy dressing up in outrageous clothing, not because of racial issues. I think that most of the time these parties are motivated by current trends in the media like the explosion of Jersey Shore parties all around the country. These parties are not making fun of Italians they are making fun of the ridiculous lengths the people on the show go to try and look “good”. Besides Jersey Shore parties I mostly see things like 80’s parties and highlighter parties which have nothing to do with race.
believe this to be a completely ridiculous statement/question. It's making something completely innocent and fun and twisting it into a cruel preconceived idea that has racial undertones. For one, the idea that white people throw more themed parties is a skewed idea, because for the most part white people have more parties in general. Around campus there are more fraternities that are predominantly white, so this
\\leads to more white people throwing these parties. Why is this? Simply because there are more white people on campus.
Two, the main point for themed parties is just to have an extra way of fun. Most times at these parties people feel that they are not attending something normal, so they have a greater urge to be more inebriated on what to them is a "special" or "different" night, as this is a break from the usual Friday/Saturday routine. Theme parties are not all racial sterotypes, like the poster of this video asserts. Some of these parties are racially offensive, at times, like “blunts and forties” nights , but this offensive behavior is not limited to satirizing only African-Americans. “Redneck wedding”, and even themes like “would you still date me if I dressed like this?” are both examples which go to show that theme parties at Penn State don’t draw their humor from only caricatures of African-American racist stereotypes. The subtext of these themes can be offensive though, since the underlying ideas behind them are racial stereotypes. People show their true colors, so to speak, when they show what they are really thinking when they host these kind of parties.
The main thing that I get from this question is the main thing I got from Dr. Mulveys book and recent video post, the fact that black vs. white always exists. This question of theme parties being racist is just an example of completely micro analyzing a situation from a racial standpoint, and turning into a racist thing. For one, if black people were throwing white and nerdy parties, this question would never be brought up.
I don't understand why it always has to be like this and why the argument always has to stem back to black vs. white. It seems that every chance that anything can come up that has any slightest bit of racial undertone, it is 100x magnified. The bottom line that it comes down to is nobody attending these parties is going out with racist intentions. No one is having a Nazi party with swastikas, or a slavery party with slave owners with their slaves.
Are we making fun of cowboys and Indians when we dress up like them? No, we just want a break from wearing a polo and jeans every weekend.
I don’t think this is racist thing. They also have themed parties such as “Jersey shore”, but they aren’t making fun of Italians, they have “sports” themed parties and that doesn’t mean they’ making fun of athletes. The parties this girl is talking about are “ghetto” themed parties. It just so happens that a majority of the people that live in the ghetto are black. It’s only when the two people being compared are white and black that racism enters the human mind.
Another thing isn’t it true that people from “ghetto” neighborhoods do dress differently than those from different areas. Those people being either black, white, Asian, or Hispanic, they dress differently because of their environment. If anything it is wrong to have “ghetto” themed parties because they are making fun of those who are poor. It’s not like everybody who sags their pants, wears fitted caps, and lives in the ghetto is black, other races all do the same thing. So this issue is only racist if you make it racist in your head.
I am not really sure I understand why this is even a question, as it seems from what I’ve read while scanning the other replies is the general consensus. I do not think partying is limited to only white people, all races party. It may seem like white students at Penn State party more because there are just more white people but if you went to a school where white people were the great majority people would still party. The fraternities throw a lot of themed parties and they are also commonly white. I will say I have been to my fair share of themed parties and never has one been against a race. I’ve been to anything but clothes parties, wild west, 90s, CEOs and corporate hoes, bright and tight, and even the famous Jersey Shore. I would have to say that would be the closest to a “racial party” but I don’t see it as making fun of Italians, it’s dressing like the people from really popular show.
Face it, especially at Penn State, people like, no not just like, love to party. Students will find any reason to go out any night of the week but routinely seem to focus on Thursday to Saturday. As long as people are responsible, there isn’t a problem with students trying to have a little fun. Obviously adding to the fun is getting to be someone other than yourself. It’s the same idea as dressing up for Halloween past the age of like twelve when it stops being acceptable to go trick or treating. People like to get the opportunity to dress up and be funny for a night with their friends. It is the perfect opportunity to wear those ridiculous shoes you had to have or uncommon shirt that you had no idea where to wear. I personally enjoy planning the outfits and even going out and buying some new accessories to really make an outfit. I’m sure if you ask anyone here who has ever been to a theme party their motives, they would give you some of the same reasons I did. I do not think anyone would ever say that their reason for having a Jersey Shore party was to exploit Italians or even having a ghetto party was to make fun of blacks, blacks aren’t the only people who live in the ghetto. If you wanted to go that far, wouldn’t that make a CEO and corporate hoes party against women? I don’t think so, it’s all just fun!
I think before you make these assumptions, you should take a chance and experience a theme party for yourself. It’s a fun time with friends and it makes for some great pictures!
Part 1
When I first heard this blog post I was so surprised at how that comment right there over generalized not only the white race but the black race as well. The whole point of this class was to become more educated so we would not make such comments that were totally not backed up by any facts and not to just base a whole race on stereotypes. I was seriously like what the heck is she talking about? I immediately went into defense mode as about a hundred and one reasons popped into my head of how this chick was wrong with various examples to back me up. What made me happy was that it got the same reaction from my discussion group classmates as it did from me. It made me feel like I was not just over reacting. We all could not understand what would cause this girl to make such remarks, until one of the TA’s explained the back story to it.
Part 2
This girl was in the TA’s class and this is where the topic was generated from. The teacher brought in an article about a Compton Cookout. What it basically was, was a bunch of white people came dressed as residents of Compton. As most know many residents of Compton are black. On the invitation it basically said to come dressed up in your ghetto wear like Rocawear and Fubu. Some decided to take it to far though as some of my classmates said by painting themselves black. This stirred up much controversy and that’s what made the girl in the blog post give a question like that. Knowing now more behind the story I can understand how the girl felt the way she did, but is she crazy to think that everyone is like that, that was a humongous generalization.
Part 3
I have been to many themed parties but never have I ever been to one that pokes fun at any race. If anything we made fun of ourselves more than anything. I have heard of many themes like catholic school theme party and white trash party, but never anything that in the slightest made fun of someone of different color. Another thing I hated about the way this girl stated her question was that only whites have themed parties. Really, are you crazy? I know for a fact that all kinds of people have themed parties not to poke fun at races but to spice up a party and make it more interesting.
Of course sometimes you will get costumes that may go too far like someone dressing up as Obama for Halloween and going as far as painting themselves. When you really step back though and think about it, it is not to be racist and hate on a person, but rather poke fun and make light of the person. Everyone gets made fun of it is part of life, just don’t take everything too personally.
I don't think that theme parties are inherently racist. I'd be interested to know what theme parties she's heard of that would make her think about that in the first place. Mostly they're sexist if anything. Always geared towards girls wearing as little as possible. Obviously "thug" parties are offensive but I can't think of any others off the top of my head. Really my only explanation for her is that white people look for stupid reasons to party. I think there's a huge difference in the type of parties that white people throw, and those that people of color have. White people try to get as drunk as possible as fast as possible. The few parties that I've been to with blacks have been more oriented to what I consider an actual party. Socializing, dancing, and having a genuinely good time. Maybe I just hang out with good people and there are parties with people of color who like to do keg stands and hook up with other drunk people. As to the person who said that Penn State is not a racist campus…open your eyes. It starts with admissions and radiates out. Look up some numbers.
I’m normally not a very angry person or get easily upset by peoples’ opinions, but for some reason this question¬or rather statement really struck a nerve. I couldn’t believe that she was making such a generalization that all white people have themed parties and they normally make fun of black people? I can understand why she would think that we have themed parties because in my experience at school I know for a fact that many occur. However, I could not disagree more about the statement that most theme parties are targeted towards black people.
Despite my immediate disgust after hearing this statement, I put off writing back to it for a couple days. During those days that I didn’t respond I became aware of the happenings at the UCSD campus. When my TA read the actual invite that was sent out on Facebook, I was shocked. It was one of the most distasteful pieces I have ever read. At first, I thought the title “Compton Cookout” was kind of humorous-not quite a difference between that and a “Trailor Trash” party, I thought to myself. And I think if the party was just entitled this, without the rude and discriminating description of the party, everything would have been fine; but with the description, it definitely pushed the envelope much too far. Later when I became aware that a noose was hung in the library of the school, I was appalled. How can people be so rude? Did they think it was funny? I would really like to know what was their motivation to do such a thing. It’s people like this who keep racism forever embedded in our society. I feel terrible for the white people who go UCSG and are now probably stereotyped as being racist; and even worse for the black people of the school who unfortunately have been targeted by this stupid party.
If I were to be honest, though, this is one of the first themed parties I have heard about that is directed towards the black population. If anything, I think most of the themed parties I have heard about are directed towards white people. Or there are parties that have themes that are just for fun. Although, I have seen people dress up as “thugs” or “wiggers” for Halloween, I don’t know of many parties where people get together and dress like “black people.” I put that in quotes because how do black people really dress? But coming back to the question “Why do white people have themed parties directed towards black people?” I really feel like we don’t, and before you make generalizations about parties, do your research. How many parties have you really heard of that make fun of black people? And this sounds like a stretch, but maybe if you hear of one, you should go and see what their all about. You sound like you’re interested, so why not see for yourself?
