Insensitivity Makes April Fools' Issue a Bad Joke
We are proud members of the black community at Georgetown. In the past, we appreciated The Hoya’s coverage of important issues ranging from campus security to the endowment. Even coverage of diversity-related issues has improved slowly since we matriculated. However, the March 31 joke issue of The Hoya was tasteless, disturbing and, above all, not funny.
It appears that The Hoya finds it much easier to target marginalized and minority groups as the butts of incredibly negative jokes, but has difficulty going as hard on itself and majority groups. There is no excuse for the stereotypes, discrimination and mockery that the distasteful humor was based on. This issue was an insult to any sane person’s sensibilities, but was particularly offensive to black, Asian, Latino, Muslim, Jewish and LGBTQ students.
By all means, we appreciated the sarcastic elements of The Hoya that were used to point out the lack of diversity at Georgetown. But other parts of the issue were disturbing — they were not funny and moderately imbecilic. The article that is igniting the most outrage within the community is “We Need More Interracial Loving at Georgetown” (The Hoya, March 31, 2009, A3). At no point is it ever appropriate to refer to black people as “Cocoa Puffs.” Worse, the article made it seem like the only advantage a black mother could ever give her child would be to make that child an ideal affirmative action candidate.
We understand that Tuesday’s issue was an April Fools’ issue, but this article reads like a minstrel show. The piece, credited to a “Ryan Westen,” was an affront to problems that have yet to be taken seriously on this campus and the people that work to affect positive change at Georgetown. The article is indicative of the attitude that some Georgetown students have toward diversity: one of apathy and, more disturbingly, of mockery and futility. The obvious mockery of Brian Kesten (COL ’10) and the many students who make up the Student Commission for Unity shows a disregard for diversity initiatives. What one thinks of SCU or Brian Kesten is irrelevant. Some respect should be shown to someone who is working tirelessly for diversity.
Even more offensive is the joking attitude to race taken in this piece, particularly with regards to affirmative action, the Jena Six and standards of beauty that code black people as not as attractive as mixed-race and white people. Assumptions already abound that black students are only at Georgetown and similarly prestigious schools only to fill a quota — why add to this nonsensical perception?
The issue’s mockery of Georgetown’s own Jena Six controversy in 2007 shows that The Hoya has not learned from the qualms raised by the Georgetown NAACP and the black community at that time. Normative standards of beauty negatively affect the perception and self-esteem of black people. People who have two black parents are often socialized to think that their mixed peers are more attractive than them because of their lighter skin. This article insinuated and perpetuated this racist and archaic sentiment.
The issue may have been somewhat humorous if The Hoya had actually acknowledged and given due coverage to minority issues on campus and beyond — but it doesn’t. So the humor doesn’t work, in this instance.
The mocking attitude toward diversity is also reflected in the mock editorial “Is ‘Georgetown’ A Synonym for ‘Diversity?’ Hell Yeah!” (The Hoya, March 31, 2009, A2). Many black students at this school feel uncomfortable and unwelcome at Georgetown not only because it is a predominantly white institution, but also because there is a tangible disregard of black students’ wants or needs, mostly reflected by our peers.
We appeal to all Georgetown students to take these sentiments at face value. From our experiences, we can say with complete confidence that the majority of black students at this university do not feel like they are part of the Georgetown community. It is manifested in academic life, social life and the under-representation of black students in “mainstream” organizations and extracurricular activities. The distasteful humor of The Hoya’s April Fools’ issue does nothing to reconcile these issues in the least. Now we know that instead of ignoring the elephant in the room, it will not only be acknowledged — but also made fun of.
Jheanelle Brown is a junior in the School of Foreign Service and media relations officer for the Georgetown chapter of the NAACP. Don Cartier is a senior in the College and a member of the African Society of Georgetown.
To send a letter to the editor on a recent campus issue or Hoya story or a viewpoint on any topic, contact opinion@thehoya.com. Letters should not exceed 300 words, and viewpoints should be between 600 to 800 words.
Apr 03 2009 at 3:02 p.m.
Jheannelle and Dw, I agree with almost everything you wrote.
The only thing in your viewpoint to which I take offense is your statement that "we can say with complete confidence that the majority of black students at this university do not feel like they are part of the Georgetown community." I am disappointed that the Hoya would allow this statement to be published, considering my first-hand experience with the Hoya removing completely unfounded, impossible to verify and needlessly controversial statements from its third-party viewpoints in years past.
First, that statement IS impossible to verify and completely unfounded. I know many black people who absolutely feel that they are "part of the Georgetown community," and this is as solid an empirical basis as you have, assuming you haven't been running any statistically significant polls of which I'm unaware. Considering that you ran for student body president last year, Dw, I'm surprised that you ran for a position as the leader of a community you did not even feel a part of. Or maybe now that you lost that election, you have turned your back on it? I don't know which it is, but any way you look at it this is a ridiculous statement. In addition to being impossible to verify it is next to impossible to disprove, which makes it all the more insidious.
The statement is also needlessly controversial and opportunistic. What do you gain by making such a broad, sweeping generalization about the black community that is so obviously counteracted by so many clear examples evident to almost every student here? I think you are just trying to stoke the fires caused by this incident for your own personal gain.
