Duke Women's Lacrosse Player in Black Face

[Pernell]

Pretty unfortunate given the photo was taken at the Women's Lacrosse Coach's home and was prominently displayed on GoDuke.com.

http://now.msn.com/duke-lacrosse-player-appears-to-be-wearing-blackface-on-university-website

As Duke begins to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the African American presence at Duke, I hope the University and the University community continues to elevate their sense of
conscienceness and racial sensitivity. Not that I'm sensitive, but, I can be sensitive to insensitivity. Trust me, there is a difference.

PSB, III 96'

[Mike Corey]

Fittingly, there is currently an exhibit being hosted by Duke Libraries called From Blackface to Blaxploitation (http://exhibits.library.duke.edu/exhibits/show/africanamericansinfilm).

Here's hoping the women's lacrosse program (and anyone else who saw this and saw no reason to object) is able to visit the exhibit.

[gus]

This kind of reminds me of a friend in high school who dressed up as a ghost: Sheet. Pillow case as a hood with eyeholes cut out.

There was not ill intent in his costume either, but man, he really should have known better.

[TennMike]

Yeah, you would hope they would know better. I bet they know better now.

[OldPhiKap]

This is how you learn life lessons. People do not always perceive things in the way you intend.

[Lord Ash]

I do hope that the player in question is not punished. Given the "group" nature of the costume there is no reason to believe she was doing it in any way to be offensive. I cannot help but think that, in relation to this particular case (a white person representing the only black person in a group costume), this is an issue that is maybe a touch TOO sensitive to many, although I do understand the point. Still... How would she successfully pull of that costume?

A few Halloweens ago I found myself having dinner at a Friendlys in Lancaster, PA. A buddy and I were waiting to be seated when we finally were... By a white manager in a full Don King costume, down to blackface. We couldn't believe it. At one point he sat a young African American couple at a table, and I watched... As the manager walked away, the young man of the couple sort of made a frown/smirk/can you believe that? headshake expression that summed it all up. That never would have flown further north.

[Mike Corey]

Unfairly or not, student-athletes are under a microscope--at all times, thanks to social media--and are constantly representing their university in a way unique to their role. This creates new, more rigid responsibilities. We all know that.

A rule of thumb for Halloween should be for all such student-athletes: play it safe.

Dressing up as someone of another race, innocuous though it may seem, is not playing it safe.

Now she was not the lone offender that night, but she's the one that got "caught". I agree that she individually should not be punished. But I do feel strongly that the issue should be engaged by the team and the coaches so that lessons are learned other than, "There are a lot of sensitive people out there."

[BD80]

I do hope that the player in question is not punished. Given the "group" nature of the costume there is no reason to believe she was doing it in any way to be offensive. ...

How stupid can she be? If she was that stupid to do something like that, she probably wouldn't understand why she is being punished.

Can we review her application and figure out how she was accepted to Duke? How can someone so unaware gain admission to Duke?

Where would this conduct be acceptable?

I say lower the boom.

[Wander]

How stupid can she be? If she was that stupid to do something like that, she probably wouldn't understand why she is being punished.

Can we review her application and figure out how she was accepted to Duke? How can someone so unaware gain admission to Duke?

Where would this conduct be acceptable?

I say lower the boom.

Whoa there champ. The costume is a mistake, and the girl and team should be educated about why, but being ignorant of the history behind blackface doesn't make someone "stupid" and tells you nothing about their merits to be accepted to Duke.

[Reisen]

How stupid can she be? If she was that stupid to do something like that, she probably wouldn't understand why she is being punished.

Can we review her application and figure out how she was accepted to Duke? How can someone so unaware gain admission to Duke?

Where would this conduct be acceptable?

I say lower the boom.

I have no idea the girl's background, but before we jump on this too much and blast her, here are two things to consider:

A- There are parts of the country, and most of the rest of the world, that are not as racially hypersensitive as the East Coast. Many people could and would be unaware of the stigma of blackface.

B- She wasn't the only one evidently unaware it was inappropriate. You had her teammates, the coach, and whoever uploaded the photograph to the school's website. I don't see any way you can "lower the boom" on the girl, without also going after the coach and whoever runs GoDuke.