I want to start off this blog by saying that I am a white person just to make that clear. The next thing I want to say is that I think that saying theme parties are only done by white kids and they are usually geared towards race is not true of what a theme party actually is. In my opinion, theme parties don’t have anything to do with racial issues. When I think of the themed parties I have been too they have been CEO’s and corporate hoes, anything by clothes, Jersey shore, highlighter parties, beach parties, underwear parties, Catholic School Party, Toga parties, ugly sweater parties and stop light parties. If u wanted to make a case for something you could say the parties were sexist but that wouldn’t be true because the guys wear the same thing as girls. So you really cant say that either. Some people would say the jersey shore themed party people could be making fun of people from new jersey or of Guido or Guidets but they really are not they are just wearing what they wear. So I don’t get how that is making fun of them unless you consider that they make fun of themselves when they wear it. The next thing u can say the Catholic School Party is offensive to catholic’s but again it isn’t because they are not making fun of catholic’s all they are doing is wearing catholic school uniforms, so that would not be offensive. I really like what Furrbaybay said “ And after all, if I am going to a party I am probably generally going to be in a pretty good mood as it is. I'm not going to concern myself with what someone is wearing just because it might be over the top that is what the whole point of a themed party is for, to go crazy and look ridiculous. To say it is generally white people, that's not really fair. This school has more white people anyways, so if it is being represented at all you are going to see it more from the white side. That doesn't mean that African Americans aren't having just as much fun with the theme. No one is intentionally trying to offend anyone at a party, especially not an entire racial group. People drink, say and do stupid things, and eventually someone usually gets offended at one thing or another. Best to just remember that we are all trying to have a good time on a Friday or Saturday night and let it at that”. I feel that what he is saying hear makes plenty sense nobody is trying to have a [arty to offend anybody they are really just trying to have a hard time after a long week of classes.
i guess i never really thought about it. i have gone to a lot of theme parties in my day and i never once thought that they could be offensive to anyone. i just thought that it would be fun to "be someone else" for the night. this helped me realize that im wrong and that it probably is very effensive to a lot of people. however, i dont think that themed parties ever had the intention of being offensive. i think this because there are so many themed parties where they are not making fun of a race or ethnicity. i have heard of parties like "office hoes and CEO's" or "army hoes and G.I. Joes", i don’t think those are offensive to race at all. if anything i think themed parties are more likely to make fun of one's gender, often putting the word "hoe" in the theme name. and then there are themed parties that make fun of the white upper class like "country club hoes and tennis bro's", that’s not offensive to race, more like class. i think that people are focusing more on the racial aspect of these parties which isn’t necessarily fair. I do, however, understand how someone can find offense to it. Like if its some sort of gangster theme you almost only see people “act black”. These parties also seem to involve a lot of sterotypes, which are extremely insulting. I once went to a Mexican themed party and everyone was wearing the same thing, all falling underneath Hispanic stereotypes, I think more than half the girls at the party pretended to be pregnant. People only see that these parties shed a bad light on only black or brown people, but that is most definitely not the case. A couple of years ago I went to a “white trash bash” clearly it was making fun of white people. Or now because of the popular show “jersey shore,” jersey themed parties are extremely common, once again this is making fun of white people. I really don’t see the harm in these parties but I can definably see how some people would be offensive, they should just see it as bored kids trying to have fun by imitating other lifestyles. i dont think this "problem" will ever be solved, kids will continue mocking other lifestyles, and i dont think that they are necessarily a thing that needs to be "solved". i find little harm in themed parties. Although I do agree that there are many other ways to have fun without mocking a group of people, I really don’t see it ever stopping. I am Hispanic and I have never been offended by a themed party making fun of brown people. It is what it is, as long as people aren’t directly being malicious with their imitations, I can not get angry or upset.
Honestly, this disgusts me. I feel no compassion at all. Instead of trying to relate, I simply am more angry that the subject was even brought up. I wonder how much farther people can go to say things are racist. I feel like the more people try to be politically correct, the more people are offended by certain things. I can't believe that theme parties, of anything, are being discussed as "racist" happenings. People don't have these parties on purpose to offend people, and they certainly don't have them to make other people feel left out or segregated from the rest. I think that if anything, it's comments like these that draw people to be racist, not parties themselves.
In this instance, I wonder if certain black people will ever give white people a chance. Or, will they just continue to pick on every single thing they do in order to make them feel a sense of guilt? I'll admit that I've been to many theme parties, and I've even hosted theme parties. It never even crossed my mind that I was offending anyone. In fact, I was looking forward to bringing people together. When we all dress up as a certain thing, we are all being the same. We aren't segregating anyone or looking at differences in skin tone. We are simply uniting to "honor" whatever the theme it. It could be an occupation, a sporting event, a holiday, or anything… it doesn't even have to be about a certain race.
My question back to the original post is: do Irish people really get offended by the ever-so-popular “State Patty’s Day?” To my knowledge, it seems like they embrace it. Do they get offended that other people are celebrating their holiday? Wearing green? No. But according to the original person who asked the question, it could be possible. Anything could be possible. When can we stop being offended about the smallest things? We are developing more hate the more we draw these lines and distinctions between right and wrong. Instead of being offended, I think it would make “race relations” a lot easier if we all just loosened up a bit and were not so harsh and judgmental of every single thing.
I think that instead of criticizing people on the parties they choose to have, they should look at people's intentions and people's values. I don't think I should be judged on my social choices, rather the way I interact with other people in every day life. Yet, instances like these make me wonder if the "offensive" behavior will ever end, or if people willl find any instance they can to say that someone is acting in a "racist" manner.
First, I don’t think that it’s only white people who have themed parties. However, I’ve read many posts that say that they’ve never heard of any themed parties that are being racist toward any group, I think that is completely wrong. I’ve been to, and heard of, many “gangsta” themed parties at Penn State. When I’ve attended them, I’ve never really thought that I was being racist. These parties were more meant to reflect a culture rather than a race. Now that you’ve brought it up though I completely see how it can come across as offensive even when those attending it are not consciously thinking that. Many different themed parties can be offensive and I think that if they don’t offend us personally we see nothing wrong with it. I think that is where all of the racial tension in our country stems from, our insensitivity.
This question definitely pissed me off a little. Who is to say that theme parties are for white people only? Theme parties do not discriminate against who is allowed to have them. While many theme parties can be considered derogotory, who is to say that it is towards black people? I have been to many themed parties, and not one has been racist. If you think that theme parties are for white people and are demeaning to black people, maybe try googling ideas for a themed party or look at pictures from theme parties. Mostly all of them are done in good fun and are not done in a vicious manner.
I'm sorry, but I would like to start off by saying this has to be one of the more ignorant questions I have ever seen. To be honest with you, I think this girl is seeing everything in black and white, whether she thinks so or not. I have never thought of the fact that only white people hold themed parties, and I am sure that this is a ridiculous claim. Second of all, I have yet to attend a themed party aimed at stereotypes aimed toward black people. I am not sure if this girl has ever attended a theme party before because here question is so off target and so outrageous. In fact, she is the one inciting racism: she is making a race issue out of something that never involved race in the first place. This is what really angers me. Someone who seems to have limited knowledge about a subject wants to turn this into its the world against me, and they are making fun of me.
I don't want this to sound racist, but I'm sure to some it may seem racist… Why does it always seem like black people want to turn every issue into a race issue? I see it constantly played out by people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. To be honest, they are stupid. If they want true equality and people not to see things in black and white then they would stop turning everything into a race issue and manufacturing racism in every piece of fabric in society then there could be a chance that people won't see things in black and white. But as soon as you turn something into a race issue, you eliminate this chance. Not only are you turning things into black and white, you make black and white people angry at each other. The black people typically side with Jackson and Sharpton and get angry at white people. Meanwhile, most white people cannot believe that Jackson and Sharpton make such ridiculous claims and get angry at the black community. So who are the ones that cause racism? Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and people who make comments like this who have slanted views on the world.
But you probably are right, so I will list a few of the "racist" theme parties I have been to and point out how racist they are. Let's start off with the simple highlighter party. Everyone wears a white shirt. That's really racist. Why can't all color just be equal? Wait, its because highlighter only shows up on a white background. What about 80s parties, they're pretty racist. People wear bright, flamboyant colors. That's something black people would never do. How about golf pros and tennis hoes parties? Are we offending black people because only rich white people play those sports? Last time I checked, golf is dominated by Tiger Woods, while Serena and Venus Williams dominate women's tennis. I think those people are black. Oh yea, all those Jersey Shore parties. I hope I'm not offending my black friends with their blowouts and their fake tans. I could keep going, pointing how how racist these white people are with their themed parties, but I don't have time so I figured I would just point out the real racist in the United States….. P. Diddy. He has his annual White Party. Hundreds of a-list celebrities attend, but can only wear white. If they even have black shoes or a gold necklace, they are not allowed in. So next time you post a question, ask why Sean Combs is so racist.
Well, I don’t know if it’s because I’m a sophomore or I’m just don’t party as much as I use to but this University of California incident is the first I have ever heard of a race based themed event.
Themed parties are just how we add to the fun, help think of activities to do, what to wear, and even decorations. We have all kinds of themed parties that are not offensive. Such as Christmas, Halloween, end of the year, birthday, beach, no pants (still not offense), semester kick off, state patties day, etc. They are all just a way to have fun at no ones expense.
I mean some parties you could kind of try to say some would be offended like, Saint Patrick’s day, every one knows its about Irish and the only thing we do to celebrate it is to drink. I suppose one could take it as someone saying that Irish people are all drunks but that is a far stretch to say Irish people would be offended, since most embrace it fully.
I have seen themed parties/mixers in the HUB that were race themed, such as the Chinese International student party, yeah if based on race but it was for about Chinese students to bring them together. It wasn’t focused around stereotypes and another racial group didn’t throw it. So, would you be against this ‘race’ themed party even though not one person of any racial group could find offense in its being thrown?
Even if/when some one throws a ‘white trash’ party, the people throwing it have always been white people and I don’t know if that’s okay or not but it the race making fun of themselves. So, its still wrong on some level but it’s not as offensive, so the UCSD party have been sponsored by, thrown by, AND attended by black people then it would have been harder to find the line of inappropriateness but it would still be obviously wrong.
And those pimps and hoes/ leggings and heels parties are usually assumed to be associated only with black and brown people immediately, but they aren’t racially based so there isn’t any way one could consider it to be racist, also the black people are the ones who throw them. Same with lumberjack parties, only white people ever think to do those themes, it’s not exactly a ‘race’ themed party. Anyone can wear a purple suit for a pimp party, leggings, heels, or a plaid shirts so I can admit that thought are assumed to be targeted toward one race its still not ‘racist.’
I feel like the students at University of California may or may not have been trying to make some kind of statement, it still was completely and undeniably obviously wrong and insensitive and they knew better , just like Penn State and other school.
It's ridiculous to say these theme parties are racist. Where did she even get that idea? The theme parties that people throw around here are CEOs and corporate hos, anything but clothes, tennis hos and golf pros, toga things like that. The only racist theme party I can think of would be Jersey Shore. It's almost not fair to call that a racist theme though because it's based off of a tv show which is based on a culture, not a race. It doesn't seem like anyone else who is commenting thinks that these theme parties are racist either. The basis for these parties isn't usually to make fun of any certain kind of group. Normally, these parties are thrown so that all the girls wear as little clothing as possible. I can't think of one party that would be racist toward black people.
It is really narrow minded of her to say that all these theme parties are for white people. It may seem like that around Penn State because a majority of Penn State is white. But that doesn't mean that there aren't black people at these theme parties. She is talking about being racist but I think she's being a little racist herself for assuming that these theme parties are racist and thrown by white people.
