(02-17) 17:11 PST Santa Clara, Calif. (AP) --

A "South of the Border" theme party has stirred outrage at a Silicon Valley university after students showed up at the bash dressed as Hispanic janitors, gardeners, gangbangers and pregnant teens.

Photographs from the private, off-campus party organized by Santa Clara University students in late January appeared on the Internet soon afterward, prompting an outcry on campus.

One image shows a partygoer with a balloon stuffed under her shirt, making her appear pregnant. In another, a woman wears pink rubber cleaning gloves and carries a feather duster.

"A lot of people have the idea that Mexicans or Latin Americans are all like that, and that's wrong," said Nadine Rasch, 18, a finance major from Guatemala, who did not attend the party.

Paul Locatelli, president of the nearly 8,400-student Jesuit university, has condemned the party. No students have been disciplined, but a campus spokeswoman said the school is investigating the party and that the university's code of conduct extends to students who live off-campus.

A protest march organized by students attracted 250 people Tuesday, and the campus has held meetings and plans a forum for this Thursday.

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You know, there's a part of me that sees headlines about ethnic parties gone wild and I automatically think that they happen over THERE. As in far away from California, in Hickville University. I almost expect it. Today's article shows me that over there is deep south alright. In Silicon Valley. SMH (shaking my head) at the whole thing, people.  

Santa Clara University is a Jesuit school. For those of you who do not know what that means, it means that I can safely assume that any student, staff and faculty member of a Jesuit school understands the same things: that we are men and women for others. That we are of service. That we are in the business of changing the world. I can say we safely because I attended a Jesuit school, as did some of my friends. So yes, I'm slightly miffed.

But enough about me.  

Someone somewhere is walking around thinking that it is a great idea for a party to dress up as a (insert ethnic group here). It's a theme, this person is saying to the committee, and it makes it interesting for people to come. The committee nods their heads and says, okay, you're right. But, someone says, we have to keep it low key. Invite only certain people, keep it small, and it'll all be good. Someone picks up the kegs, orders the decorations from Party Express, and the invites go in the mail. What could possibly go wrong?

Then the pictures go on Facebook, MySpace, and videos on YouTube. Double double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble.

What gives people the mind to think that this is okay? That it is okay to do disturbing things like portray another individual's culture in demeaning stereotypes. That it is okay to mock an entire community...that it's OKAY to do this...to be whatever it is that means to be Hispanic for a night. To be African American. I'm waiting for the Asian party, my god. Anyways, what gives someone the right? It's one thing to have an Asian themed party with food, maybe some decorations, but to ask your homies to bust out their kung fu gear, Chun Li earmuffs, and slanty eye makeup is fuckin' wrong, and you know it.

So to answer my question, what makes it okay? It's because of privilege and power. That it's okay to pick up a gold chain at Toys R Us and floss it to your party because it's okay to do it because you're not harming anyone, you're not doing it in massive public, it's at a party and no one needs to know what's going down because it's all gravy, in house shit.

If you're like me, and most people who have a conscience, you are shaking your head and thinking, "Yah, but does that make it right?" It doesn't. We all know that it's not right, that it's not okay (is that a Whitney song?) to do it, and just because you do it in your home, or behind closed doors, does not make it okay. Because you perceive another culture as mockable and choose to portray the images and people of that culture in its worst forms means that you clearly are exercising your power. Oppression to you is an unconscious process because you've never had to acknowledge it or deal with it. (McIntosh, 1988). You have an amazing power that you are not even aware of, that gives you liberty to do crappy things like this without thinking of ramifications. It's not in your scope of awareness, it's not a part of your daily life, it's not part of your thought process. As a person of color, fighting against the narrow boxes we are perceived to be in is a life long battle. For you, not even an afterthought.

It's disgusting. It needs to stop. And we, and yes you too, need to fight against it. SMH, people. Get your shit together and let's do this.

Voodoo

McIntosh, P. (1988). White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, Wellesley MA. Retrieve from the web on 2/17/2007 at http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~mcisaac/emc598ge/Unpacking.html (this is an amazing article, please read it if you have time).