Recently while checking his Facebook newsfeed, a friend ran across some photos that were nothing short of racist. The photos were taken at an IFC fraternity's themed party or date function. However, though many students that were tagged were apparently having a really good time, the disturbing part was not the amount of alcohol in the photos. It was the theme of the party and the way attendees chose to dress for that theme.
The party appeared to be "Cowboy-Indian"-themed. Dozens of students wore cowboy hats and boots, and many others chose to act the part of American Indians, or at least the way they thought American Indians could or should be perceived. Donning moccasins, adorned in skimpy loin cloths, wearing feathers in their hair, toting tomahawks, sitting in teepees, and with bodies painted with red, students are shown scalping each other and posing with fake guns, etc.
Had this been any party themed along the same way, but surrounding stereotypes of Middle-Eastern "terrorists," black American slaves, or gay couples, this party would hopefully have been less well-attended and more obviously a display of complete bigotry. Hopefully.
We on the Minority Rights Coalition hope that the University takes this as a sign that we have a long way to go toward inclusion and equality. While the American Indian population at this school may not be as large as the African population that brought the issue of the "Ethiopian Food Fight" cartoon in The Cavalier Daily to the forefront, we hope students will not forget that hatred is hatred, and insensitivity is insensitivity.
I doubt that a single student in these pictures intended to seem racist or insensitive to the reality of American Indian culture, but that is just the problem. We must ask ourselves why students don't think about such things; what causes this lack of sensitivity? Instead of blaming the individuals, let us instead examine the problem with the culture here at U.Va.
This is not the first time this has happened at the University this year. In the home football game against William & Mary, the Athletics Department showed a video of "CavMan" defeating a stereotyped American Indian, and it apologized immediately afterward for the misrepresentation of that community and its culture. Should we expect the same of the Inter-Fraternity Council?\nWhether or not responsibility is claimed or apologies are made, we must examine what is at stake in our Community: openness, comfort, respect, equality, cultural awareness.\n\nNeal Fox\nGSAS I\nCo-Chair, Minority Rights Coalition
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