Alternately, we can chalk it up to "lessons learned" and move on. I would bet that's exactly what happens. There doesn't seem to be ill intent here.

[Lord Ash]

Whoa there champ. The costume is a mistake, and the girl and team should be educated about why, but being ignorant of the history behind blackface doesn't make someone "stupid" and tells you nothing about their merits to be accepted to Duke.

I tend to agree with Wander here.

While older folks, more educated folks, or more sensitive folks might see the idea of a white person wearing black makeup while "dressing up" as a black person as a throwback to the offensive vaudeville/minstrel-esque era of blackface, other people (especially young people or people who might have been raised in an area/culture where race is not a major issue) might just see it as 'Well, I am trying to dress up as a Buckwheat, and if I just leave myself looking white it will look dumb,' or just as part of the costume.

While I know and understand the heavy history of blackface, I am hesitant to immediately write off anyone who does something like as being bad or racist or anything. Especially given the circumstances of this case (i.e. no apparent negative implications) I think this is maybe more a case of a group of young people who need a bit of historical context.

[BD80]

... There are parts of the country, ... that are not as racially hypersensitive as the East Coast. ...

Again I ask: where? Where would this be acceptable? Where would this NOT be considered stupid?

How can someone gain admission to a school like Duke and be unaware of the stigma associated with "blackface?"

I am not saying there was intent from a criminal standpoint, but criminal negligence could be argued. How could she have been unaware?

[Wander]

How can someone gain admission to a school like Duke and be unaware of the stigma associated with "blackface?"

I am not saying there was intent from a criminal standpoint, but criminal negligence could be argued. How could she have been unaware?

You are vastly overestimating the degree to which the stigma associated with blackface is known and understood by the general population, especially the younger population.

I'm fairly certain I didn't know anything about it in 2004 when I was admitted to Duke and learned about it at some point during college, and I like to think I turned out okay and am a somewhat smart guy.

[Mike Corey]

Again I ask: where? Where would this be acceptable? Where would this NOT be considered stupid?

How can someone gain admission to a school like Duke and be unaware of the stigma associated with "blackface?"

I am not saying there was intent from a criminal standpoint, but criminal negligence could be argued. How could she have been unaware?

While I share your frustration that anyone with a high school diploma could be unaware of the history and stigma of blackface, I think the answer to your question--and I don't mean to sound crass about it--is that it's not in the curricula of most schools, nor is it included in most textbooks (this is a guess).

Should everyone know about it? Absolutely. But most don't.

And heaping this at the feet of this individual girl is unfair, IMO, since no one seemed to object to this: none of the coaches, the SID staff, the other teammates, etc. They're all responsible for this, and all responsible for learning from it. I'm confident they are and will.

Challenging her academic credentials seems unfair, and counterproductive, IMO.

A few years ago--crap, 8 years ago--I worked for the Duke Chronicle. We had one sportswriter who had attended one of the finest schools in the country comparing Luol Deng's arms to those of an orangutan. He did it unaware of the long and sordid history of comparing African Americans to primates. That changed after the fact, as he studied up on it a great deal, and apologized to Luol accordingly.

Did that mean he wasn't properly educated--or "stupid"? Absolutely not. In fact, he's just taken a job with The Atlantic Monthly. But he was ignorant of something that many are. That doesn't make it right or acceptable or justifiable. But it does explain it in a way that is different from he's just stupid.

[CDu]

While I share your frustration that anyone with a high school diploma could be unaware of the history and stigma of blackface, I think the answer to your question--and I don't mean to sound crass about it--is that it's not in the curricula of most schools, nor is it included in most textbooks (this is a guess).

Should everyone know about it? Absolutely. But most don't.

And heaping this at the feet of this individual girl is unfair, IMO, since no one seemed to object to this: none of the coaches, the SID staff, the other teammates, etc. They're all responsible for this, and all responsible for learning from it. I'm confident they are and will.

Challenging her academic credentials seems unfair, and counterproductive, IMO.