I hope that black people on this campus will express their disappointment that one of the most visible members of their community has told them that they do not feel a part of the Georgetown community.
And as for not being represented in "mainstream" groups on campus, this both goes against my experience having been involved in many of these mainstream groups, and is certainly not the result of any conscious efforts on the part of non-minorities to keep black people out. As I have said elsewhere, if blacks want to have more of a voice in campus groups, whether it's the Hoya, the Voice, GUSA, the Credit Union, Hoya Blue or the Corp, all they have to do is participate. The Hoya's few black reporters disappeared when The Fire This Time started up -- an example of self-segregation. And as for GUSA and the Corp, I know lots of blacks in both of those groups. They have in fact been historically over-represented in GUSA.
Considering that this campus is only about 7-8% black according to the published numbers, I really think statements like "blacks are underrepresented in mainstream student groups" or "we can say with complete confidence that the majority of black students at this university do not feel like they are part of the Georgetown community" are just needlessly inflammatory and counter-productive.
Apr 03 2009 at 3:33 p.m.
"The issue may have been somewhat humorous if The Hoya had actually acknowledged and given due coverage to minority issues on campus and beyond — but it doesn’t. So the humor doesn’t work, in this instance."
Are you f'ing kidding me? Every other sentence in The Hoya (particularly that produced by 2007-2008's dreadfully leftist ed board) concerns the supremely relevant issue of campus diversity. If you don't like the jokes, then say you don't like the jokes, but please don't lambaste The Hoya for insufficient pandering. That's one area where the paper has done more than enough.
Apr 03 2009 at 4:07 p.m.
Regarding the claim that the March 31 issue "was particularly offensive to black, Asian, Latino, Muslim, Jewish, and LGBTQ students" : The issue was also offensive to people who are not black or Asian or Latino or Muslim or Jewish or LGBTQ or students. The issue was offensive.
Apr 03 2009 at 10:59 p.m.
"It appears that The Hoya finds it much easier to target marginalized and minority groups as the butts of incredibly negative jokes, but has difficulty going as hard on itself and majority groups."
Jheanelle and Don, while I appreciate your concerns and agree that some of the content of the April Fools issue was inappropriate, I take issue with the above statement. Did you look at the staff listing box or the second editorial ("Ed Board: A Master's Class in Journalism"), both on page A2? The title of page A3? The huge quarter-page ad on A4? The Hoya lampooned itself and its usual content on a number of levels, and its staffers were very much the butt of many jokes.
As for going hard on "majority" groups...I'm not sure who you perceive to be the majority, but I counted a number of references to Vineyard Vines-wearing, Natty Light-drinking "bros," a stereotypically prevalent group on Georgetown's campus. Hell, the counterpoint to the much-maligned Coolio article was even penned by a student named "Rich Little Baby." Marginalized? I think not.
Let's level here. The Hoya went after itself and the "majority" with negative jokes aplenty.
Apr 04 2009 at 4:26 p.m.
YES! EVERYONE at Georgetown was the butt of some joke in this issue. E-VE-RY-ONE. I don't see bros or SFS kids or basketball players writing editorials like this. Why is your outrage more righteous than anyone else's?
Apr 04 2009 at 4:37 p.m.
Everyone should be outraged. And if not outraged at least respecting the fact that some students are outraged. As a realist I do not expect everyone to sympathize but a base line of respect needs to be present and it clearly is not when people's responses to outrage are "PUH-LEASE"
Apr 06 2009 at 2:35 a.m.
G'head girl. As the hilltop's orginal "cocoa puff" (with vanilla), I was not amused. I might just have to rise from the grave and kick some common sense and perspective in some folks asses.
Yours in Christ,
Pat Healy, SJ
(deceased)
Apr 06 2009 at 3:21 p.m.
I completely agree with a few previous posters who pointed out that The Hoya spent plenty of time making fun of the majority and themselves. In addition to the countless refrences to 'bros' an preppy clothing, there was an article about girl who "totally wants to be a doctor". Without explicity saying it, it is making fun of a rich materialistic white girl.
As somoene who knows a lot about The Hoya and knows its staff, I can see why people may have not picked up on all of the times they were making fun of themselves, but that doesn't mean that they didn't.
Also, no race can say that they feel like they are not a part of the community because they are not represented in major groups unless they are also willing to make the claim that those groups are excluding them. So if anyone is willing to make an argument that the credit union, the corp, germs, gusa, hoya blue, gugs, the hoya, the voice, or countless other groups are racist and trying to exclude - I would love to hear it. There aren't to many white people in Georgetown's chapter of the NAACP, must be because they are racist (sarcasm!)
Finally, for those upset about the "cocoa puff" refrence, I believe that is a lyric sung by will.i.am in a Black Eyed Peas song - he's black the last time I checked.
Apr 06 2009 at 3:22 p.m.
This will all blow over by Easter Break...Everyone at Georgetown is too pre-professional to maintain a hatchet-job crusade like this.
Apr 07 2009 at 3:03 p.m.
Everyone should be outraged. And if not outraged at least respecting the fact that some students are outraged. As a realist I do not expect everyone to sympathize but a base line of respect needs to be present and it clearly is not when people's responses to outrage are "PUH-LEASE"