Of course these parties are considered stereotyping, that's the point of the party. You are supposed to dress how a stereotypical tennis or golf pro would. It's fun to dress up and that is the point of the party, it's not to poke fun at people who play tennis. I've never heard of a tennis or golf player being offended that girls are dressing up in little pleated skirts and visors. It's not offensive, it's just a theme. Theme parties are supposed to be fun, there supposed to change things up from the average party. It's all about the fun.
I think if anyone were to throw a racist party they'd probably get beat up anyway. If you were to throw a blacks in ghetto party and told your friends to dress up as a crackhead how many people do you think would actually come? I would probably think it was a joke. There's no way anyone I know would actually take it seriously and dress up and attend something like that. There aren't racist parties like that because that would be racist. If people are going to be racist they probably aren't going to throw a party to celebrate their hate.
I think this girl needs to get a little perspective, she just needs to go to a few theme parties and experience the lack of racism for herself.
This is pure bullshit. On what basis can you say that all theme parties are racist and are hosted by white people only? I’m brown and I love theme parties. Last week I went to golf pros and tiger hoes theme party. People host theme parties for a change because they are probably bored with regular parties every week which becomes repetitive. Some people might consider pimps and hoes a racist theme but it is just a stereotype like any other. Pimps and hoes is a stereotype set my black rappers and actors like Snoop Dogg. This doesn’t mean that it is racist towards black people. There are high school stereotype parties which make fun of white preps and frat boys. I mean theme parties are just another reason for people to get drunk and have fun. I don’t think anyone has ever thought of a theme party of being racist or anything of that sort. Maybe people wear costumes on Halloween that are racist but that is a totally different thing and cannot be compared to theme parties. Theme parties on any given weekend are the same as st. pattys day parties or even Christmas parties. I have never been under the impression that certain theme parties are racist and I have never even thought of any theme parties to be discriminating. I just want to know some theme parties which are racist, I can’t think of any party which can be considered racist unless there are parties which are actually meant to be racist. I mean some parties like golf pros and tennis hoes parties can be degrading to women but I don’t think women think of it to be sexist, same way “gangsta” parties aren’t racist unless someone tries too hard to think of it to be racist. I want to know if the girl who posted the video has ever had an experience with racist theme parties and I want an example of a theme party which is racist. A lot of people mentioned the Jersey Shore theme party. Some Italians might find it offensive because the theme is focused on a certain race of people and not a generalized theme. The girl said that most theme parties are hosted by white people and are generated to black people. That might be the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a long time. I went to a theme party a few weeks ago and the host was one of my black friends. The theme of the party was jersey shore which some people consider to be racist. I just want to know what the girl has to say about this. As I said before, themes are just an excuse to get belligerent and have fun.
I never really thought of themed parties as being racist, maybe because I am white, but I do not really think of ones that are derogatorily racist. I have been to a CEOs and Office Hoes party which is more sexist than anything else really because it encourages women to dress skankily. I also do not think that highlighter parties are racist because highlighters are more visible on white shirts or even parties with holiday themes because there are holidays for reasons that should be celebrated. There might be more holidays that started from white people; I do not though because I have not counted. Maybe it is because of where I am from too as reason for the way I think; back at home we have had white trash parties which I guess you can call racist, but it is making fun of white people, but not only white people attended. The theme of black and white parties is meant for people to dress up in suits and classy dresses — and not really look like a black or a white person, which I guess could be confusing if you did not know.
I definitely think I need to be more informed more this topic because I am oblivious to how themed parties are racist. I would not say that white people mostly throw themed parties because I have been to many themed parties held by non-white people, such as Hawaiian theme parties, black light parties, and a SAW (the movie) party (just to name a few).
Offending black people? I have known black people that throw themed parties. I do not understand where the question is coming from really. I spent my first two college years at Penn State Harrisburg and we had fraternities (they are still in existence too) that are composed of multicultural people. They used to throw parties that had themes and were successful too.
Anyone can throw a party for St. Patrick's Day but are you going to call them racist for doing so? It also was not racist when we celebrated Martin Luther King Day at Penn State Harrisburg (for example) even if we are not black. I just think this question is bogus because I am completely oblivious to the validity of the question. I, personally, have never been confronted with the issue with my friends. It may have been helpful if an example could have been thrown into the question too.
They are just parties. They are not meant to hurt someone, but celebrate something even if the party is for a dumb reason, like if it is raining outside and you cannot go anywhere so you throw a party. Parties are meant to be fun. Themed parties a little more fun because you get to dress not as you normally would. Themed parties might keep people longer and increase morale overall.
I really don’t agree with pretty much anything this girl said. As a member of the greek community, I have been to a lot of theme parties. It is true we dress up like idiots from time to time and that occasionally we do make fun of different ways people dress, but we do make fun of EVERYONE. We have themed socials ranging from white trash trailer bash to gangsta. In no way shape or form do we try to single out a group to make fun of. If you cant make fun of yourself, than that is a real shame. Since we have plenty of different types of people in my fraternity, everyone gets their turn to get made fun of. The “ghetto” kids get their turn on gangsta night and the Jersey kids get made fun of during guido night. The people getting made fun of don’t get mad about these themes because they know that its all in fun and nobody is trying to put them down.
As far as specifically for targeting out the black community, besides the “gangsta” theme, I have never seen this while at Penn State. It may happen at some parties, but as for me specifically, I have had no experiences with this. I think that the black community at Penn State sometimes think that everyone is out to get them. Maybe it is because I’m white and from a very racially diverse area, but I don’t see a reason to be so apprehensive about white kids at Penn State. It might be that they have had bad experiences with kids from the country part of PA. If this is the case than I can feel for them because that is truly sad in this day. However, this does not mean that they should be suspect or suspicious of all white kids. I think the girl in the video really over-generalizes the white community at PSU. It is true there are a lot of stupid white kids who might have racial issues, but these kids are ignorant and I honestly feel bad for them. However, for the most part I believe the white community at Penn State is pretty open minded and tries to respect other cultures. This class has really opened my mind to how far we have to go, but in general I think we are doing pretty well. You hardly ever see a fraternity or sorority with all white kids in it. Looking at our pictures from years back, I can tell you this was not always the case. With time there has been many more people from different races involved in the greek community. Hopefully in years to come we can build on this and we wont need all black fraternities or sororities, and we can just have groups of people who look past each others skin color or ethnicity, and just look at their common bond.
This was a very good thing to point as I look at those parties I sometimes ask myself who come up with these themes but I never really sit back and really took a look into how crazy and racists the themes can be. As I look at those themes I don’t really see the themes taking a shot at black people like a theme to me is to bring in a different type of crowd and to come up with something new so that people can show up and have a great time and doing something different but on the other hand I may see it a little. One thing I would like to point out when Blacks tend to have theme parties why don’t they get bashed about theme parties because to me black and white are doing it. But in some people eyes the whites are making joke towards blacks well with me being an African American I think whites know black themes and party get people to come out I don’t think they do it to make jokes towards us but we know how to put them together and putting a good theme together make people want to come out and try something different its gives a party life and something new to the table instead of the same boring regular party so if you take a party with some type of theme it’s would spark it so with me being black I really do not think it’s nothing wrong with white people adding a them to their party and I really don’t think they try to offend us blacks because the main thing is coming together and party.
I don’t think this is racist thing. They also have themed parties such as “Jersey shore”, but they aren’t making fun of Italians, they have “sports” themed parties and that doesn’t mean they’ making fun of athletes. The parties this girl is talking about are “ghetto” themed parties. It just so happens that a majority of the people that live in the ghetto are black. It’s only when the two people being compared are white and black that racism enters the human mind.
Another thing isn’t it true that people from “ghetto” neighborhoods do dress differently than those from different areas. Those people being either black, white, Asian, or Hispanic, they dress differently because of their environment. If anything it is wrong to have “ghetto” themed parties because they are making fun of those who are poor. It’s not like everybody who sags their pants, wears fitted caps, and lives in the ghetto is black, other races all do the same thing. So this issue is only racist if you make it racist in your head.
So after watching the video and listening to the question posed more than twice, I still continued to smirk each time. Not because what she’s saying is funny, but at the hypocrisy of what she was saying. I have always said that Penn State is its own world. And within this “world” that we attend, there is different “countries” and each country will celebrate and party in their specific ways. Obviously the school is, and will continue to be a predominantly white school. So when she says that majority of white people have “themed” party that make fun of black people, I can’t help to wonder, aren’t the majority of parties at Penn State thrown white people anyway? Another question that came to mind after hearing her question was, why do you automatically believe that these themed parties are “generated towards black people”. I am a black person, and I have been to countless “themed” parties during my time here at State, and yes some were “Hip Hop” themed, or “Coming to America” themed, but I have never considered these parties to be negative towards my race. If anything I always found these themes to be comical and somewhat poking fun at how “white” the people throwing the party were, than how “black” the actual theme of the party was. I actually believe that white people at State poke more fun at themselves when setting these themes, than they do black people. “Jersey Shore” parties, “Red Neck” parties, these are all themes that are geared towards the embarrassing things that white people may do or act, not blacks. And the main reason why I found her statement to be somewhat funny, and hypocritical, was the blacks at Penn State throw themed parties on a weekly basis. From “Caribbean” night to “Biggie Small v. Tupac” themed parties, blacks, just as often as whites, throw themed parties, and majority of the time, they are geared towards “black themes”.
I completely disagree wit this comment. Themed parties are simply for fun. There is no real reason why it is themed …it just makes life more interesting and fun. I am personally a huge theme party fan. I have been to many this year and they have not been targeted toward black people … if they were targeted toward anyone it was white people. Some of the ones I have been to this year were jersey shore …which was based off the show and if it made fun of anyone it was people who are Italian ( a am part Italian ) and from new jersey ! 80’s and 70’s …which no racial group was targeted but if we were making fun of anyone it was our parents and what they wore in college Holiday. No racial groups. If I made fun of anyone it was Christians.. I wore a Christmas tree dress and I am a very strong catholic… twin… no racial group aging…beach no racial groups jock jams ..no racial groups ..preppy no racial groups ..jungle. no racial groups reasons to celebrate ..no racial group .but I managed to make fun of myself a preppy white girl ..and did a sale at j crew …and many other ppl made jokes about themselves.. Olympics. No racial group high school. Again no racial group. ..and CMT vs BET.. Which could be argued that it was targeted at black people but I think if you are arguing that you are looking for something to pick a fight about… most of the ppl who dressed “ BET” were people of color and white people defiantly made fun of white people my self included … I wore overalls a pregnant belly had fake tattoos pigtails fake cigarettes and other touches that completely made fun of poor white people.