A few years ago--crap, 8 years ago--I worked for the Duke Chronicle. We had one sportswriter who had attended one of the finest schools in the country comparing Luol Deng's arms to those of an orangutan. He did it unaware of the long and sordid history of comparing African Americans to primates. That changed after the fact, as he studied up on it a great deal, and apologized to Luol accordingly.

Did that mean he wasn't properly educated--or "stupid"? Absolutely not. In fact, he's just taken a job with The Atlantic Monthly. But he was ignorant of something that many are. That doesn't make it right or acceptable or justifiable. But it does explain it in a way that is different from he's just stupid.

"Stupid" is most certainly the wrong word. "Ignorant" is much more accurate.

[Reisen]

Again I ask: where? Where would this be acceptable? Where would this NOT be considered stupid?

How can someone gain admission to a school like Duke and be unaware of the stigma associated with "blackface?"

I am not saying there was intent from a criminal standpoint, but criminal negligence could be argued. How could she have been unaware?

Sure... Alaska. North Dakota. Montana. Arizona. Military bases. All places where black-white relations don't carry the same baggage they do on the East Coast, and especially the South-East.

With all due respect, and I don't know your age, but I suspect this is a generational thing. If it's not something they're teaching in school, and not something they would have ever seen... How are people supposed to know about it?

Further, do they really even need to? At what point is it ok again, because we've evolved past a point where it has a negative connotation, and instead to where it's no different than putting on a blonde wig to look like Thor from Avengers.

Note: I'm not saying we're there now, but what about 20 years from now? 50 years from now?

[gus]

How stupid can she be? If she was that stupid to do something like that, she probably wouldn't understand why she is being punished.

Can we review her application and figure out how she was accepted to Duke? How can someone so unaware gain admission to Duke?

Where would this conduct be acceptable?

I say lower the boom.

Sometimes it's easy to forget that people come to educational institutions still needing education.

While I was aware of blackface being offensive (like all other important life lessons, from TV: thank you Gimme a Break! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimme_a_Break!)), I don't think you should be so harsh for the mistake. Hopefully she, and many others have learned from it and make proper amends.

[Lord Ash]

tswriter who had attended one of the finest schools in the country comparing Luol Deng's arms to those of an orangutan. He did it unaware of the long and sordid history of comparing African Americans to primates. That changed after the fact, as he studied up on it a great deal, and apologized to Luol accordingly.


Ohhh I remember that one. I cringed pretty bad when I read that one. Yikers.

[nocilla]

I guess I am stupid because I did not know what blackface meant or the negative connotations it carried. And I grew up here in North Carolina. Although, if I were in the situation, I don't think I would have painted my face black to portray Buckwheat. I would have tried to find another character.

[OldPhiKap]

Ohhh I remember that one. I cringed pretty bad when I read that one. Yikers.

Ask Howard Cosell about it. NYU grad, NYU law school review, incredibly bright. One statement taken in a way he did not intend, but which many others found offensive.

It was poor taste or ignorant. Fine, she's a kid. She made a mistake; learn and move on. Heaven forbid if the mistakes I made in college were still held over my head.

[brevity]

She wasn't the only one evidently unaware it was inappropriate. You had her teammates, the coach, and whoever uploaded the photograph to the school's website. I don't see any way you can "lower the boom" on the girl, without also going after the coach and whoever runs GoDuke.

We can talk about blackface until we're blue in the face, prompting Smurf sensitivity training, but I actually think the GoDuke aspect of this is the most interesting. Could someone from the team have uploaded the photo directly, or did a site administrator allow this? I'm imagining a lack of common sense at every point in the chain of custody. This isn't TMZ -- it's a Duke site, and I'm not seeing why we would advertise giving ourselves a black eye (among other things).

I'm very much against censorship, but I'm even more in favor of self-censorship.

[BD80]

My first reaction is "Thank God, you don't make the rules around here"... and then I remember that, in some parts of the country (most notably California, DC, NYC, Boston), people who think just like you DO make the rules-- and it pains me to think about where our country (and its allegedly constitutionally-protected right to free speech) is headed.

How can blackface be due to ignorance, but also be free speech? If done to express a point, there must be knowledge of the significance.

Am I the only one that has trouble believing that she had no idea what she was doing? Lacrosse is an eastern sport - where many say such sensitivity exists.

