Pop culture can become dangerous when trends, phrases and acts are associated as race specific. In the American world of political corectness, we have become so “correct” that in our efforts to “not offend” any one, we often do. Dialect is often confused with ethnic language, cultural fashions are confused with racial expressions, and certain jobs are asssumed to be the ownership of one race. Are we so scared to “not offend” that we do? Are certain groups so quick to be offended that they assume pop cultural events are racial events? Do certain groups exploit this to get a “rise” out of “oversensitive” people?

A recent party at The University of Texas Law School caught the attention of the Austin community, radio talk show hosts and the administration of the law school. A group of first year law students hosted a “Ghetto Fabulous” party and pictures of the party made it to the internet. The school repremainded students and “denounced” their actions by utilizing the typical disclaimer that comes from organizations when they want to seperate themselves from the actions of their members. The dean of the Law School, Larry Sager, stated, “Among the many ways to happily party in Austin, this particular one was singularly heedless and odious.” According to Stateman.com, Austin’s local newspaper, Nick Transier, a first-year student who attended the party in September and posted pictures on his Web site, said nobody there meant to offend anyone of any race. Why is everyone so “outraged” over a “Ghetto Fabulous” party?

Webster’s Dictionary utilizes three definitions for ghetto:

1. “a section of a city, esp. a thickly populated slum area, inhabited predominantly by members of an ethnic or other minority group, often as a result of social or economic restrictions, pressures, or hardships.”

2. “a section predominantly inhabited by Jews.”

3. “any mode of living, working, etc., that results from stereotyping or biased treatment”

Many people said they are outraged over the party because “Ghetto Fabulous” makes the assumption they are trying to ridicule African Americans. By definition, however, a “ghetto” can include any ethnic or minority group, so by definition alone the party is not referencing any group in particular. In popular culture, “ghetto” has become a slang word to identify individuals that lack ettiquette and tact, dress flambouyantly or embrace lower standards of living. Once again, according to the pop cultural definition, there is no indication of race. I’ve seen just as many “ghetto” white, hispanic, asian, and middle eastern (yes, there are “ghetto” middle eastern people) as I have black people! “Ghetto” within itself is not a statement, indicment or identification of a particular race. It is not offensive to host such a party on the bases of the name. So, why would some one get offended from the party?

I heard many people call in to one of the local radio stations in Houston using the typical rhetoric that we “should all just get along” and “haven’t we grown past this.” I heard people denounce the party on the basis of the name making the assumption that it was ridicouling African Ameicans, eventhough neither the name nor the definition reference race. I found it interesting that many of the callers that raised this point were not African American. The fact that these callers would associate “ghetto,” on the basis of the title, as an African American trait says something about the caller, not the party. On this basis, it was not a racial issue. So again, why would someone get offended over a “ghetto fabulous” party?

As I listened to the diversity of callers, some almost got it right. Some of the callers said that people should not be offended because it was “just a joke” and others said that people need to “quit being so sensitive.” They would have been right if they were referecing the term and definition of “ghetto” is not race specific. The problem that I had with their arguments was they made the assumption that the definition was talking about African Americans too and “they” should not be offended. Everyone on the radio missed the real issue, until an African American man called in and finally put the whole thing in perspective. The issue with this party was not the definition of “ghetto” or the name chosen for the party. The issue was the actions of the party participants.

You see, in there infinite ignorance, this young group of predominately white first year law students made assumptions through their actions. They came to the party carrying 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor and wore Afro wigs, necklaces with large medallions and name tags bearing historically black and hispanic names according to Statesman.com. Personally, this is where people should have been offended. As the African American caller pointed out, it wasn’t a racial issue until the party participants tried to display themselves as African American through wigs. 40-ounce bottles are not racial, white people drink them, hispanics drink them, asians drink them, and even middle eastern people drink them. You learn a lot about cultures at college parties…trust me people are equal opportunity drinkers! Necklasses and medallions aren’t racial…they are pop culture. I have seen them on every race. Names are not necessarily racial either. I met a white Kiesha one time and a black girl name Taylor. It became racial when they put on African American wigs.

The African American caller said they should have “put on black face” to”finish the job.” They were obviously trying to turn a definition that is not associated with race into a sterotype that is. Lets assume they didn’t know any better, that is a problem. Lets assume theyknew exactly what they were doing, probably the more likely scenorio, that is a bigger problem. This was a racial problem because the predominatley white attendants tried to display themselves as African American through the use of wigs, hence giving the definition and party name a face. This act is clearly racially insensitive. Ghetto is not race specific, unless in the tradition of ignorance someone tries to connect it to a partuculer culture by changing their physical apperance to look like that cultre.

“To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge.”
-Benjamin Disraeli, british politician (1804 – 1881)