I understand that there have been a few parties that have “ crossed the line “ but I do not think the generalization is crazy. Today our ta told us about a Compton cookout that I can honestly say that if I was a woman of color I would be offended by this. And I am offended even as a white girl. However I think that 99% of people who have themed parties have all good intentions. They just want to have a good time and mix up your typical weekend. I think people who get upset over these things are part of the reason why racism is still a problem in our country and why white people often “ come to the race table” so intimated. I think it is safe to say that most people do not want to be racist and do not have bad intentions so I think that we should not be so quick to judge people and accuse people of having bad intentions.
I disagree with this statement 100%. Just because people have themed parties does not mean that they are gearing towards a specific race or making fun of them. At Penn State and most other schools, I believe it just a way to have fun and change up the party scene for once. Sometimes it may even be because it's easier to get dressed for the night and it doesn't really matter what you look like since everyone else will look the same. If themed parties seriously do come off to people of color as a way of making fun of them, then how are white people supposed to feel when all you see or hear about are "black" parties. Honestly, I have been to a party where I am the only white girl besides my friend I went with and I felt like everyone was looking at me like I didn't belong or fit in. Themed parties may sometimes come off as "Racial" but I feel like they are not mean't in a derogatory way or even in a racist way. Some people may have them to make fun of another race or group of people but to say that most themed parties are towards black people or another race is too broad of an accusation. In my perspective a themed party gives people chances to feel and dress like other groups of people that maybe they necessarily would not associate themselves with. I do not have the most firsthand point of view about themed parties because I have only attended a few but from an outside point of view and from listening to what friends have to say or even people I do not know they never seem to be "racist." If it is true that most white people have parties and they are racist then why do white people have "white trash" parties. Like I had said before there are people in the world and here at Penn State that are racist and do go to those parties and those parties such as "Jersey Shore" or gangsta parties but to generalize all white people is extreme. I also find it hard to believe that no black or colored people here in Penn State have not ever had a themed party or gone to a themed party. If they were your friends then would you be ok with it since you know it isn't mean't in a racist kind of way? As I have said in the beginning themed parties are mainly to get away from the regular party scene such as bars, house parties, frats, clubs, etc. I don't think a majority of people go out to a themed party with the intention of being racist towards other groups of people.
You pose an interesting question about how some hosts of parties attempt to take advantage of some racial stereotypes by using them as a theme. However, I don’t really see a connection between theme parties and racial stereotyping to the extent that you are making it seem like. For example, the parties that I have gone to previously are beach parties, toga parties, Jersey shore parties, Saint Patrick’s/State Patty’s day parties, and Christmas parties. Most of them were not geared toward any racist theme. However, I can see how the Jersey shore parties might somewhat offend Italian-Americans by making generalizations about their culture which does not necessarily reflect all Italian-Americans. I can understand the whole hoes and CEOs party might be somewhat degrading to women in that they would have to dress as “hoes” and be considered as such for a night which is not something that every woman wants to be called. On the other hand, guys would probably enjoy such a party because I’m sure most men would not mind the benefits of being a CEO.
If you recall Halloween in the Fall of 2007, two Penn State students dressed as Virginia Tech shooting victims. This is an instance in which these students way overstepped a border of sensitivity and just plain common decency. Not only were the costumes offensive and disgusting in taste, they reflect badly on Penn State students and the university as a whole. I was not a student at Penn State until the Fall of 2007 several months after the original shooting took place. However, from what I have heard and the older students that I have talked to, Penn State stood behind Virginia Tech in a time when they needed support and needed to heal within their community. There was even a t-shirt that I saw that read “Me and 42,000 of my friends got your back VT.” When I first saw that shirt, that really hit home about the decency and kindness of Penn State students and how we showed support and empathy for the events that took place at Virginia Tech. However, those students dressed in the shooting victims’ costumes should be ashamed of themselves for even being Penn State students. I can’t imagine how heartbroken and betrayed students at Virginia Tech must have felt when they read this article. My only hope is that people who read this article do not make a negative generalization about Penn State students because of what two insensitive students said.
Moving back to your main point, I feel that people have overstepped some boundaries when it comes to dressing and/or theming parties but they have mainly targeted specific groups of people, not necessarily black people. I always keep in mind that since we are the number one party school in the country, students here will often overstep the bounds of decency, and I have sadly come to accept that.
I do not really like the idea of theme parties, but I can understand why people do it so that they can make their party a little different and make it stand out. But with all the theme parties that I have been to or heard of, I have not of many that would be considered racist. Most of them are making fun of TV shows and others are just random jobs where people just like to dress up like a business person or army guy or whatever. These parties would not be considered racist; if anything, they would be considered sexist since the women who attend these parties are usually expected to dress in a slutty manner.
I have to say i disagree what this female is saying about theme parties. I do not agree at all they are racist. Most of the theme parties are done by different generations such as togas – anicent greece, hippies- the 60's, punk rock- the 80's. I feel that theme parties are similar to halloween where people are bored being themselves and want to slip into a different role for a little bit. Any of the themes I just mentioned do not exclude black people one bit. The only "racist" party theme can be gangasta and hip hop but that should not be racist. If hip hop artists want to be successful and make alot of money then they have to be willing to accept that other people will want to dress and act like them. I agree that more white people hold theme parties, especially at Penn State but that is often because for greek life frats and sororities are forced to have themed week longs instead of plain parties. The theme party is about pretending you are somebody else for a night and I think that white and black people all like to do that once in a while. Feb.26
Although I do believe that it is mostly white people who do have these theme parties and I do agree that it makes fun of stereotypes, I do not agree it makes of fun black people. I have personally been to 80’s themed parties and jersey shore parties. Although the one is offense to Italian Americans, the other is offensive to a whole generation. I do not know exactly what theme parties this person is talking about but I would like to know because in all honesty I cannot think of a theme party I have ever been to that stereotypes black people.
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I’m going to be completely honest, questions like this annoy the hell out of me. Why would it ever be said that only white people hold “theme parties?” This literally sounds like a black girl that is completely uninformed about white people, and consequently makes ridiculous generalizations. I am a white male that has engaged in my share of parties over the four years that I have been at Penn State and not one time have I ever engaged in a “racist theme party.” The theme parties I have attended are as follows, white trash party (racist to impoverished whites if anything), CEO’s and tennis hoes, black light party, anything but clothes, toga party, costume party, strippers and nitrous, none of which are racist and/or bigoted. In fact the problem that exists is a lack of equality. People need to think of the repercussions of such accusations. I don’t think tat caucasians act a certain way toward parties and I certainly do not think that whites try to be racist when having theme parties. I am thoroughly disappointed by such accusations as I believe in a world of equality. I understand that at PSU, people are extremely cliqueish and so most times it turns out that blacks party with blacks and whites party with whites. Obviously there will be a few at each party, but when it comes to the majority the colors will remain the same. To take this information and assume that only whites have “racist” and “themed” parties is just absolutely ignorant. As I said before, I have never attended a racist party? The thought of it is absolutely ridiculous. I think that saying theme parties are only done by white kids and they are usually geared towards race is a small perception of what a theme party actually is. In my opinion, theme parties don’t have anything to do with racial issues. If you think about it, Christmas parties, thanksgiving parties, St. patty day parties are all holiday parties which are themed to that holiday but that doesn’t mean Christmas parties make fun of Santa Claus, or Germans. The reason why race relations gets so convoluted is because people see these kinds of parties and things going on in the world and make assumptions. Racial issues follow us everywhere but that doesn’t mean we can turn every little thing into a race issue. Themed parties in particular are just a silly way to make a party more interesting- like Halloween. We enjoy dressing up for the pure fun of it. I don’t think there is any malicious intent with a themed party. To make this jump and say themed parties are just white kids making fun of other races is just ridiculous.
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I only read a few short little blurbs of others replies, but my opinion is pretty much the same. My guess is the girl that posted this heard of one or two parties that were themed "ghetto" or .. I honestly cannot think of any other party theme that would be offensive to blacks? But anyway, this girl probably heard of one or two of those parties and assumed that there were so many people that do that , when in reality its very few and far between. I have been to many themed parties here at penn state especially since I have been a part of THON for the past three year and just about every social that there is is themed.I have been to more themed parties that were more offensive and making fun of white people then anything else. And those themed parties were not just full of white people either. There were many people of different colors at these parties "making fun of white people". But even if there was a ghetto themed party, why is that so offensive? Maybe that kind of dress is typically black, but I also know a fair share of white people that dress 'ghetto". So therefore I would not be able to understand a black person ,thinking a bunch of white people dressing that way for a party, being upset about it. All I kept thinking about was Halloween. I'm pretty sure a lot of different groups of people are portrayed and mocked yet no one really says anything about that. People dress up as nerds, as goths, as cheerleaders, as jocks, the list could go on. And all of those groups are being made fun of. I guess what I am trying to say is that A. the girl who posted the video was wrong in her assumption that a LOT of parties thrown by "whites" are themed making fun of blacks, and B. I feel like there is not much justification behind being offended by people dressing up ghetto. And I keep saying ghetto, because like I said before I really have no idea what other kinds of themes there are that would be portraying a black person. I also think that it is unfair to assume that all these parties are being thrown by white people. Sometimes I feel like black people can be very quick to assume that whites are out to mock and make fun of black culture. That is really the farthest thing from the truth. I hope the girl that posts this video reads some of these and realizes her fault in assuming these things, but not to be discouraged since her question I understand came from a honest place.
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I disagree. I’ve been to quite a few themed parties throughout my college career, which accounts for about 4 years of experience, and I have never been to a party that stereotyped black people. But let me give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that maybe I am just in a unique and narrow group of friends that hasn’t been invited to such a party. From my point of view, the idea behind having a party with a theme is not to insult any particular group of people, but rather spice up the social scene with something new. Parties are great, but over time, they can get to be repetitive. So what better way to bring new life to a party than to give it a theme? I am a white male, and I am trying to put myself in your shoes. My best guess is that you are putting too much emphasis on the theme itself, rather than the actual purpose of the party. When it comes to parties, at least at Penn State, the purpose is to celebrate, bond with old friends, and make new friends. I would like to think that we don’t throw parties to simply insult a particular group of people. And if we did, then we have made fun of just about every group of people including ourselves. I can’t think of what it is called, but there are themed parties where you find an old school photo of yourself and try to dress up exactly like it. If the point of the party is to insult a group of people, then many of us who have participated in the school photo party have insulted ourselves. There are also tons of other parties that don’t even make fun of a particular group. For instance, highlighter parties are very common at Penn State, as well as all over the country. What is the point of a highlighter party? Does it actually make fun of any particular group of people? The answer is no. It was just some cool idea someone came up with to help spice up his/her party and make it stand out from every other party going on that same night. A party is a party, whether it is themed or not. A party is just an excuse to gather friends together and have a joyous time. Adding a theme to it is just to switch it up from the regular once in a while. I think to say a party is insulting to a particular group of people means that you’re missing the main reason for having that party. I pity those who misinterpret the meaning of a party and take offense to it.
