Author:
After reading “Racism Strikes Party Scene Wearing Brown,” I came away with many mixed feelings. While I agreed with some of the author’s main points, I nevertheless couldn’t help but feel offended by several of his assertions. Fuchs’ article characterizes the party’s participants and the larger Oxy community as racist, resulting in several offensive and inaccurate statements.
I had problems with the manner and means Fuchs addressed the issue. Rather than simply describing the event and how it insults his culture, he comprises his article with accusations like “these people feel that Native Americans are a prime target for abuse” by engaging in a “cruel act of racism.” Fuchs oversteps his justifiable anger against the cultural insensitivity of the “Cowboys and Indians” theme by sensationalizing his language to vilify those who offended him. Using public opinion to attack these “ignorant people” by insinuating that the party’s participants maliciously targeted Native American culture in a conscious effort to demean it is inappropriate and undermines the integrity of his argument.
Fuchs continues by perceivably understanding the beliefs of the party’s participants, writing, “I can see how these people came to believe this. For many children in this country, the first exposure to Native Americans is the song “Ten Little Indians” and the Disney movie Pocahontas, which are both seriously offensive.” While I do not disagree that they hold offensive elements, Fuchs misrepresents both songs. His lyrics for “Ten Little Indians” comes from an Agatha Christie novel rather than the 1868 minstrel show and he misconstrues “Savages” denunciation of racism by only printing lyrics that demonize Native Americans when the song equally targets both groups. By assuming the participants’ possible exposure to these songs, he attempts to link them with racist elements in American culture in order to demean them through association.
But Fuchs clearly crosses the line between hostile and inappropriate with his declarations regarding people of color. By chastising people of color for not speaking up, he insinuates they are expected to combat racism solely because of their race and therefore, cannot be ignorant of it. Furthermore, by specifically excluding white people, he designates them as the primary perpetrators of racial discrimination and absolves them of any responsibility in combating racism. These concepts feed into the false stereotype that racial discrimination can only be committed by white people and perpetuates a divide between people of color and them.
While I honestly hope that my analysis of Fuchs’ statements is incorrect, I find that his article seeks to only attack individuals who “disgust” him rather than educate others. If we, as individuals and the larger Oxy community, are not willing to help others learn when they appear ignorant, how can we condemn them for lacking appropriate knowledge? While I can empathize with Fuchs’ feelings, it nevertheless disappoints, demonstrating another missed opportunity to strengthen community rather than divide it.
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