How About a Dress Code or Uniforms for Campus?

[HeffnerIV]

Yosef10 and Tdog: Would you also opine that the thug life animal video is racist?

Your video is racist. You're a racist. Everything 's racist. Hell, you're all racists!

[T-Dog]

AND...students at Appalachian State got together and had what sounds like a civil discussion about race. Isn't that what everybody wants?

Apparently not.

[TheMoody1]

AND...students at Appalachian State got together and had what sounds like a civil discussion about race. Isn't that what everybody wants?

Apparently not.

Everybody but Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

[proasu89]

Merriam-Webster
Thug - a brutal ruffian or assassin

Dictionary.com
Thug - a cruel or vicious ruffian, robber, or murderer.

Wikipedia
Thug - Thug, a common criminal, who treats others violently and roughly, often for hire

Oxford Dictionary
Thug - A violent person, especially a criminal.

I've not seen one description where race was mentioned.

You're absolutely right. So the question remains, why would a Christian organization choose to celebrate the lifestyle you defined above?

[wataugan03]

So I guess every party with a theme is now going to be considered racist or offensive to someone, somewhere? Would anyone have noticed if they had a redneck themed party? I guess we should cancel Halloween too since people dress up as all sorts of other people in costumes that could be considered offensive to different races or occupations.

People need to lighten up a little.

BTW- I've known my fair share of white kids that I considered a Thug.

I think your point would be valid if the participants didn't all dress up in stereotypically black clothing. There's a message there: that if you wear the type of clothing that's associated with blackness then you are a thug. And I don't think it takes a phd to recognize an implicit statement behind that: black = thug.

[AppGrad1]

Merriam-Webster
Thug - a brutal ruffian or assassin

Dictionary.com
Thug - a cruel or vicious ruffian, robber, or murderer.

Wikipedia
Thug - Thug, a common criminal, who treats others violently and roughly, often for hire

Oxford Dictionary
Thug - A violent person, especially a criminal.

I've not seen one description where race was mentioned.

You're absolutely right. So the question remains, why would a Christian organization choose to celebrate the lifestyle you defined above?

Because they are college kids.
They are not mature thinking adults yet.
What if they dressed up as "redneck" day? Surely there are blacks in the student group. If they participated in "redneck" day dress up would they also be racist towards whites?
Why does everything in this world now deal as "racist"?

[wataugan03]

What if they dressed up as "redneck" day? Surely there are blacks in the student group. If they participated in "redneck" day dress up would they also be racist towards whites? Why does everything in this world now deal as "racist"?

If the Black Student Association had a redneck day then I think you could call that racist. But not this group, because this group is about as predominately white as the BSA is predominately black.

And I don't think everything in this world now deals a racist. But we have hit a point where almost all of the overt racists are out of power, and people feel comfortable calling out small-scale racial agressions that occur in the private field. You're right that this wouldn't have made waves in the say, the 1970's, but that's because people's attention was on bigger things - like forcing school systems in this state to integrate (school systems that had deliberately refused for more than a decade after Brown v. Board of Education).

[Rekdiver]

After 40 years since graduation I want to confess and apologize to the Romans and Greeks for the theme party we had in 1973.... Toga, Toga, Toga!

[Yosef10]

Yosef10 and Tdog: Would you also opine that the thug life animal video is racist?

Never did I say this was racist. I said a good leader would've know from the jump that this was not a good idea. My feelings are that the term thug in this country is usually used as a substitute by whites for the n-word. If you disagree, that's your opinion but I've seen this situation far too many times. So no gonzo, a video of animals dressed up in urban garb isn't racist to many. But a student organization such as Young Life who is 99%, if not 100% white, having a thug life themed meeting is a bit of a double standard as well as hypocritical. I don't think Jesus would want them impersonating true thugs, but hey to each his own.

[bcoach]

Somebody needs to get out more. White kids dress like that all over the place. I really and truly think that if someone sees this as " black dress" that is pretty narrow minded thinking. It really is prison dress and has been taken up by a minority of black, white, and Hispanic folks in this country who enjoy the rap ( I just can't call it music ) stuff. No I do not mean to say that ALL people that enjoy rap dress like that but the converse seems to be true. EVERYTHING in life does not have to be racist. Can't we just TRY and get along for a change?

[Yosef10]

Somebody needs to get out more. White kids dress like that all over the place. I really and truly think that if someone sees this as " black dress" that is pretty narrow minded thinking. It really is prison dress and has been taken up by a minority of black, white, and Hispanic folks in this country who enjoy the rap ( I just can't call it music ) stuff. No I do not mean to say that ALL people that enjoy rap dress like that but the converse seems to be true. EVERYTHING in life does not have to be racist. Can't we just TRY and get along for a change?

I've been out, champ, I just don't have the blinders on that you apparently do. take a seat

[Rekdiver]

I've never r seen anyone win or lose an argument or discussion online. I have no white guilt but after 63 years I do have a better understanding how minorities feel about perpetually promoted stereotypes. I don't see censorship here and I don't think this is a PC police issue either. I'm glad to see people speak up.
Certainly the black students didn't bring this up just to seek attention.
Beyond this, having an open discussion even if it strayed from topic is always a good thing.