More to the point, she didn't just buy a blackface costume and show up at the party. People, particularly college-aged girls, typically discuss their custumes in advance of an event. More particularly still, if she were ignorant of blackface, what prompted her to choose blackface? She went through the effort of acquiring and applying blackface, all while having no clue as to its meaning? If she didn't understand blackface, why was she in blackface?

I admit that I am older than many, hell I was there when Al Jolsen first used black face (he was drunk and grabbed the shoe polish instead of the face powder), but to suggest the conduct is excusable because younger generations don't understand seems to minimize those that are sensitive to the issue. To the extent today's college age students are ignorant to the stigma surrounding blackface, I guess I can but sigh. But an intelligent person would certainly find out before wearing the costume.

[DevilAlumna]

More to the point, she didn't just buy a blackface costume and show up at the party. People, particularly college-aged girls, typically discuss their custumes in advance of an event. More particularly still, if she were ignorant of blackface, what prompted her to choose blackface? She went through the effort of acquiring and applying blackface, all while having no clue as to its meaning? If she didn't understand blackface, why was she in blackface?

I admit that I am older than many, hell I was there when Al Jolsen first used black face (he was drunk and grabbed the shoe polish instead of the face powder), but to suggest the conduct is excusable because younger generations don't understand seems to minimize those that are sensitive to the issue. To the extent today's college age students are ignorant to the stigma surrounding blackface, I guess I can but sigh. But an intelligent person would certainly find out before wearing the costume.

Why do you think she should know about the stigma of blackface, just because you do? According to other news articles, she was 18 in 2010, which means she was born in 1992. Name one major social entertainment venue - TV, movie, radio, book - that she might have encountered from 2000 onward, that would have brought blackface to her attention. NONE that I can think of - the stigma is so great, it's NEVER mentioned. I would also be very much surprised if it was discussed in any history class any more (except, perhaps, a college level US history class.)

You say she bought a blackface costume. She may have thought she was buying some makeup to dress up as a movie character who happened to be black. The result is the same, but the intent is vastly opposite.

Mike Corey above has the best suggestion - teach the team about the history, and what an opportunity with the exhibit right on campus right now.

[Jim3k]

[QUOTE]Originally Posted by Mudge http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/images/buttons/viewpost-right.png (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?p=603318#post603318)

My first reaction is "Thank God, you don't make the rules around here"... and then I remember that, in some parts of the country (most notably California, DC, NYC, Boston), people who think just like you DO make the rules-- and it pains me to think about where our country (and its allegedly constitutionally-protected right to free speech) is headed.

How can blackface be due to ignorance, but also be free speech? If done to express a point, there must be knowledge of the significance.

BD, your point regarding free speech is a good one. For it to be protected by the First Amendment the "speech" must convey a message. This is a distinction the previous poster does not account for. Wearing a costume for frivolity is not a message. [Here, I am deliberately ignoring the requirement that for a free speech abridgement, the government must be the body interfering with the speech. Private persons, like Duke, cannot violate the First Amendment.]



Am I the only one that has trouble believing that she had no idea what she was doing? Lacrosse is an eastern sport - where many say such sensitivity exists.

More to the point, she didn't just buy a blackface costume and show up at the party. People, particularly college-aged girls, typically discuss their custumes in advance of an event. More particularly still, if she were ignorant of blackface, what prompted her to choose blackface? She went through the effort of acquiring and applying blackface, all while having no clue as to its meaning? If she didn't understand blackface, why was she in blackface?

I admit that I am older than many, hell I was there when Al Jolsen first used black face (he was drunk and grabbed the shoe polish instead of the face powder), but to suggest the conduct is excusable because younger generations don't understand seems to minimize those that are sensitive to the issue. To the extent today's college age students are ignorant to the stigma surrounding blackface, I guess I can but sigh. But an intelligent person would certainly find out before wearing the costume.

I don't think anybody is "excusing the conduct." They are not punishing it because they believe the girl didn't understand the cultural insult which her makeup seemed to be broadcasting. They are following up by correctly observing the incident has presented a teachable moment where the ignorance of youth can be taught the history and meaning of blackface.