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I think theme parties are not guided by race but more by television or some kind of media. The reason why I say this is because I see theme parties every weekend and they are always related to something in TV, for example jersey shore theme parties where hitting state college left and right at one point because of the mtv show that was being televise at that moment. With that said I can also see I guess white kids throwing different race theme parties but I mean I can just say that the reason for this is because people of color got more flavor I some way and me being latino don’t mind going to a white host party with a latino theme I just personality thing its big deal but that just me. I don tknow what type of parties that girl hits on the weekends but I have never seen a party were they disrespect a different race I mean if anything people worship rap music and the lifestyle from what I have seen in the United States. This might be irrelevant to the question but I feel like a lot of black people look for any excuse to bash of whites which is un fair cause they are pretty chill and yeah some ass holes and they usually get their ass kick but why come with attitude and shit taking because just sitting in class I have heard some black people just talking mad smack about people around then not only is disrespectful but annoying at the same time.
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I’m sorry but I do not really understand why you think this. A theme party…racist? So when I go to an anything but clothes party, toga party, beach party, I’m attending a racist event? Oh, I really do not think so. I mean I can partly see if someone would have a “ghetto” party or something like that, but aren’t there white people in the ghetto too? And I mean what if a black person would come to a “ghetto” party? Are they then racist against themselves and the white people in the ghetto or whatever? But I do not really think many people actually have “ghetto” parties, I mean I have heard of people going to something about executive and something hoes or something like that, but is that not making fun of people in offices, etc? I am just a little confused as to why you would think theme parties are racist. I mean I really do not see it at all, but maybe that is because I am white and I do not see what you see. In any case though, I feel as though there are actually not that many parties with a racist theme running through them. I mean take Halloween for example, if I were to dress up like a “gangsta” would I be racist? But what if you were to dress up like a cowgirl, could I take offense to that? I really feel like Halloween cannot be counted in a racist theme party because if I dress up as something, it means I like it silly! Not that I hate it; why would I dress up as something I hate? I mean I know some people dress up as people to make fun of them, like when the Kate Gosselin costume was a hit this year or last year when I cannot even count how many boys dressed up as sorority girls (black leggings, ugg boots, northface jacket..classic!) but I feel they are just poking fun at them, not having hate towards them. Maybe there was an incident that we do not know about where there was a theme party having an underlying racist theme to it, but other than that, I really do not know how or why a person would like a theme party is racist. I mean people have “redneck” parties; my high school was literally surrounded by farms, I would not consider myself a redneck but I know many people who are and if I would attend a “redneck” party, I would not take offense to it, it is just a party after all. I feel as though if you are invited to a theme party, that you like to have fun so I think that you should just take a breath and have a good time and not worry about it.
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I really don’t understand this blog question. I have been to many theme parties, none of which have had anything to do with race. Theme parties I have been to are like highlighter party, Jersey Shore, CEO and corporate hoes, anything but clothes…None have ever had to do with race. I have heard of doing white trash parties and maybe ghetto clothes parties which maybe this girl is posting about. I completely disagree with this post. I think that these parties, along with all parties, are meant to be fun. Isn’t that the point of a party? I don’t think anyone intentionally would have a party, especially at a place like Penn State where there is a lot of diversity, to try to hurt or put someone down. I think that someone claiming that theme parties are made to hurt someone or put down a persons race or ethnicity is a really far reach. It seems to me that she is really trying to make something out of this that really isn’t. It is one thing to not want to attend a party because you may not like the theme, but to say that they are creating this theme and party to put you down is really ridiculous assumption. The party was created for everyone to have fun. I am white and would attend a white trash social or a ghetto themed social because it’s a party and its fun. I guess I don’t read into things like this girl and some people do. I think that if you don’t like the theme that is one thing, but to claim everyone is racist and out to hurt your feelings by throwing that party is really silly. I think theme parties were created to simply change up the party scene, Themes such as Jersey Shore or ghetto pick that because it is easy to mimic the clothes. It is easy to exaggerate and mimic clothing styles so themes are often picked based on that. I have never heard a theme party be called based on race. I have never heard of a black theme party or an asian theme party. I don’t think these exist. Tying theme parties to race is a bit of a stretch in my opinion. I think that people should stop looking into things so much and take things with a grain of salt. Be mature enough to understand that the party was not created to put you or your race down but to be a fun time. I don’t think the people who created these theme parties put two and two together that people who are “ghetto” may get offended by ghetto themes but simply put the party together that is fun and easy.
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I really don’t think that theme parties at Penn State are racist at all. There are so many different types of parties that go on and I think that the only reason that they happen is because people enjoy dressing up in outrageous clothing, not because of racial issues. I think that most of the time these parties are motivated by current trends in the media like the explosion of Jersey Shore parties all around the country. These parties are not making fun of Italians they are making fun of the ridiculous lengths the people on the show go to try and look “good”. Besides Jersey Shore parties I mostly see things like 80’s parties and highlighter parties which have nothing to do with race.
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believe this to be a completely ridiculous statement/question. It's making something completely innocent and fun and twisting it into a cruel preconceived idea that has racial undertones. For one, the idea that white people throw more themed parties is a skewed idea, because for the most part white people have more parties in general. Around campus there are more fraternities that are predominantly white, so this
\\leads to more white people throwing these parties. Why is this? Simply because there are more white people on campus.
Two, the main point for themed parties is just to have an extra way of fun. Most times at these parties people feel that they are not attending something normal, so they have a greater urge to be more inebriated on what to them is a "special" or "different" night, as this is a break from the usual Friday/Saturday routine. Theme parties are not all racial sterotypes, like the poster of this video asserts. Some of these parties are racially offensive, at times, like “blunts and forties” nights , but this offensive behavior is not limited to satirizing only African-Americans. “Redneck wedding”, and even themes like “would you still date me if I dressed like this?” are both examples which go to show that theme parties at Penn State don’t draw their humor from only caricatures of African-American racist stereotypes. The subtext of these themes can be offensive though, since the underlying ideas behind them are racial stereotypes. People show their true colors, so to speak, when they show what they are really thinking when they host these kind of parties.
The main thing that I get from this question is the main thing I got from Dr. Mulveys book and recent video post, the fact that black vs. white always exists. This question of theme parties being racist is just an example of completely micro analyzing a situation from a racial standpoint, and turning into a racist thing. For one, if black people were throwing white and nerdy parties, this question would never be brought up.
I don't understand why it always has to be like this and why the argument always has to stem back to black vs. white. It seems that every chance that anything can come up that has any slightest bit of racial undertone, it is 100x magnified. The bottom line that it comes down to is nobody attending these parties is going out with racist intentions. No one is having a Nazi party with swastikas, or a slavery party with slave owners with their slaves.
Are we making fun of cowboys and Indians when we dress up like them? No, we just want a break from wearing a polo and jeans every weekend.
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I don’t think this is racist thing. They also have themed parties such as “Jersey shore”, but they aren’t making fun of Italians, they have “sports” themed parties and that doesn’t mean they’ making fun of athletes. The parties this girl is talking about are “ghetto” themed parties. It just so happens that a majority of the people that live in the ghetto are black. It’s only when the two people being compared are white and black that racism enters the human mind.
Another thing isn’t it true that people from “ghetto” neighborhoods do dress differently than those from different areas. Those people being either black, white, Asian, or Hispanic, they dress differently because of their environment. If anything it is wrong to have “ghetto” themed parties because they are making fun of those who are poor. It’s not like everybody who sags their pants, wears fitted caps, and lives in the ghetto is black, other races all do the same thing. So this issue is only racist if you make it racist in your head.
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I am not really sure I understand why this is even a question, as it seems from what I’ve read while scanning the other replies is the general consensus. I do not think partying is limited to only white people, all races party. It may seem like white students at Penn State party more because there are just more white people but if you went to a school where white people were the great majority people would still party. The fraternities throw a lot of themed parties and they are also commonly white. I will say I have been to my fair share of themed parties and never has one been against a race. I’ve been to anything but clothes parties, wild west, 90s, CEOs and corporate hoes, bright and tight, and even the famous Jersey Shore. I would have to say that would be the closest to a “racial party” but I don’t see it as making fun of Italians, it’s dressing like the people from really popular show.
Face it, especially at Penn State, people like, no not just like, love to party. Students will find any reason to go out any night of the week but routinely seem to focus on Thursday to Saturday. As long as people are responsible, there isn’t a problem with students trying to have a little fun. Obviously adding to the fun is getting to be someone other than yourself. It’s the same idea as dressing up for Halloween past the age of like twelve when it stops being acceptable to go trick or treating. People like to get the opportunity to dress up and be funny for a night with their friends. It is the perfect opportunity to wear those ridiculous shoes you had to have or uncommon shirt that you had no idea where to wear. I personally enjoy planning the outfits and even going out and buying some new accessories to really make an outfit. I’m sure if you ask anyone here who has ever been to a theme party their motives, they would give you some of the same reasons I did. I do not think anyone would ever say that their reason for having a Jersey Shore party was to exploit Italians or even having a ghetto party was to make fun of blacks, blacks aren’t the only people who live in the ghetto. If you wanted to go that far, wouldn’t that make a CEO and corporate hoes party against women? I don’t think so, it’s all just fun!
I think before you make these assumptions, you should take a chance and experience a theme party for yourself. It’s a fun time with friends and it makes for some great pictures!
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Part 1
When I first heard this blog post I was so surprised at how that comment right there over generalized not only the white race but the black race as well. The whole point of this class was to become more educated so we would not make such comments that were totally not backed up by any facts and not to just base a whole race on stereotypes. I was seriously like what the heck is she talking about? I immediately went into defense mode as about a hundred and one reasons popped into my head of how this chick was wrong with various examples to back me up. What made me happy was that it got the same reaction from my discussion group classmates as it did from me. It made me feel like I was not just over reacting. We all could not understand what would cause this girl to make such remarks, until one of the TA’s explained the back story to it.
