January 25, 2007
Tarleton State University Party Looked Really Lame
Tarleton State University students are making national headlines for recent pictures they posted on Facebook.com after hosting an MLK Day Party, where guests wore gang apparel, drank malt liquor, carried handguns and ate fried chicken. One girl even dressed as Aunt Jemima.
The Smoking Gun has the pictures. Donald Ray Elder, leader of the NAACP at the Stephenville, Texas university, found the pictures while browsing Facebook and sent an e-mail to party-thrower Jeremy Pelz. In response, Pelz said he would "rename the folder in which the photos were placed 'so it does not bring any disrespect to Mr. King.'" Yeah, that's a start Jeremy.
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Did they not learn from the Texas 1Ls??
1) This probably happened at 300 other universities across the U.S.
2) If you ever want to have a public life after college immediately delete your MySpace and Facebook profiles.
3)Is the beer in the picture green?
Just because this *might* have happened at 300 other universities doesn't mean that these Tarleton kids are total douches. Thanks for making Texas proud...they deserve to have their mugs circulated online.
Oh yeah...I'm sure Dr. King would be flattered by the renaming of the folder.
"Learn?!" I'm pretty sure these Aggie rejects are at Tarleton for a reason.
ok... I am a student at tarleton. I really feel that the previous comment about aggie rejects was uncalled for... Not all of us are retards. Now granted, there are some dumb a**es, but some of us actually go here for other rasone besides a GPA. I go here because I pay for everything that I have, and A&M was to expensive for me to attend. You are just lowering yourself to the few students repersented in the photos by stereo typing. I DO feel it my moral responsibility to apologize for this issue, however, I also feel it my SOCIAL responsibility to make it known that not all of us are hick a** party-going drunks. I am a personal close friend to Donald Elder (Tarleton's NCAAP chapter President) and by no means condone racist behavior among anyone! I have heard the things that have been said about Donald and it really pisses me off when I hear some of them. Just because a few select people here decided to do something stupid, doesnt give the nation to think that everyone here feels this way! So, before you start accusing all of us as being racist pigs, stop and think a moment about what you are doing by saying that.... You are bringing yourselves down to their level of stereotypical statements!
I agree with Kory. I am also a Tarleton student. I wasn't at the party and I am not defending it, but we aren't all redneck idiot KKK members. We weren't all at that party and it's stereotypical to give us all a bad rep because of a mistake made by a few people.
Kory and Lindsey--I go to UT and trust me, I am sure that these pictures could have as easily come from students at my school. The people in the pictures are jackasses, plain and simple. It's a bummer to have your school name attached to it, but if anything, I hope they are embarassed as hell. Likewise, I hope they get heckled as often as possible.
I go to UT also and I don't really understand what everyone is upset about. Before you jump on me let me say I'm being sincere. Is it the theme of the party? The fact that it took place on MLK day? Do you (meaning anyone reading this) think that the students at the party were specifically trying to degrade the black community, or is it possible that they were just dressing up? Does it hurt the institute of law enforcement when people dress as police officers on Halloween? I just don't understand. I've seen pictures from parties that I have no doubt that every person in attendance was racist. When non-black people dress up as African Americans and paint their faces and lynch someone in effigy such as during the Kappa Alpha scandal, from that I can derive blatant racism, but when people simply wear head bands and make hand gestures all I see is some kids trying to have fun in a silly, tasteless way. I'd like to point out that #1, all people in gangs are not black #2,Malt liquor is not consumed only by black people, in point of fact, at UT last semester the law school hosted a "ghetto fabulous" party where members of the law school (only those in attendance at the party)dressed in Afro wigs and wore gang-affiliated clothing. This was a big scandal within the University community. The Daily Texan ran, I think, 1 or 2 full pages on it in addition to publishing a letter admonishing these students written by the dean of the law school. But in October of 2005 the ATO fraternity threw a "white trash" party where they drank cases upon cases of Schlitz and people (even non-white people)dressed how they think trashy white people dress. Isn't that the same party? No one cared about that one. I'm just trying to say that maybe the people at the MLK party didn't view their actions as racist, maybe they don't view themselves as racist, I think we should worry about people like skinheads and KKK members (real ones, not just people who throw a thoughtlessly themed party) who proclaim to hate people of color. Why bother reading into the actions of some stupid kids when there are people who genuinely want to and try to hurt people of color?
Liz, or whoever you are. If we traded places and us, as black people, did what they did how would you feel. The answer is yes to all of your questions. That party was not funny at all. MLK was against ignorace and violence. He wanted us all to come together as one. Why would they want to dress up like we do? Yes, it is our culture. We love chicken, and beer. But so do you right? So what exactly was their point. Whey were they painted in all black? If they weren't trying to hurt us we could not tell. So you think about that.
if a bunch of african americans dressed up as white people it would be funny to me... Dave Chappell prooves this point in many of his skits. So I dont understand why white people are the only people on the news for being racist while every day i am harrased by latino's for being the minority in my neighborhood. I am with Liz on this one, it was just some kids who wanted to have fun, i dont condone it i just think its bullshit to blame an entire university (let alone an entire race) for a few peoples mistakes.
Tarleton and racism is a lot like chocolate and peanut butter....a tight fit. What do you expect from a place as backwards as Stephenville?
so john, have you ever been to stephenville or are you just as ignorant as the other people that are trash talking about this school? Saying that puts you right at the level as those kids that threw the party. Maybe you should open your eyes. I in no way condone the party but if you did a simple search on the internet you would find that many other universities had students that had thrown similar parties and some were african americans dressing as stereotypical white trash.Was there a big fuss thrown about that? Did people trash talk those towns? It's a two way street and if you have never been here than you have no right to talk about it being a racist backwards town. If you do live here and thats the way you feel about it, get the hell out if you don't like it.
In response to Liz's and Bryan's comments: Bullsh*t! There is no way to justify what these students did. They publicized this event and that is what makes it so wrong. I am a 24 year old hispanic college student and I have friends of all races. Sometimes when I am with my friends we crack jokes about people different race, age, sex, whatever, but we do it in private so we don't offend anyone. Just because they may not have meant to hurt anyone doesn't mean that it was okay. They are old enough to know the difference between right and wrong and making this event public was wrong. What people do behind closed doors is their own business but when they make it public for others to view then they risk being criticized for their actions. The fact that they did it on MLK Day does not seem like a coincidence. I think they knew exactly what they were doing and knew that their actions were racist. I also want to say that I agree that for anyone to say that these students are an example of what the rest of the student body represents they are being just as ignorant and immature as these few students. I work for the Texas A&M System and I have met several students of all races and I have never once seen any sign of racism. That doesn't mean it isn't there but its certainly not everywhere. Looking at these pictures shocked me and hearing of the rally afterwards makes me angry. I am ashamed for the human race; that there are still people out there who think that the color of your skin has everything to do with who you are as an individual. It's just stupid!