mocking, absolutely
poking fun at African-American stereotypes, priceless

the only person on this board i would not suspect of having engaged in similar behavior - but hopefully yours was of a lesser degree - is force

the rest of us have sometime mocked that which is begging to be ridiculed. i am certain you will correct me if i am wrong!

the flaming gay behavior. the flamboyant gestures. begging to be mocked.

thankfully, there is growing homogenization, but there also remain strong cultural differences. while there is no way i would walk my 'hood (couldn't resist) wearing droopy drawers sagging way below the asscrack, that is the definition of youth cool in some communities. (but probably not after the white dudes adopted the behavior.) is that so odd that it is fair game for mockery? absolutely. this kind of stuff was Chappelle's stock in trade.

Bobby Lee in MADtv doing his daewoo gig. hilarious

and there is no group of people who make easier targets than the white folks (geeky, unathletic, no rhythm, pre-occupied with what others will think, clueless, on & on & on) ... with the exception of fat people

have we returned to the era when Amos 'n Andy was no longer acceptable when it was found that the characters where portrayed by white actors?

this is one of those times when the African-American community should lighten up. no one was taking any action against another. being stupid does not have to equal being criminal. they burn a cross on their on yard, wave the red/green/black flag, wear blackface and do-rags, listen to james brown music, wear all the bling they can afford, drive up in 24's with spinners or a crotch rocket, practice their M&M white boy rap, expose their crunk teef, pimp walk, moon walk, and back talk all they want. no harm - no foul.

the only thing that surprises me about this publicized non-event is that it did not occur near the Duke campus

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Quote:

"I like to watch the news, because I don't like people very much and when you watch the news ... if you ever had an idea that people were really terrible, you could watch the news and know that you're right."

Frank Zappa

Well first off, I think it is offensive not for the gangsta mocking, but the slave portrayals and having bones made to represent a slave hanging from the ceiling. Also just a call to all their friends to have a party in mockery of black people.
It is really no different than a KKK rally, but in a way it is worse, because it is such a casual mode of racist mockery.
I think that you are right that it is their freedom of speech to do so and that can't be taken away. But it is in bad taste. Imagine being a minority on a campus that is most likely already predominantly white. You might not think it is so funny if you went to school the next day and knew that is what some of the people think you are worth...

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"In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule." - Nietzsche

I guess he could be construed as racial but he makes fun of everyone equally and it appears to be in good fun. He also tends to mock people's racial attitudes more than the race itself. But even Chappelle admitted in his last season to a magazine that he was quiting because he felt his pixie skit was confirming racial stereotypes rather than fighting them, which is what he wanted to do originally.

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"In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule." - Nietzsche

I will echo the thoughts of Vergilius that the two things listed that was the most offensive that these frat boys ( and they obviously have not yet earned the right to be called men) did was the depiction of lynching and making fun of slavery. There is no rational person who could defend those two action since they are plain racist.

The making fun of gangsta dress may be of poor taste and I would not condone it but I would call it racist off hand unless I knew what the motivation was.

Didn't realize that MA KA KA was a frat!! Allen the candidate must have belonged to the same frat!!!!

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" Sarah Palin HAS elected BARACK Obama THE PRESIDENT"

I want to see the invitation. All we know now is that it used the term "hood" and asked people to dress despicable. That can't be what set the PC police off. Something is missing.


BTW, the skeleton hanging from the rope noose was dressed in pirate garb.

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"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves." ~Ronald Reagan

12th regarless of what the invitation said the depiction of lynching and making fun of slavery is beyonf the valley of A PC "VIOLATION".

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" Sarah Palin HAS elected BARACK Obama THE PRESIDENT"

12TH SAYS Well I have to believe that the term "hood" and to dress like that does not mean that you dress in your best LL Bean and brink you barbeque grill from you cul de sac home in Whiteburbia where most of the little frat farts most likley came from.

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" Sarah Palin HAS elected BARACK Obama THE PRESIDENT"

12th says Do we have a credible link for that ? Is so I will back of the lynching statement but I will not wear LANDS END clothes - those are for my liberal friends.......

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" Sarah Palin HAS elected BARACK Obama THE PRESIDENT"

I'm tempted to tell you that if you care, you can look yourself. You didn't ask brutha for a link, did you? If brutha had put in the link, there was another link in it which said, "In addition to the meeting, Hopkins officials sent out a letter about the incident to the school community. To read the full letter Click Here." That would have taken you HERE.

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"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves." ~Ronald Reagan

I didn't even notice that the Brutha failed to include a link. Most of us do therefore I did the AZZUME. Ok we shouldn't let the Brutha chime in free.

How about a link Brutha !!!!

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" Sarah Palin HAS elected BARACK Obama THE PRESIDENT"