Thursday 15 September 2011

Racist stunts: ignorance is not a defence.

[...] a group of white students was filmed wearing blackface during a frosh activity [... at l'Université de Montréal].

Anthony Morgan, who filmed the incident, told the Montreal Gazette the activity was meant to raise awareness of activities on campus and that the students in blackface were encouraging people to join a track and field club. They can be seen waving Jamaican flags, chanting: "Smoke some weed! Yeah mon! Yeah mon!" in the footage Morgan posted on YouTube.

"It was never something I expected to see in Montreal, much less on a university campus," Morgan told the Gazette. "Being black and of Jamaican descent myself it was just completely jarring. It was humiliating [...]
From here.

Université de Montréal says the incident is being investigated. It took place at l'École des hautes études commerciales; an official says the stunt was unacceptable and added there were *no ill intentions*.

Well, perhaps it was fine with Black students at HEC who didn't have to slather on blackface to participate in this frosh activity?

Oh. Wait. Racist language is not acceptable, but ... what about events that racialize prejudice and stereotypes?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The theme of that activity was the Olympic Games. A group of student decided to go as Usain Bolt. A well respected athlete. Nothing more than that, nothing about racism.

deBeauxOs said...

So, did the Black students wear white-face paint when they decided to emulate a person of pallor?

One wonders how the well respected Usain Bolt might feel, being reduced to an ethnic and cultural stereotype under the guise of this low-budget and ill-advised minstrel show?

Anonymous said...

well said

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