And, by the way, in the recent Broadway musical, The Scottsboro Boys (2009-10), actors appeared in blackface (http://sfappeal.com/culture/2012/06/modern-minstrelsy-scottsboro-boys-at-act.php) to make a theatrical and cultural point. Indeed, the musical manages to use minstrelsy to point out the racism of minstrelsy itself. I think it is clear in this LAX incident that a Halloween misstep offers nothing in the way of message, either for or against racism itself. It was just ill-conceived or perhaps simply thoughtless.

For that reason I fully agree with Mike Corey and DA. They've got the answer.

[Jim3k]

And now the Herald-Sun also agrees. (http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/20838451/article-Duke-student%E2%80%99s-costume-offers-a-lesson) Apology accepted, lesson learned, time to move on.

[brevity]

Why do you think she should know about the stigma of blackface, just because you do? According to other news articles, she was 18 in 2010, which means she was born in 1992. Name one major social entertainment venue - TV, movie, radio, book - that she might have encountered from 2000 onward, that would have brought blackface to her attention. NONE that I can think of - the stigma is so great, it's NEVER mentioned.

I see your point -- Ted Danson's incident was in 1993 -- but it still happens. Tropic Thunder was released in 2008. Of course, that film's use of blackface took a backseat in the controversy department to another issue: how disabled a character can an actor play and still be well-regarded.

I thought that a supermodel dressed in blackface in recent years -- I wanted to say Heidi Klum, but this slide show (http://www.complex.com/style/2012/09/a-history-of-racism-in-fashion/) about Racism and Fashion suggests it was Claudia Schiffer.

Insensitive actors AND models? It all comes back to Ben Stiller.

[cf-62]

How stupid can she be? If she was that stupid to do something like that, she probably wouldn't understand why she is being punished.

Can we review her application and figure out how she was accepted to Duke? How can someone so unaware gain admission to Duke?

Where would this conduct be acceptable?

I say lower the boom.

REALLY? Because today's 18 & 19 year olds should KNOW that part of de jure segregation included hiring white actors to play black people, and that black-face is a symbol of this? We weren't even aware of that fact 25 years ago in high school. Heck, I even saw a play where somebody DID don blackface for their part - in a high school play - with a 40% minority population. No --- body --- cared.

I think the mainstream media coverage, for once, is just right for this. There is no story here.

[cf-62]

But an intelligent person would certainly find out before wearing the costume.

That has to be one of the dumbest statements I've ever seen on this board.

Intelligence has absolutely nothing to do with something like this. It is completely an experiential thing. You hope that as you run into these kinds of things, you get to learn from others' mistakes, but the truth is, sometimes you have to get that experience from your own miscues.

And it has absolutely nothing to do with how smart you are.

[bjornolf]

I went to high school in California at a school in an athletic league that was very into lacrosse. My best three friends were black. I graduated in 1993. I got an A in AP US History. My first knowledge of blackface as a bad thing was the Ted Danson thing, and I just thought he was doing it because he wanted to support Whoopi. I had no idea just HOW bad it was though. I went to Duke. Graduated with a dual engineering degree. played football. Again hung out and was good friends with several young men and women of African American decent. Never learned about it there. I didn't learn about it until I saw a Tropic Thunder and decided to look it up on the internet after seeing that. I don't personally consider myself stupid or poorly educated.

I actually wore brown shoe polish and a big afro wig for a talent show in high school because my three African American friends and one of their friends needed a fifth for their Jackson Five. They GAVE me it and ASKED me to wear it. I'm guessing that they didn't know about it either. Nobody at that liberal, California school said a word to me about it. I never thought anything of it. They needed a Tito, so I helped out. In hindsight, I guess I should feel really guilty about that.

So, if you're going to judge this girl, I should be judged and probably shouldn't have gotten in to Duke. Thank goodness there was no facebook in 1990, or I'd probably be smeared to this day.

[CameronBornAndBred]

We can talk about blackface until we're blue in the face, prompting Smurf sensitivity training, but I actually think the GoDuke aspect of this is the most interesting. Could someone from the team have uploaded the photo directly, or did a site administrator allow this? I'm imagining a lack of common sense at every point in the chain of custody. This isn't TMZ -- it's a Duke site, and I'm not seeing why we would advertise giving ourselves a black eye (among other things).

