DESPITE decades of hard work and progress, there are still those in the University community who cry racism at every opportunity. Last semester Jaberwoke, a restaurant and bar on the Corner, decided to institute a dress code. A small but vocal number of malcontents have spoken out against this policy. Last week groups ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to Alpha Phi Alpha, a historically black fraternity, have publicly condemned this dress code. They slammed this supposedly neutral policy by attempting to show that the Corner is fraught with racial discrimination. Too bad they didn't think it through.
According to The Cavalier Daily, Jaberwoke's dress code prohibits hats without brims, baggy clothing, sweatpants, plain white t-shirts, and camouflage except for those in uniform. These are perfectly generic articles of clothing and do not signify any particular racial or ethnic group. Yet critics insist that forbidding certain informal clothing at a restaurant is inherently racist. Gabriel Walters, president of the University Law School's ACLU chapter, called the policy "suspicious." Apparently, he thinks only people of certain ethnicities wear white t-shirts and sweatpants. (Perhaps Walters should take a look around the gym.) In fact, by attempting to define entire ethnicities in terms of a few articles of clothing, he is the one taking the myopic view of society.
Walters' worldview is so confused that he can no longer differentiate between racial features and clothing. His attempt to liken Jaberwoke's dress code to a case in Norfolk, Va. only proves the point.
There, Myron Evans, a black man, was denied entry to Kokoamos Island Bar, Grill, and Yacht Club because he wore his hair in dreadlocks. Even the ACLU repudiated Walters' assertions. Rebecca Glenberg, ACLU of Virginia's legal director, stated, "We think dress codes are fine." She further noted that clothing, unlike hairstyles, can be easily removed. The inability of the ACLU to present a united front speaks volumes about the supposed racism of Jaberwoke's dress code.
Anderson McClure, co-owner of Jaberwoke, justifies his policy by claiming he is simply trying to "make the restaurant nicer." He argues that the "expectation of a certain type of dress" reflects on people's behavior. Opponents are actually arguing that it is racist for an entrepreneur to try to improve the atmosphere of his establishment by using nice dress as a barometer for good behavior. McClure counters this by likening his policy to that of public schools with dress codes. Both bars and public schools face discipline problems and both try to create orderly conduct by asking people to dress nicer.
Despite McClure's claims, Greg Thompson, former president of Alpha Phi Alpha, contends that the dress code implies discrimination against ethnic groups by prohibiting baggy jeans and white t-shirts. This indirect discrimination further contributes to student self-segregation and puts precludes students of different "cultural traditions" from interacting on the Corner. Yet this argument ignores that McClure has called the dress code "fluid," a "first attempt," and an "experiment." It forgets that the policy was based on research of dress codes at other restaurants in Charlottesville, including five much more restrictive ones McClure "can name off the top of his head."
In order to argue that Jaberwoke's policies are an impediment to race relations at the University, detractors must take an overly deterministic view of society. Hats and pants in no way determine a person's race; it is people's freedom to dress and act as they please, regardless of background, that defines our society.
The most important aspect of the dress code debate is the idea of individual choice. Students have both the right and ability to vote with their dollars. Those who seriously object to Jaberwoke's policies can walk a tortuous 20 feet to O'Neill's Irish Pub and spend their money there. A tear fails to fall from my eyes for the poor souls "forced" to forgo Wednesday night karaoke. Although any attempt by the state to strip citizens of their basic property rights ought to be viewed with suspicion, there are limits justifiably imposed on private establishments. A dress code to make a restaurant nicer is certainly not one of them.
Josh Levy's columns usually appear Mondays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at jlevy@cavalierdaily.com.
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