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Part 2
This girl was in the TA’s class and this is where the topic was generated from. The teacher brought in an article about a Compton Cookout. What it basically was, was a bunch of white people came dressed as residents of Compton. As most know many residents of Compton are black. On the invitation it basically said to come dressed up in your ghetto wear like Rocawear and Fubu. Some decided to take it to far though as some of my classmates said by painting themselves black. This stirred up much controversy and that’s what made the girl in the blog post give a question like that. Knowing now more behind the story I can understand how the girl felt the way she did, but is she crazy to think that everyone is like that, that was a humongous generalization.
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Part 3
I have been to many themed parties but never have I ever been to one that pokes fun at any race. If anything we made fun of ourselves more than anything. I have heard of many themes like catholic school theme party and white trash party, but never anything that in the slightest made fun of someone of different color. Another thing I hated about the way this girl stated her question was that only whites have themed parties. Really, are you crazy? I know for a fact that all kinds of people have themed parties not to poke fun at races but to spice up a party and make it more interesting.
Of course sometimes you will get costumes that may go too far like someone dressing up as Obama for Halloween and going as far as painting themselves. When you really step back though and think about it, it is not to be racist and hate on a person, but rather poke fun and make light of the person. Everyone gets made fun of it is part of life, just don’t take everything too personally.
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I don't think that theme parties are inherently racist. I'd be interested to know what theme parties she's heard of that would make her think about that in the first place. Mostly they're sexist if anything. Always geared towards girls wearing as little as possible. Obviously "thug" parties are offensive but I can't think of any others off the top of my head. Really my only explanation for her is that white people look for stupid reasons to party. I think there's a huge difference in the type of parties that white people throw, and those that people of color have. White people try to get as drunk as possible as fast as possible. The few parties that I've been to with blacks have been more oriented to what I consider an actual party. Socializing, dancing, and having a genuinely good time. Maybe I just hang out with good people and there are parties with people of color who like to do keg stands and hook up with other drunk people. As to the person who said that Penn State is not a racist campus…open your eyes. It starts with admissions and radiates out. Look up some numbers.
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I’m normally not a very angry person or get easily upset by peoples’ opinions, but for some reason this question¬or rather statement really struck a nerve. I couldn’t believe that she was making such a generalization that all white people have themed parties and they normally make fun of black people? I can understand why she would think that we have themed parties because in my experience at school I know for a fact that many occur. However, I could not disagree more about the statement that most theme parties are targeted towards black people.
Despite my immediate disgust after hearing this statement, I put off writing back to it for a couple days. During those days that I didn’t respond I became aware of the happenings at the UCSD campus. When my TA read the actual invite that was sent out on Facebook, I was shocked. It was one of the most distasteful pieces I have ever read. At first, I thought the title “Compton Cookout” was kind of humorous-not quite a difference between that and a “Trailor Trash” party, I thought to myself. And I think if the party was just entitled this, without the rude and discriminating description of the party, everything would have been fine; but with the description, it definitely pushed the envelope much too far. Later when I became aware that a noose was hung in the library of the school, I was appalled. How can people be so rude? Did they think it was funny? I would really like to know what was their motivation to do such a thing. It’s people like this who keep racism forever embedded in our society. I feel terrible for the white people who go UCSG and are now probably stereotyped as being racist; and even worse for the black people of the school who unfortunately have been targeted by this stupid party.
If I were to be honest, though, this is one of the first themed parties I have heard about that is directed towards the black population. If anything, I think most of the themed parties I have heard about are directed towards white people. Or there are parties that have themes that are just for fun. Although, I have seen people dress up as “thugs” or “wiggers” for Halloween, I don’t know of many parties where people get together and dress like “black people.” I put that in quotes because how do black people really dress? But coming back to the question “Why do white people have themed parties directed towards black people?” I really feel like we don’t, and before you make generalizations about parties, do your research. How many parties have you really heard of that make fun of black people? And this sounds like a stretch, but maybe if you hear of one, you should go and see what their all about. You sound like you’re interested, so why not see for yourself?
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I want to start off this blog by saying that I am a white person just to make that clear. The next thing I want to say is that I think that saying theme parties are only done by white kids and they are usually geared towards race is not true of what a theme party actually is. In my opinion, theme parties don’t have anything to do with racial issues. When I think of the themed parties I have been too they have been CEO’s and corporate hoes, anything by clothes, Jersey shore, highlighter parties, beach parties, underwear parties, Catholic School Party, Toga parties, ugly sweater parties and stop light parties. If u wanted to make a case for something you could say the parties were sexist but that wouldn’t be true because the guys wear the same thing as girls. So you really cant say that either. Some people would say the jersey shore themed party people could be making fun of people from new jersey or of Guido or Guidets but they really are not they are just wearing what they wear. So I don’t get how that is making fun of them unless you consider that they make fun of themselves when they wear it. The next thing u can say the Catholic School Party is offensive to catholic’s but again it isn’t because they are not making fun of catholic’s all they are doing is wearing catholic school uniforms, so that would not be offensive. I really like what Furrbaybay said “ And after all, if I am going to a party I am probably generally going to be in a pretty good mood as it is. I'm not going to concern myself with what someone is wearing just because it might be over the top that is what the whole point of a themed party is for, to go crazy and look ridiculous. To say it is generally white people, that's not really fair. This school has more white people anyways, so if it is being represented at all you are going to see it more from the white side. That doesn't mean that African Americans aren't having just as much fun with the theme. No one is intentionally trying to offend anyone at a party, especially not an entire racial group. People drink, say and do stupid things, and eventually someone usually gets offended at one thing or another. Best to just remember that we are all trying to have a good time on a Friday or Saturday night and let it at that”. I feel that what he is saying hear makes plenty sense nobody is trying to have a [arty to offend anybody they are really just trying to have a hard time after a long week of classes.
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i guess i never really thought about it. i have gone to a lot of theme parties in my day and i never once thought that they could be offensive to anyone. i just thought that it would be fun to "be someone else" for the night. this helped me realize that im wrong and that it probably is very effensive to a lot of people. however, i dont think that themed parties ever had the intention of being offensive. i think this because there are so many themed parties where they are not making fun of a race or ethnicity. i have heard of parties like "office hoes and CEO's" or "army hoes and G.I. Joes", i don’t think those are offensive to race at all. if anything i think themed parties are more likely to make fun of one's gender, often putting the word "hoe" in the theme name. and then there are themed parties that make fun of the white upper class like "country club hoes and tennis bro's", that’s not offensive to race, more like class. i think that people are focusing more on the racial aspect of these parties which isn’t necessarily fair. I do, however, understand how someone can find offense to it. Like if its some sort of gangster theme you almost only see people “act black”. These parties also seem to involve a lot of sterotypes, which are extremely insulting. I once went to a Mexican themed party and everyone was wearing the same thing, all falling underneath Hispanic stereotypes, I think more than half the girls at the party pretended to be pregnant. People only see that these parties shed a bad light on only black or brown people, but that is most definitely not the case. A couple of years ago I went to a “white trash bash” clearly it was making fun of white people. Or now because of the popular show “jersey shore,” jersey themed parties are extremely common, once again this is making fun of white people. I really don’t see the harm in these parties but I can definably see how some people would be offensive, they should just see it as bored kids trying to have fun by imitating other lifestyles. i dont think this "problem" will ever be solved, kids will continue mocking other lifestyles, and i dont think that they are necessarily a thing that needs to be "solved". i find little harm in themed parties. Although I do agree that there are many other ways to have fun without mocking a group of people, I really don’t see it ever stopping. I am Hispanic and I have never been offended by a themed party making fun of brown people. It is what it is, as long as people aren’t directly being malicious with their imitations, I can not get angry or upset.
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Honestly, this disgusts me. I feel no compassion at all. Instead of trying to relate, I simply am more angry that the subject was even brought up. I wonder how much farther people can go to say things are racist. I feel like the more people try to be politically correct, the more people are offended by certain things. I can't believe that theme parties, of anything, are being discussed as "racist" happenings. People don't have these parties on purpose to offend people, and they certainly don't have them to make other people feel left out or segregated from the rest. I think that if anything, it's comments like these that draw people to be racist, not parties themselves.
In this instance, I wonder if certain black people will ever give white people a chance. Or, will they just continue to pick on every single thing they do in order to make them feel a sense of guilt? I'll admit that I've been to many theme parties, and I've even hosted theme parties. It never even crossed my mind that I was offending anyone. In fact, I was looking forward to bringing people together. When we all dress up as a certain thing, we are all being the same. We aren't segregating anyone or looking at differences in skin tone. We are simply uniting to "honor" whatever the theme it. It could be an occupation, a sporting event, a holiday, or anything… it doesn't even have to be about a certain race.
My question back to the original post is: do Irish people really get offended by the ever-so-popular “State Patty’s Day?” To my knowledge, it seems like they embrace it. Do they get offended that other people are celebrating their holiday? Wearing green? No. But according to the original person who asked the question, it could be possible. Anything could be possible. When can we stop being offended about the smallest things? We are developing more hate the more we draw these lines and distinctions between right and wrong. Instead of being offended, I think it would make “race relations” a lot easier if we all just loosened up a bit and were not so harsh and judgmental of every single thing.
I think that instead of criticizing people on the parties they choose to have, they should look at people's intentions and people's values. I don't think I should be judged on my social choices, rather the way I interact with other people in every day life. Yet, instances like these make me wonder if the "offensive" behavior will ever end, or if people willl find any instance they can to say that someone is acting in a "racist" manner.
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First, I don’t think that it’s only white people who have themed parties. However, I’ve read many posts that say that they’ve never heard of any themed parties that are being racist toward any group, I think that is completely wrong. I’ve been to, and heard of, many “gangsta” themed parties at Penn State. When I’ve attended them, I’ve never really thought that I was being racist. These parties were more meant to reflect a culture rather than a race. Now that you’ve brought it up though I completely see how it can come across as offensive even when those attending it are not consciously thinking that. Many different themed parties can be offensive and I think that if they don’t offend us personally we see nothing wrong with it. I think that is where all of the racial tension in our country stems from, our insensitivity.
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This question definitely pissed me off a little. Who is to say that theme parties are for white people only? Theme parties do not discriminate against who is allowed to have them. While many theme parties can be considered derogotory, who is to say that it is towards black people? I have been to many themed parties, and not one has been racist. If you think that theme parties are for white people and are demeaning to black people, maybe try googling ideas for a themed party or look at pictures from theme parties. Mostly all of them are done in good fun and are not done in a vicious manner.