[bcoach]

Somebody needs to get out more. White kids dress like that all over the place. I really and truly think that if someone sees this as " black dress" that is pretty narrow minded thinking. It really is prison dress and has been taken up by a minority of black, white, and Hispanic folks in this country who enjoy the rap ( I just can't call it music ) stuff. No I do not mean to say that ALL people that enjoy rap dress like that but the converse seems to be true. EVERYTHING in life does not have to be racist. Can't we just TRY and get along for a change?

I've been out, champ, I just don't have the blinders on that you apparently do. take a seat

That makes no sense at all as it seems I am seeing much more than you are. Where are the blinders? Take a seat? Champ?

[appdaze]

During my years at App there were many parties with a thug/gangster theme from frats and sororities including our christian frat/sorority and many non school affiliated parties. Everyone should probably be burned at the stake and their still burning bodies marched down the street to appease the nation of the offended. I take that back that might offend the monks who burned themselves for Vietnam or the accused witches in Salem. I would say we have a party where we all dress up like ourselves but I dress like a middle aged white person and that might offend other middle aged white guys.

Racism exists. It always has and always will. The human brain categorizes and compares everything in the world around us. Throw in human arrogance which will never go away and this makes for a bad combination that leads to people feeling that the category they fit in is superior to the category of others. This is racism, classism, sexism, and all the other offended isms. No matter how much money you throw at it and now matter how many times you educate people on such issues they will never ever ever go away in the same manner that there will always be the haves and the have nots. If people in the nation of the offended want to truly fix the problem than they need to figure out a way to completely rewire the human brain.

[bcoach]

During my years at App there were many parties with a thug/gangster theme from frats and sororities including our christian frat/sorority and many non school affiliated parties. Everyone should probably be burned at the stake and their still burning bodies marched down the street to appease the nation of the offended. I take that back that might offend the monks who burned themselves for Vietnam or the accused witches in Salem. I would say we have a party where we all dress up like ourselves but I dress like a middle aged white person and that might offend other middle aged white guys.

Racism exists. It always has and always will. The human brain categorizes and compares everything in the world around us. Throw in human arrogance which will never go away and this makes for a bad combination that leads to people feeling that the category they fit in is superior to the category of others. This is racism, classism, sexism, and all the other offended isms. No matter how much money you throw at it and now matter how many times you educate people on such issues they will never ever ever go away in the same manner that there will always be the haves and the have nots. If people in the nation of the offended want to truly fix the problem than they need to figure out a way to completely rewire the human brain.

What you say is VERY true but does not apply to every person and I don't believe you implied that either. Some people to include myself and some black friends have chosen to not see every trivial move by others as racist ( a word by the way which is way over used ). One good reason for that is many are not.

[fjblair]

University students do not wear uniforms for blindingly obvious reasons, not sure why this thread even exists.

[wataugan03]

During my years at App there were many parties with a thug/gangster theme from frats and sororities including our christian frat/sorority and many non school affiliated parties. . . Racism exists. It always has and always will. The human brain categorizes and compares everything in the world around us. Throw in human arrogance which will never go away and this makes for a bad combination that leads to people feeling that the category they fit in is superior to the category of others. This is racism, classism, sexism, and all the other offended isms. No matter how much money you throw at it and now matter how many times you educate people on such issues they will never ever ever go away . . .

You're right to a degree. But we're working on it. Strom is dead. Jesse is dead. And the young people that have replaced their generation are a monumental improvement. Today's young people aren't just ditching overt racism, they are also showing a willingness to look at things from the perspective of others and to ask whether they might have some implicit biases that need to be checked. At least in this realm people expect a lot more from themselves and each other than they did in your days.

[appdaze]

You're right to a degree. But we're working on it. Strom is dead. Jesse is dead. And the young people that have replaced their generation are a monumental improvement. Today's young people aren't just ditching overt racism, they are also showing a willingness to look at things from the perspective of others and to ask whether they might have some implicit biases that need to be checked. At least in this realm people expect a lot more from themselves and each other than they did in your days.[/quote]


My days? I'm not an old man!! I probably should have said nearing middle aged man in my earlier post. I still don't quite have to put a 3 in front of my age yet. Racism, sexism and all the other isms are still alive and well in the younger generations as well. They are just as willing to express it. All you need to do is go listen in on school kids conversations in passing to know that. People now are just as racist as they've always been. I'm not just talking about the past 100 years I mean for thousands of years. Ancient cultures were racist and sexist and everything else too. This is not something new that is all of a sudden going to change with one or two generations of people. Its not ever going to change. Each generation is going to find reasons to dislike other members of their generation. Another place to view just how nasty this newer generation can be is no further than the internet you are on to read this forum. If you want to think about the younger peoples willingness to look at things from others perspectives and expecting more from themselves than you might want to look in to the world of cyber bullying. We always like to grasp at the hopes that the newer generations will be better than the last ones as we perceive "better" to be but they never really are. Its just more of the same only with newer technology and ways of doing more of the same. I know they like to throw around stories on TV and such trying to say these generations are so much better than the last ones in this regard but that is unfortunately a far reach from reality.

[AppGrad1]

Ununited States.

[burnsjf]

YL is a great group, this is just another way to bring some PC nonsense for the talking heads. A dress code would not fly at APP. I tried telling the hippy girl in my English class that she should probably wear shoes.. that's as far as I care about a dress code.