Young Life Pulls Racist BS

Christian youth cult and frequent wearer of hilarious Christ-themed t-shirts, Young Life, found themselves in hot water yesterday when they decided to throw an ill-advised theme party sensitively referred to as "Thug Life." The event, documented on social media, drew the ire of many Appalachian State students, inciting the incredibly appropriate question: "What the fuck is THIS racist bullshit?"

To make matters worse, the event was held in the Plemmons Student Union so that the overwhelmingly white (I assume; probably correctly) group of young Christians could be racially insensitive en masse and in plain sight of as many of their fellow students as possible. Here are just a couple pictures from the event (courtesy of student, Matthew Splawn)

       

There is nothing wrong with your computer screen. Do not call tech support. Those are, in fact,  groups of white folks dressed in stereotypical "thug" garb. Now, the first argument that I imagine many a racially insensitive white fellow jumps to is "white people can be thugs too; why is this a racial thing?" Indeed, if you look closely at one of the above pictures (the right-most Instagram screenshot) you will note that the quote used is associated with (white) rapper and known awful human being, Riff Raff. Now, the inherent racism of Riff Raff's act aside, allow me to dissuade further racist stupidity from trying to utilize this classic non-argument: Cultural appropriation is the nifty practice in which people in a position of power adopt elements (usually clothing) of another, less powerful cultural and use them for their own aesthetic gain rather than for their original purpose. (See: Every fucking Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Native American headdress ever)

The portrayal above is a great example of cultural appropriation of black culture. While, yes, it is true that the type of clothing worn above is not exclusive to the black community, it is most commonly associated with (and I imagine can date its origins back to) lower income black communities, usually in inner cities. And if the kid throwing up a gang sign in the left-most picture isn't enough of an indication that this "black aesthetic" was EXACTLY what they were going for, I don't know what is.

I don't honestly think that the members of Young Life meant anything harmful in their racist interpretation, but intent is only half the shitheadedness of an action. Being ignorant of cultures, especially in this day in age, is becoming rapidly less acceptable. Especially if your ignorance leads to public, borderline minstrel shows such as the idiocy displayed above. That being said, the organization has issued an apology (albeit a half-assed one) on their Facebook page.

Unfortunately, this is too little. We are no longer in a world where shrugging and offering an apology between eye-rolls is acceptable. I suggest you reach out to the black community via the Multicultural Center or another similar organization and put that Christian goodwill to use, perhaps offering service for an event?

We know you want to be good deep down, Young Life. We just wish you could be more tactful in your actions. Stop doing racist shit, mkay?