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I'm sorry, but I would like to start off by saying this has to be one of the more ignorant questions I have ever seen. To be honest with you, I think this girl is seeing everything in black and white, whether she thinks so or not. I have never thought of the fact that only white people hold themed parties, and I am sure that this is a ridiculous claim. Second of all, I have yet to attend a themed party aimed at stereotypes aimed toward black people. I am not sure if this girl has ever attended a theme party before because here question is so off target and so outrageous. In fact, she is the one inciting racism: she is making a race issue out of something that never involved race in the first place. This is what really angers me. Someone who seems to have limited knowledge about a subject wants to turn this into its the world against me, and they are making fun of me.
I don't want this to sound racist, but I'm sure to some it may seem racist… Why does it always seem like black people want to turn every issue into a race issue? I see it constantly played out by people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. To be honest, they are stupid. If they want true equality and people not to see things in black and white then they would stop turning everything into a race issue and manufacturing racism in every piece of fabric in society then there could be a chance that people won't see things in black and white. But as soon as you turn something into a race issue, you eliminate this chance. Not only are you turning things into black and white, you make black and white people angry at each other. The black people typically side with Jackson and Sharpton and get angry at white people. Meanwhile, most white people cannot believe that Jackson and Sharpton make such ridiculous claims and get angry at the black community. So who are the ones that cause racism? Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and people who make comments like this who have slanted views on the world.
But you probably are right, so I will list a few of the "racist" theme parties I have been to and point out how racist they are. Let's start off with the simple highlighter party. Everyone wears a white shirt. That's really racist. Why can't all color just be equal? Wait, its because highlighter only shows up on a white background. What about 80s parties, they're pretty racist. People wear bright, flamboyant colors. That's something black people would never do. How about golf pros and tennis hoes parties? Are we offending black people because only rich white people play those sports? Last time I checked, golf is dominated by Tiger Woods, while Serena and Venus Williams dominate women's tennis. I think those people are black. Oh yea, all those Jersey Shore parties. I hope I'm not offending my black friends with their blowouts and their fake tans. I could keep going, pointing how how racist these white people are with their themed parties, but I don't have time so I figured I would just point out the real racist in the United States….. P. Diddy. He has his annual White Party. Hundreds of a-list celebrities attend, but can only wear white. If they even have black shoes or a gold necklace, they are not allowed in. So next time you post a question, ask why Sean Combs is so racist.
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Well, I don’t know if it’s because I’m a sophomore or I’m just don’t party as much as I use to but this University of California incident is the first I have ever heard of a race based themed event.
Themed parties are just how we add to the fun, help think of activities to do, what to wear, and even decorations. We have all kinds of themed parties that are not offensive. Such as Christmas, Halloween, end of the year, birthday, beach, no pants (still not offense), semester kick off, state patties day, etc. They are all just a way to have fun at no ones expense.
I mean some parties you could kind of try to say some would be offended like, Saint Patrick’s day, every one knows its about Irish and the only thing we do to celebrate it is to drink. I suppose one could take it as someone saying that Irish people are all drunks but that is a far stretch to say Irish people would be offended, since most embrace it fully.
I have seen themed parties/mixers in the HUB that were race themed, such as the Chinese International student party, yeah if based on race but it was for about Chinese students to bring them together. It wasn’t focused around stereotypes and another racial group didn’t throw it. So, would you be against this ‘race’ themed party even though not one person of any racial group could find offense in its being thrown?
Even if/when some one throws a ‘white trash’ party, the people throwing it have always been white people and I don’t know if that’s okay or not but it the race making fun of themselves. So, its still wrong on some level but it’s not as offensive, so the UCSD party have been sponsored by, thrown by, AND attended by black people then it would have been harder to find the line of inappropriateness but it would still be obviously wrong.
And those pimps and hoes/ leggings and heels parties are usually assumed to be associated only with black and brown people immediately, but they aren’t racially based so there isn’t any way one could consider it to be racist, also the black people are the ones who throw them. Same with lumberjack parties, only white people ever think to do those themes, it’s not exactly a ‘race’ themed party. Anyone can wear a purple suit for a pimp party, leggings, heels, or a plaid shirts so I can admit that thought are assumed to be targeted toward one race its still not ‘racist.’
I feel like the students at University of California may or may not have been trying to make some kind of statement, it still was completely and undeniably obviously wrong and insensitive and they knew better , just like Penn State and other school.
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It's ridiculous to say these theme parties are racist. Where did she even get that idea? The theme parties that people throw around here are CEOs and corporate hos, anything but clothes, tennis hos and golf pros, toga things like that. The only racist theme party I can think of would be Jersey Shore. It's almost not fair to call that a racist theme though because it's based off of a tv show which is based on a culture, not a race. It doesn't seem like anyone else who is commenting thinks that these theme parties are racist either. The basis for these parties isn't usually to make fun of any certain kind of group. Normally, these parties are thrown so that all the girls wear as little clothing as possible. I can't think of one party that would be racist toward black people.
It is really narrow minded of her to say that all these theme parties are for white people. It may seem like that around Penn State because a majority of Penn State is white. But that doesn't mean that there aren't black people at these theme parties. She is talking about being racist but I think she's being a little racist herself for assuming that these theme parties are racist and thrown by white people.
Of course these parties are considered stereotyping, that's the point of the party. You are supposed to dress how a stereotypical tennis or golf pro would. It's fun to dress up and that is the point of the party, it's not to poke fun at people who play tennis. I've never heard of a tennis or golf player being offended that girls are dressing up in little pleated skirts and visors. It's not offensive, it's just a theme. Theme parties are supposed to be fun, there supposed to change things up from the average party. It's all about the fun.
I think if anyone were to throw a racist party they'd probably get beat up anyway. If you were to throw a blacks in ghetto party and told your friends to dress up as a crackhead how many people do you think would actually come? I would probably think it was a joke. There's no way anyone I know would actually take it seriously and dress up and attend something like that. There aren't racist parties like that because that would be racist. If people are going to be racist they probably aren't going to throw a party to celebrate their hate.
I think this girl needs to get a little perspective, she just needs to go to a few theme parties and experience the lack of racism for herself.
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This is pure bullshit. On what basis can you say that all theme parties are racist and are hosted by white people only? I’m brown and I love theme parties. Last week I went to golf pros and tiger hoes theme party. People host theme parties for a change because they are probably bored with regular parties every week which becomes repetitive. Some people might consider pimps and hoes a racist theme but it is just a stereotype like any other. Pimps and hoes is a stereotype set my black rappers and actors like Snoop Dogg. This doesn’t mean that it is racist towards black people. There are high school stereotype parties which make fun of white preps and frat boys. I mean theme parties are just another reason for people to get drunk and have fun. I don’t think anyone has ever thought of a theme party of being racist or anything of that sort. Maybe people wear costumes on Halloween that are racist but that is a totally different thing and cannot be compared to theme parties. Theme parties on any given weekend are the same as st. pattys day parties or even Christmas parties. I have never been under the impression that certain theme parties are racist and I have never even thought of any theme parties to be discriminating. I just want to know some theme parties which are racist, I can’t think of any party which can be considered racist unless there are parties which are actually meant to be racist. I mean some parties like golf pros and tennis hoes parties can be degrading to women but I don’t think women think of it to be sexist, same way “gangsta” parties aren’t racist unless someone tries too hard to think of it to be racist. I want to know if the girl who posted the video has ever had an experience with racist theme parties and I want an example of a theme party which is racist. A lot of people mentioned the Jersey Shore theme party. Some Italians might find it offensive because the theme is focused on a certain race of people and not a generalized theme. The girl said that most theme parties are hosted by white people and are generated to black people. That might be the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a long time. I went to a theme party a few weeks ago and the host was one of my black friends. The theme of the party was jersey shore which some people consider to be racist. I just want to know what the girl has to say about this. As I said before, themes are just an excuse to get belligerent and have fun.
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I never really thought of themed parties as being racist, maybe because I am white, but I do not really think of ones that are derogatorily racist. I have been to a CEOs and Office Hoes party which is more sexist than anything else really because it encourages women to dress skankily. I also do not think that highlighter parties are racist because highlighters are more visible on white shirts or even parties with holiday themes because there are holidays for reasons that should be celebrated. There might be more holidays that started from white people; I do not though because I have not counted. Maybe it is because of where I am from too as reason for the way I think; back at home we have had white trash parties which I guess you can call racist, but it is making fun of white people, but not only white people attended. The theme of black and white parties is meant for people to dress up in suits and classy dresses — and not really look like a black or a white person, which I guess could be confusing if you did not know.
I definitely think I need to be more informed more this topic because I am oblivious to how themed parties are racist. I would not say that white people mostly throw themed parties because I have been to many themed parties held by non-white people, such as Hawaiian theme parties, black light parties, and a SAW (the movie) party (just to name a few).
Offending black people? I have known black people that throw themed parties. I do not understand where the question is coming from really. I spent my first two college years at Penn State Harrisburg and we had fraternities (they are still in existence too) that are composed of multicultural people. They used to throw parties that had themes and were successful too.
Anyone can throw a party for St. Patrick's Day but are you going to call them racist for doing so? It also was not racist when we celebrated Martin Luther King Day at Penn State Harrisburg (for example) even if we are not black. I just think this question is bogus because I am completely oblivious to the validity of the question. I, personally, have never been confronted with the issue with my friends. It may have been helpful if an example could have been thrown into the question too.
They are just parties. They are not meant to hurt someone, but celebrate something even if the party is for a dumb reason, like if it is raining outside and you cannot go anywhere so you throw a party. Parties are meant to be fun. Themed parties a little more fun because you get to dress not as you normally would. Themed parties might keep people longer and increase morale overall.
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I really don’t agree with pretty much anything this girl said. As a member of the greek community, I have been to a lot of theme parties. It is true we dress up like idiots from time to time and that occasionally we do make fun of different ways people dress, but we do make fun of EVERYONE. We have themed socials ranging from white trash trailer bash to gangsta. In no way shape or form do we try to single out a group to make fun of. If you cant make fun of yourself, than that is a real shame. Since we have plenty of different types of people in my fraternity, everyone gets their turn to get made fun of. The “ghetto” kids get their turn on gangsta night and the Jersey kids get made fun of during guido night. The people getting made fun of don’t get mad about these themes because they know that its all in fun and nobody is trying to put them down.