I'm very much against censorship, but I'm even more in favor of self-censorship.
Agreed on the posting to GoDuke, but my guess is that whomever posted it wasn't looking at it as anything other than the team as "The Little Rascals". In fact, I bet if you handed that photo to a hundred people and asked "what do you see?", 70 answers would be the Little Rascals, 28 answers would be (after explaining) "who are the Little Rascals", and 2 answers would be "I see someone in blackface".
The point being is that it's only noticeable for its stupidity after it is pointed out. That doesn't make it any less wrong, but I can easily see how someone posted the photo for the atmosphere of the fun and totally missed how anyone could take racist connotations from it.

[OldPhiKap]

EVENT


proportion




Time to move on.

[Indoor66]

EVENT


proportion




Time to move on.

...but, but we have to be incensed about something at all times. :rolleyes:

[Reilly]

I went to high school in California at a school in an athletic league that was very into lacrosse. My best three friends were black. I graduated in 1993. I got an A in AP US History. My first knowledge of blackface as a bad thing was the Ted Danson thing, and I just thought he was doing it because he wanted to support Whoopi. I had no idea just HOW bad it was though. I went to Duke. Graduated with a dual engineering degree. played football. Again hung out and was good friends with several young men and women of African American decent. Never learned about it there. I didn't learn about it until I saw a Tropic Thunder and decided to look it up on the internet after seeing that. I don't personally consider myself stupid or poorly educated.

I actually wore brown shoe polish and a big afro wig for a talent show in high school because my three African American friends and one of their friends needed a fifth for their Jackson Five. They GAVE me it and ASKED me to wear it. I'm guessing that they didn't know about it either. Nobody at that liberal, California school said a word to me about it. I never thought anything of it. They needed a Tito, so I helped out. In hindsight, I guess I should feel really guilty about that.

So, if you're going to judge this girl, I should be judged and probably shouldn't have gotten in to Duke. Thank goodness there was no facebook in 1990, or I'd probably be smeared to this day.

Thanks for sharing this. It's a bit disconcerting that you were not sophisticated enough to be offended in a situation where no offense was intended, and I hope your outrage meter has been properly calibrated (thanks in no small part to DBR and the internet!).

[Duvall]

You guys are really comfortable with having low standards for Duke students and Duke student-athletes.

[OldPhiKap]

You guys are really comfortable with having low standards for Duke students and Duke student-athletes.

Can't speak for anyone else, but I am really comfortable with the fact that kids make mistakes, and that we all act in ways that are perceived differently than intended.

I took a few 200-level African History courses at Duke, and in one of them we watched The Gods Must Be Crazy. The striking thing to me was that the white students (such as myself) thought it was very funny; the African American students thought it was highly offensive. It is not something that I had really contemplated before, but upon rewatching it see exactly why they came to that conclusion. Race and raicial struggles were not big overt issues where I grew up; the history of this struggle is one of the things that college taught me.

Also, part of the way we all learn social boundaries is to trip over them once in awhile. A hard lesson sets a hard line. This is a more public lesson than most of us get, and I imagine the imprint will be resultingly larger as well.

I do not think this has anything to do with low standards. It is about recognizing that we are all human, and that maturation is a process. I do not condone what she did, I merely recognize that there is no evidence of it being anything other than an unknowing slight. We can all debate whether she should or should not have known it would offend anyone, but I am unaware of any evidence that she knew it and did it anyway.

Again, I speak only for myself and I note that we typically agree on most issues. Perhaps we just have to shake and put this one aside.

[Wander]

You guys are really comfortable with having low standards for Duke students and Duke student-athletes.

Again - how is being ignorant of a small piece of history that is not taught in the vast majority of high schools or present in current American culture indicative of a lack of intelligence or low standards? Maybe you think that the history of blackface should be taught more. But it's not, and that's an issue with our public education system, and not with a particular student.

Not knowing the stigma behind blackface tells you nothing about a person other than that they don't know the stigma behind blackface. Especially an 18 year old, ffs.

