Themed parties
Speaking of themed parties in the previous post, an annual party that was colonial themed organized by St Paul's College, affiliated with the University of Sydney was accused of being racist. Guests were asked to dress in "white tie colonial uniform" for this year's "upscale" dinner with an 'end of the British Raj' theme. Indian food was also being served during the party. Sydney Morning Herald reported that a team of Indian and South Asian waiters, dressed in colorful traditional cultural garments served guests dressed to the nines, Indian delicacies, and curries. (NDTV.com, 2012)
However, an ideological war broke an ideological war broke out at the University over whether the college was basking in the glory of colonialism and slavery within days of the event. Soon the public started expressing their anger on Facebook.
''I am Indian and I used to go to college. My relatives suffered in colonial India. This theme offended me and brought me to the brink of tears,'' one female student wrote.
''Please, can you all come to our next party? It's Mexican themed, and we'll be celebrating all the abductions and beheadings you can poke a stick at,'' a student responded.
"I have this turban and - what luck! - it's just your size," another provoked.
There were mixed reactions to this event, although there were a handful of students who boycotted the party. Hugo Rourke from St Paul's, a senior student speaks on behalf of his peers, wrote to Honi Soit, the student newspaper to justify the party. ''It was a successful event, held in good taste and enjoyed by attendees and employees alike,'' he wrote, seemingly shocked that the event would cause such uproar. Sodexo, the catering company for the event, was similarly taken aback by the suggestion their workers had been forced to don cultural garb. (Lewis, 2012)
Its state manager, Ram Devagiri, said his staff, who all have South Asian backgrounds and work at the college full-time serving three meals a day, were having an ''absolute ball'' at the party and had become ''annoyed'' at the insinuation, there were racial undertones at play. ''They are not happy that they are being dragged through this because they actually had a great time that evening,'' he said. ''We didn't go out looking for a couple of Indian-looking blokes and bring them in. They work there all the time.'' (Lewis, 2012)
A few years ago, after hosting an offensive Native-themed party, Paul Frank Industries apologized and later collaborated with Native American artists to design a collection of clothing and accessories. (Walker, 2014) Paul Frank also took down thousands of photos taken during the event from their Facebook page (Keene, 2012).
All in all, in my opinion, it is not entirely wrong to hold certain themed parties. As long as you acknowledge the culture that will be used as a theme and appreciates it instead of using it to poke fun at it. Consideration has to be taken very seriously as well, ask people from the respective cultures for their opinions and perhaps permission.
References
Facebook.com. (2012). Paul Frank. [online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/PaulFrank/posts/10151215603902457 [Accessed 1 Jul. 2017].
Keene, A. (2012). Paul Frank offends every Native person on the planet with Fashion Night Out "Dream Catchin’ Pow wow". [online] Native Appropriations. Available at: http://nativeappropriations.com/2012/09/paul-frank-offends-every-native-person-on-the-planet-with-fashion-night-out-dream-catchin-pow-wow.html [Accessed 2 Jul. 2017].
Lewis, S. (2012). Was this uni Raj night racist?. [online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/tertiary-education/was-this-uni-raj-night-racist-20120609-202q7.html [Accessed 1 Jul. 2017].
NDTV.com. (2012). Australian College accused of racism over 'colonial-themed' party. [online] Available at: http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/australian-college-accused-of-racism-over-colonial-themed-party-487612 [Accessed 27 Jun. 2017].
Walker, T. (2014). 4 Ways To Honor Native Americans Without Appropriating Our Culture - Everyday Feminism. [online] Everyday Feminism. Available at: http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/08/honor-native-americans-without-appropriating/ [Accessed 1 Jul. 2017].
However, an ideological war broke an ideological war broke out at the University over whether the college was basking in the glory of colonialism and slavery within days of the event. Soon the public started expressing their anger on Facebook.
''I am Indian and I used to go to college. My relatives suffered in colonial India. This theme offended me and brought me to the brink of tears,'' one female student wrote.
''Please, can you all come to our next party? It's Mexican themed, and we'll be celebrating all the abductions and beheadings you can poke a stick at,'' a student responded.
"I have this turban and - what luck! - it's just your size," another provoked.
There were mixed reactions to this event, although there were a handful of students who boycotted the party. Hugo Rourke from St Paul's, a senior student speaks on behalf of his peers, wrote to Honi Soit, the student newspaper to justify the party. ''It was a successful event, held in good taste and enjoyed by attendees and employees alike,'' he wrote, seemingly shocked that the event would cause such uproar. Sodexo, the catering company for the event, was similarly taken aback by the suggestion their workers had been forced to don cultural garb. (Lewis, 2012)
Its state manager, Ram Devagiri, said his staff, who all have South Asian backgrounds and work at the college full-time serving three meals a day, were having an ''absolute ball'' at the party and had become ''annoyed'' at the insinuation, there were racial undertones at play. ''They are not happy that they are being dragged through this because they actually had a great time that evening,'' he said. ''We didn't go out looking for a couple of Indian-looking blokes and bring them in. They work there all the time.'' (Lewis, 2012)
A few years ago, after hosting an offensive Native-themed party, Paul Frank Industries apologized and later collaborated with Native American artists to design a collection of clothing and accessories. (Walker, 2014) Paul Frank also took down thousands of photos taken during the event from their Facebook page (Keene, 2012).
The poster design for the Native American themed party. (Keene, 2012)
All in all, in my opinion, it is not entirely wrong to hold certain themed parties. As long as you acknowledge the culture that will be used as a theme and appreciates it instead of using it to poke fun at it. Consideration has to be taken very seriously as well, ask people from the respective cultures for their opinions and perhaps permission.
References
Facebook.com. (2012). Paul Frank. [online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/PaulFrank/posts/10151215603902457 [Accessed 1 Jul. 2017].
Keene, A. (2012). Paul Frank offends every Native person on the planet with Fashion Night Out "Dream Catchin’ Pow wow". [online] Native Appropriations. Available at: http://nativeappropriations.com/2012/09/paul-frank-offends-every-native-person-on-the-planet-with-fashion-night-out-dream-catchin-pow-wow.html [Accessed 2 Jul. 2017].
Lewis, S. (2012). Was this uni Raj night racist?. [online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/tertiary-education/was-this-uni-raj-night-racist-20120609-202q7.html [Accessed 1 Jul. 2017].
NDTV.com. (2012). Australian College accused of racism over 'colonial-themed' party. [online] Available at: http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/australian-college-accused-of-racism-over-colonial-themed-party-487612 [Accessed 27 Jun. 2017].
Walker, T. (2014). 4 Ways To Honor Native Americans Without Appropriating Our Culture - Everyday Feminism. [online] Everyday Feminism. Available at: http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/08/honor-native-americans-without-appropriating/ [Accessed 1 Jul. 2017].
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