As far as specifically for targeting out the black community, besides the “gangsta” theme, I have never seen this while at Penn State. It may happen at some parties, but as for me specifically, I have had no experiences with this. I think that the black community at Penn State sometimes think that everyone is out to get them. Maybe it is because I’m white and from a very racially diverse area, but I don’t see a reason to be so apprehensive about white kids at Penn State. It might be that they have had bad experiences with kids from the country part of PA. If this is the case than I can feel for them because that is truly sad in this day. However, this does not mean that they should be suspect or suspicious of all white kids. I think the girl in the video really over-generalizes the white community at PSU. It is true there are a lot of stupid white kids who might have racial issues, but these kids are ignorant and I honestly feel bad for them. However, for the most part I believe the white community at Penn State is pretty open minded and tries to respect other cultures. This class has really opened my mind to how far we have to go, but in general I think we are doing pretty well. You hardly ever see a fraternity or sorority with all white kids in it. Looking at our pictures from years back, I can tell you this was not always the case. With time there has been many more people from different races involved in the greek community. Hopefully in years to come we can build on this and we wont need all black fraternities or sororities, and we can just have groups of people who look past each others skin color or ethnicity, and just look at their common bond.
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This was a very good thing to point as I look at those parties I sometimes ask myself who come up with these themes but I never really sit back and really took a look into how crazy and racists the themes can be. As I look at those themes I don’t really see the themes taking a shot at black people like a theme to me is to bring in a different type of crowd and to come up with something new so that people can show up and have a great time and doing something different but on the other hand I may see it a little. One thing I would like to point out when Blacks tend to have theme parties why don’t they get bashed about theme parties because to me black and white are doing it. But in some people eyes the whites are making joke towards blacks well with me being an African American I think whites know black themes and party get people to come out I don’t think they do it to make jokes towards us but we know how to put them together and putting a good theme together make people want to come out and try something different its gives a party life and something new to the table instead of the same boring regular party so if you take a party with some type of theme it’s would spark it so with me being black I really do not think it’s nothing wrong with white people adding a them to their party and I really don’t think they try to offend us blacks because the main thing is coming together and party.
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I don’t think this is racist thing. They also have themed parties such as “Jersey shore”, but they aren’t making fun of Italians, they have “sports” themed parties and that doesn’t mean they’ making fun of athletes. The parties this girl is talking about are “ghetto” themed parties. It just so happens that a majority of the people that live in the ghetto are black. It’s only when the two people being compared are white and black that racism enters the human mind.
Another thing isn’t it true that people from “ghetto” neighborhoods do dress differently than those from different areas. Those people being either black, white, Asian, or Hispanic, they dress differently because of their environment. If anything it is wrong to have “ghetto” themed parties because they are making fun of those who are poor. It’s not like everybody who sags their pants, wears fitted caps, and lives in the ghetto is black, other races all do the same thing. So this issue is only racist if you make it racist in your head.
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So after watching the video and listening to the question posed more than twice, I still continued to smirk each time. Not because what she’s saying is funny, but at the hypocrisy of what she was saying. I have always said that Penn State is its own world. And within this “world” that we attend, there is different “countries” and each country will celebrate and party in their specific ways. Obviously the school is, and will continue to be a predominantly white school. So when she says that majority of white people have “themed” party that make fun of black people, I can’t help to wonder, aren’t the majority of parties at Penn State thrown white people anyway? Another question that came to mind after hearing her question was, why do you automatically believe that these themed parties are “generated towards black people”. I am a black person, and I have been to countless “themed” parties during my time here at State, and yes some were “Hip Hop” themed, or “Coming to America” themed, but I have never considered these parties to be negative towards my race. If anything I always found these themes to be comical and somewhat poking fun at how “white” the people throwing the party were, than how “black” the actual theme of the party was. I actually believe that white people at State poke more fun at themselves when setting these themes, than they do black people. “Jersey Shore” parties, “Red Neck” parties, these are all themes that are geared towards the embarrassing things that white people may do or act, not blacks. And the main reason why I found her statement to be somewhat funny, and hypocritical, was the blacks at Penn State throw themed parties on a weekly basis. From “Caribbean” night to “Biggie Small v. Tupac” themed parties, blacks, just as often as whites, throw themed parties, and majority of the time, they are geared towards “black themes”.
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I completely disagree wit this comment. Themed parties are simply for fun. There is no real reason why it is themed …it just makes life more interesting and fun. I am personally a huge theme party fan. I have been to many this year and they have not been targeted toward black people … if they were targeted toward anyone it was white people. Some of the ones I have been to this year were jersey shore …which was based off the show and if it made fun of anyone it was people who are Italian ( a am part Italian ) and from new jersey ! 80’s and 70’s …which no racial group was targeted but if we were making fun of anyone it was our parents and what they wore in college Holiday. No racial groups. If I made fun of anyone it was Christians.. I wore a Christmas tree dress and I am a very strong catholic… twin… no racial group aging…beach no racial groups jock jams ..no racial groups ..preppy no racial groups ..jungle. no racial groups reasons to celebrate ..no racial group .but I managed to make fun of myself a preppy white girl ..and did a sale at j crew …and many other ppl made jokes about themselves.. Olympics. No racial group high school. Again no racial group. ..and CMT vs BET.. Which could be argued that it was targeted at black people but I think if you are arguing that you are looking for something to pick a fight about… most of the ppl who dressed “ BET” were people of color and white people defiantly made fun of white people my self included … I wore overalls a pregnant belly had fake tattoos pigtails fake cigarettes and other touches that completely made fun of poor white people.
I understand that there have been a few parties that have “ crossed the line “ but I do not think the generalization is crazy. Today our ta told us about a Compton cookout that I can honestly say that if I was a woman of color I would be offended by this. And I am offended even as a white girl. However I think that 99% of people who have themed parties have all good intentions. They just want to have a good time and mix up your typical weekend. I think people who get upset over these things are part of the reason why racism is still a problem in our country and why white people often “ come to the race table” so intimated. I think it is safe to say that most people do not want to be racist and do not have bad intentions so I think that we should not be so quick to judge people and accuse people of having bad intentions.
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this is probably the most ignorant comment i have seen on this website
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I disagree with this statement 100%. Just because people have themed parties does not mean that they are gearing towards a specific race or making fun of them. At Penn State and most other schools, I believe it just a way to have fun and change up the party scene for once. Sometimes it may even be because it's easier to get dressed for the night and it doesn't really matter what you look like since everyone else will look the same. If themed parties seriously do come off to people of color as a way of making fun of them, then how are white people supposed to feel when all you see or hear about are "black" parties. Honestly, I have been to a party where I am the only white girl besides my friend I went with and I felt like everyone was looking at me like I didn't belong or fit in. Themed parties may sometimes come off as "Racial" but I feel like they are not mean't in a derogatory way or even in a racist way. Some people may have them to make fun of another race or group of people but to say that most themed parties are towards black people or another race is too broad of an accusation. In my perspective a themed party gives people chances to feel and dress like other groups of people that maybe they necessarily would not associate themselves with. I do not have the most firsthand point of view about themed parties because I have only attended a few but from an outside point of view and from listening to what friends have to say or even people I do not know they never seem to be "racist." If it is true that most white people have parties and they are racist then why do white people have "white trash" parties. Like I had said before there are people in the world and here at Penn State that are racist and do go to those parties and those parties such as "Jersey Shore" or gangsta parties but to generalize all white people is extreme. I also find it hard to believe that no black or colored people here in Penn State have not ever had a themed party or gone to a themed party. If they were your friends then would you be ok with it since you know it isn't mean't in a racist kind of way? As I have said in the beginning themed parties are mainly to get away from the regular party scene such as bars, house parties, frats, clubs, etc. I don't think a majority of people go out to a themed party with the intention of being racist towards other groups of people.
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I already commented on this but when I saw it again on the website i just had to say once again… INGORANT
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You pose an interesting question about how some hosts of parties attempt to take advantage of some racial stereotypes by using them as a theme. However, I don’t really see a connection between theme parties and racial stereotyping to the extent that you are making it seem like. For example, the parties that I have gone to previously are beach parties, toga parties, Jersey shore parties, Saint Patrick’s/State Patty’s day parties, and Christmas parties. Most of them were not geared toward any racist theme. However, I can see how the Jersey shore parties might somewhat offend Italian-Americans by making generalizations about their culture which does not necessarily reflect all Italian-Americans. I can understand the whole hoes and CEOs party might be somewhat degrading to women in that they would have to dress as “hoes” and be considered as such for a night which is not something that every woman wants to be called. On the other hand, guys would probably enjoy such a party because I’m sure most men would not mind the benefits of being a CEO.
If you recall Halloween in the Fall of 2007, two Penn State students dressed as Virginia Tech shooting victims. This is an instance in which these students way overstepped a border of sensitivity and just plain common decency. Not only were the costumes offensive and disgusting in taste, they reflect badly on Penn State students and the university as a whole. I was not a student at Penn State until the Fall of 2007 several months after the original shooting took place. However, from what I have heard and the older students that I have talked to, Penn State stood behind Virginia Tech in a time when they needed support and needed to heal within their community. There was even a t-shirt that I saw that read “Me and 42,000 of my friends got your back VT.” When I first saw that shirt, that really hit home about the decency and kindness of Penn State students and how we showed support and empathy for the events that took place at Virginia Tech. However, those students dressed in the shooting victims’ costumes should be ashamed of themselves for even being Penn State students. I can’t imagine how heartbroken and betrayed students at Virginia Tech must have felt when they read this article. My only hope is that people who read this article do not make a negative generalization about Penn State students because of what two insensitive students said.
Moving back to your main point, I feel that people have overstepped some boundaries when it comes to dressing and/or theming parties but they have mainly targeted specific groups of people, not necessarily black people. I always keep in mind that since we are the number one party school in the country, students here will often overstep the bounds of decency, and I have sadly come to accept that.
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I do not really like the idea of theme parties, but I can understand why people do it so that they can make their party a little different and make it stand out. But with all the theme parties that I have been to or heard of, I have not of many that would be considered racist. Most of them are making fun of TV shows and others are just random jobs where people just like to dress up like a business person or army guy or whatever. These parties would not be considered racist; if anything, they would be considered sexist since the women who attend these parties are usually expected to dress in a slutty manner.
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I have to say i disagree what this female is saying about theme parties. I do not agree at all they are racist. Most of the theme parties are done by different generations such as togas – anicent greece, hippies- the 60's, punk rock- the 80's. I feel that theme parties are similar to halloween where people are bored being themselves and want to slip into a different role for a little bit. Any of the themes I just mentioned do not exclude black people one bit. The only "racist" party theme can be gangasta and hip hop but that should not be racist. If hip hop artists want to be successful and make alot of money then they have to be willing to accept that other people will want to dress and act like them. I agree that more white people hold theme parties, especially at Penn State but that is often because for greek life frats and sororities are forced to have themed week longs instead of plain parties. The theme party is about pretending you are somebody else for a night and I think that white and black people all like to do that once in a while. Feb.26
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