To the anonymous dude who left me a comment and everyone here who's told me that I'm not smart enough or deserving of going to Duke because I didn't know the history behind this subject when I was admitted: I'm sure I can find a hundred scientific and historical facts that you didn't know when you applied to college that I think people should know.

And I feel like I shouldn't need to say this, but I'll again point out that I'm not saying what the girl did was right, just that she doesn't need to have her intelligence or Duke-ness insulted as a result. Seems the Duke Black Student Alliance handled it very well.

[JasonEvans]

I can't believe we are debating this. I see this as a series of undeniable facts.

1) The Lax player in question did something wrong in using blackface.
2) She has apologized, which is good.
3) While many people know the racially charged history of blackface, it is hardly common knowledge, particularly for teens. Therefore, the claim that she did not know she was doing something wrong seems entirely believable.

Does anyone deny any of the above 3 facts? Because, if you do, I really don't see how it goes any further than that. I suppose one could be upset that the coach and the people at GoDuke were similarly unaware of the negative connotations of blackface, but it is not like the student was displaying a widely-known and accepted symbol of racism and hate. It is not like she came dressed in a KKK outfit or wearing a swastika. Even if Duke were to conduct fairly extensive racial sensitivity training classes with students and coaches, I would find it very likely that the classes might not get to a discussion of blackface.

This is ridiculous and some folks seem to be blowing it out of proportion. Look, no one here says the student did something ok. If she had denied any wrongdoing and refused to apologize, I would have a real problem with that. But that is not what has happened. There are far better things to be outraged about than this.

-Jason "somehow, in the course of thinking about this, I came across this website (http://www.sheknows.com/beauty-and-style/articles/844063/top-5-inappropriate-halloween-costumes) with some bad costume ideas... #1 on their list: Sexy Nazi" Evans
http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/2011/10/nazi-sexy-costume.jpg

[CameronBornAndBred]

One last thought. When I see that photo I don't see a person in blackface, I see a person that has BLACKENED their face..and that is a huge difference.

One is filling a racial stereotype, the other is simply a means to appear to be a person of a different color.

[Jim3k]

I can't believe we are debating this. I see this as a series of undeniable facts.

1) The Lax player in question did something wrong in using blackface.
2) She has apologized, which is good.
3) While many people know the racially charged history of blackface, it is hardly common knowledge, particularly for teens. Therefore, the claim that she did not know she was doing something wrong seems entirely believable.

Does anyone deny any of the above 3 facts? Because, if you do, I really don't see how it goes any further than that. I suppose one could be upset that the coach and the people at GoDuke were similarly unaware of the negative connotations of blackface, but it is not like the student was displaying a widely-known and accepted symbol of racism and hate. It is not like she came dressed in a KKK outfit or wearing a swastika. Even if Duke were to conduct fairly extensive racial sensitivity training classes with students and coaches, I would find it very likely that the classes might not get to a discussion of blackface.

This is ridiculous and some folks seem to be blowing it out of proportion. Look, no one here says the student did something ok. If she had denied any wrongdoing and refused to apologize, I would have a real problem with that. But that is not what has happened. There are far better things to be outraged about than this.

-Jason "somehow, in the course of thinking about this, I came across this website (http://www.sheknows.com/beauty-and-style/articles/844063/top-5-inappropriate-halloween-costumes) with some bad costume ideas... #1 on their list: Sexy Nazi" Evans

The photo reminds me of Prince Harry's gaffe in 2005 when he wore a Nazi uniform to a costume party. He took heat, apologized (http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/01/12/harry.nazi/), and the matter ended. He was 20 or 21 at the time.

[BD80]

I can't believe we are debating this. I see this as a series of undeniable facts.
... While many people know the racially charged history of blackface, it is hardly common knowledge, particularly for teens. ...

Before this incident, I would have challenged this assertion. As difficult as it is for me to believe that your assertion is true, I will readily concede that this discussion is due to my ignorance rather than any evil intent on the part of the Duke student.

Still, I am astonished that the stigma of blackface has disappeared from popular culture. It was a REALLY sensitive issue, much like using one's fingers to raise or lower the corners of one's eyes to signify Asian heritage.

