Hey Racists, Get Your Hella Grooooooove On.

A few months ago, this article appeared in the Washington Post regarding a theme night in New York called "Kill Whitey." The story and issue has since been addressed on Poplicks, as well as Brainwashed (the latter being a bit more interesting since there's confirmed involvement/colorful quotes from one-half of annoying indie duo CocoRosie).

Well now party people, we have another example of so-called education being put to good and socially positive use. MTV (of all resources) reported a "Thuggin'" theme party at the University of Chicago, in which mostly white students participated in living a "Black" lifestyle by wearing big pants, gold chains, and drinking 40s from paper bags.

While there are many issues to address, I think the obvious is the most important: who the hell thought this would be a good idea?!?

It reminds me of when I first commented on the "Kill Whitey" story in Poplicks (via Myspace) and someone replied to my opinions (which was addressing the ignorance of hipsters by their embrace of hip-hop excess [see: 50 Cent, fashion, 40 oz., etc.] and not their enjoyment of the music/art) as "not being able to take a joke."

It's interesting when people who come from a conformed, homogenic society such as suburbia treat Black culture as a joke. As an Asian-American, I don't feel like it's exclusively a "white" thing to adapt Black culture, I just think that white suburban kids are lampooning and making light of a whole race of people.

An incident a year ago while working at Tower Records happened where an Asian woman sought me out specifically because I was the only ethnic employee there. She was looking for a Mario Winans CD, but just referred to him as "Mario" (apparently, they're such good friends that they were on a first name basis), so I kept showing her CD for Mario the kiddie R&B singer. When I didn't realize that she was looking for the Winans brother she said, "Don't you know anything about Black music?" I suppose I could've gone on some tangent about my extensive knowledge of soul and jazz, but I don't think that would've gotten me much sympathy.

Her statement, as well as growing up around other Asian-Americans, made realize that perhaps people who are not Caucasian tend to embrace African-American culture because that is the closest American culture we have to relate to in mainstream society. While that thought alone is a no-brainer for any person in a freshman sociology class, it definitely begs the question of who can appropriate what.

Asian-Americans and Hispanic-Americans also make up a lot of hip-hop's audience to the point where we have our own idols to look up to whether it's DJ Q-Bert (a Filipino) or Kid Frost (a Mexican). Still, if/when we participate in hip-hop and African-American culture it's never questioned, but probably because we're not making fun of it. There are hardly ever any ill intentions (hardly being a choice word there).

In the incidents regarding the "Kill Whitey" and "Thuggin'" parties, these people were clearly attempting to participate in hip-hop, but they were doing it in jest. Imitating what media outlets such as MTV and BET have shown them and not realizng that they're no better than Al Jolson in blackface.

I'm not suggesting that all white people are "cooning" it up when it comes to hip-hop. Far from it. I just think that in these circles -- hipsters and ignorant college kids -- it's more of a case of laughing at the other (probably because they fear the other, then again, I'm no psychologist). It just seems to happen real frequently and without consequence. I seriously think that it's time that those of us who are involved in the hip-hop community take a deep breath and start putting in calls to M.O.P.