This is a poor choice of a Halloween costume
Every year around this time, my university beats itself up over something that happened 30 years ago. It’s a well-deserved thrashing, and I hope they keep it up for many years to come. Here’s what happened (taken from the University Register, 10/13/2023).
Members of the wrestling team, dressed in white robes, burned a cross in a field outside of town, as a mock Ku Klux Klan meeting. Members claimed it was a “harmless Halloween prank among friends,” but the community did not see it that way. There was outrage at all ends for the insensitive, reckless, and above all, racist act.
Also relevant:
Several members of the wrestling team drove two black teammates to an off-campus location, where other wrestlers pretended to be white supremacists by putting pillowcases over their heads. One of the black wrestlers ran away and called 911 for help.
I think it’s good to remember this stain on our reputation. I also have to highlight the incredible not-pology of the assistant wrestling coach, Frank Pelegri, who assisted in this travesty.
I have failed to be sensitive to the feelings of those persons outside of the prank who perceive a Halloween prank amongst friends as an act of racism.
That deserves to be enshrined in the ranks of world-class bad apologies. It was an act of racism, through and through.
Pelegri resigned after the incident, so at least there’s that.
This just in: Republicans have just nominated Frank Pellegri for Speaker of the House.
So where did Pellegri hire on afterwords?
as a mock Ku Klux Klan meeting
Sounds like the word “mock” does not belong in that sentence.
I’ve always advocated strongly in favor of burning any cross one has nailed oneself to.
I do advocate wearing sheets – in bed, when sleeping. Keeps the bed clean and the chill off.
Karma has not caught up to him yet.
https://miamilaker.com/pace-high-wrestling-coach-frank-pelegri-inducted-into-hall-of-fame
Well, Florida. And a Xian school. Sounds like Hell to me.
Yeah, if you even think about doing that, you’re not pretending.
People don’t want to face that what they feel as humor is also social dominance behavior. And feel as other things. I saw an article about racist prom proposals. Socially bonding over racial dominance. White supremacy. All those good feelings they have to think about. And what they really are.
Mixed in with the bloodthirsty ones who know.
Accepting that social dominance behavior can feel good makes it easier to control and use when appropriate
I also saw a video of a drunk older couple getting arrested. Both were defiant and in denial about the whole thing, One literally rambled on about killing an officer and his family.
It’s easy to imagine the same person participating in irrational aggression against a group based on whatever they want. It’s a mindset. A way of reacting.
PZ relates the story, ‘Several members of the wrestling team drove two black teammates to an off-campus location, where other wrestlers pretended to be white supremacists by putting pillowcases over their heads’
SHADES OF GYM JORDAN!
Another really fun prank: dressing up in nazi uniform and re-enact what Eric Cartman did in that South Park episode starring Mel Gibson.
Or dress up as taliban fighters and horse around on next 9/11.
Abduct northern tourists passing through the Appalachians and pretend you are going to sodomise them.
To quote the warning at Beavis & Butt-Head. ‘Doing this may get you hurt, expelled, arrested and possibly deported’. But there are always people who see no possible downside with it.
Peter Griffin dressed up in a white sheet to pretend to be a ghost to scare off an unwelcome guest… who happened to be black.
But Peter Griffin is A: a cartoon, and B: understood to be really, really stupid.
At least it wasn’t accompanied by a ukelele…
@12- birgerjohansson
They may have terrorized poor Tom Anderson way too much, made fun of Daria’s name, tried like horndogs to “score”…boing!, and belittled Stewart because he liked Winger, but were Beavis and Butthead ever as knowingly hateful as Cartman or Peter Griffin? They were victimized by their idol Todd and that jackass jarhead Coach Buzzcut. I dealt with Buzzcut in high school gym class myself. There were plenty of Todds in my ‘hood.
@6- PZ
I would take offense to the diss on Florida if not for this apt synopsis of my fucked up state by Atlanta’s Darius:
LaKeith Stanfield is a genius! Sorry to bother you 😉
@ Richard Smith : “At least it wasn’t accompanied by a ukelele..”
Is that a Scott “Scummo” Morrisson reference – Australia’s worst ever PM – there?
See :
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/14/scott-morrisons-ukulele-rendition-of-april-in-the-sun-in-cuba-labelled-cynical-by-band-behind-1977-hit
“…those persons outside of the prank…” Who? Oh, those completely uninvolved people. Bystanders. You know, the victims. (Said in Gene Wilder’s voice, from Balzing Saddles. A film where incidentally they did dress up as the kkk. Except that it was funny.)
Notpologies are ridiculous by their very nature, but that must be the most ridiculous notpology I’ve ever read.
To avoid a faux pas, just go around during Halloween wearing a Trump mask.
It may not work everywhere in USA but it would work in most of Europe.
If I went around our state capitol, where I live wearing a Trump mask, I’d likely get followed by a veritable parade of worshipers.
Hell, yesterday in our apartment mail room, an elderly Black lady went on and on about how Trump was the absolute best president that we ever had and nothing could dissuade her of her worshipful views.
A few years ago I went to a small Mexican grocery store looking for conical sugar lumps, which they had.
They also had piñatas of Donald Trump. The SO was paying so I got the sugar but not the piñata.
I still regret that.
The small Mexican grocery store was in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.