[Duvall]

Again - how is being ignorant of a small piece of history that is not taught in the vast majority of high schools or present in current American culture indicative of a lack of intelligence or low standards? Maybe you think that the history of blackface should be taught more. But it's not, and that's an issue with our public education system, and not with a particular student.

To be clear, I was referring to standards for conduct, not academics. Duke student-athletes need to think about the way in which they present themselves and the university to the world. It's a higher burden, but a fair one.

[Mudge]

How can blackface be due to ignorance, but also be free speech? If done to express a point, there must be knowledge of the significance.

Am I the only one that has trouble believing that she had no idea what she was doing? Lacrosse is an eastern sport - where many say such sensitivity exists.

More to the point, she didn't just buy a blackface costume and show up at the party. People, particularly college-aged girls, typically discuss their custumes in advance of an event. More particularly still, if she were ignorant of blackface, what prompted her to choose blackface? She went through the effort of acquiring and applying blackface, all while having no clue as to its meaning? If she didn't understand blackface, why was she in blackface?

I admit that I am older than many, hell I was there when Al Jolsen first used black face (he was drunk and grabbed the shoe polish instead of the face powder), but to suggest the conduct is excusable because younger generations don't understand seems to minimize those that are sensitive to the issue. To the extent today's college age students are ignorant to the stigma surrounding blackface, I guess I can but sigh. But an intelligent person would certainly find out before wearing the costume.

What does ignorance have to do with defining free speech? Where is free speech defined as only that speech which is generally accepted (or even narrowly accepted) as informed or well-founded?

[Mudge]

[QUOTE]



BD, your point regarding free speech is a good one. For it to be protected by the First Amendment the "speech" must convey a message. This is a distinction the previous poster does not account for. Wearing a costume for frivolity is not a message. [Here, I am deliberately ignoring the requirement that for a free speech abridgement, the government must be the body interfering with the speech. Private persons, like Duke, cannot violate the First Amendment.]


I don't think anybody is "excusing the conduct." They are not punishing it because they believe the girl didn't understand the cultural insult which her makeup seemed to be broadcasting. They are following up by correctly observing the incident has presented a teachable moment where the ignorance of youth can be taught the history and meaning of blackface.

And, by the way, in the recent Broadway musical, The Scottsboro Boys (2009-10), actors appeared in blackface (http://sfappeal.com/culture/2012/06/modern-minstrelsy-scottsboro-boys-at-act.php) to make a theatrical and cultural point. Indeed, the musical manages to use minstrelsy to point out the racism of minstrelsy itself. I think it is clear in this LAX incident that a Halloween misstep offers nothing in the way of message, either for or against racism itself. It was just ill-conceived or perhaps simply thoughtless.

For that reason I fully agree with Mike Corey and DA. They've got the answer.

Actually, I think the cited post's linkage between ignorance and free speech was a complete non sequitur-- I do not see what one has to do with defining the other.

As to the question of abridging free speech, I did not say that Duke had abridged anyone's free speech-- I said that I did not like where our country has headed on this subject.. The poster whom I cited went on (in a later post) to even call for beginning criminal proceedings against the costume wearer-- if such a rash call for action were actually heeded by someone in government (and I'm not saying that it has been), then we would have the institution of government interfering with constitutionally-protected speech.

What I AM saying is that many places that should be embracing multitudes of opinions (e.g.- universities) are doing their best to try to stamp out many of those opinions, through draconian efforts to suppress speech that they don't like... if you don't like what's on TV-- change the channel-- don't tell everybody else that they shouldn't be able to watch it. It happens right here all the time, with people calling for the closing of various threads, when they don't like what's being said, or how much is being said about something.

[OldPhiKap]

I am offended by everyone who has referred to the young woman as a "freshman." She is a first year person.

Very insensitive for a bunch of folks who should know better.





(Or, as my drill sargeant father always said -- "lighten up, Frances.").

It seems this thread has run its course.

[-jk]

I am offended by everyone who has referred to the young woman as a "freshman." She is a first year person.

Very insensitive for a bunch of folks who should know better.





(Or, as my drill sargeant father always said -- "lighten up, Frances.").

It seems this thread has run its course.

Indeed.

-jk