Members of Sigma Chi fraternity at Johns Hopkins University went beyond mere offense with their despicable “Halloween in the ?Hood” party Saturday night. The entire premise of the party was well below disgusting.
The invitation encouraged partygoers to dress up in “regional clothing” from Baltimore, aka “the hood,” “the HIV pit” and another category too gross to quote in this newspaper. Justin Park, a fraternity member who advertised the party on Facebook.com and whose parents must be thrilled with his new notoriety, listed the host as Johnnie Cochran, who died last year. Cochran represented O.J. Simpson in his murder trial that ended in an acquittal.
A group of black students who went to the party ? we don?t know why ? said white students dressed as pimps, prostitutes and slaves. The black student group protesting the fraternity should ? but probably won?t ? be joined by the entire student population of this distinguished university.
The party theme and the actions of those who attended are not even remotely funny. Only students who hold the community in contempt can ridicule a social situation with a reckless abandon that nearly defies comparison. At a time when some Hopkins students claim city police, residents and elected officials go out of their way to arrest and malign them, this party does nothing to ingratiate them with the community. It also suggests that community response to the students? behavior has been measured and less than what these boneheads deserve.
Some people would frame the party as a free speech issue. It?s not. It is a behavioral and moral issue. Sigma Chis from Johns Hopkins University assert they do not have to abide by the same standards as their parents, siblings, the vast majority of JHU students and the rest of civilized society. Sigma Chi members, like the Duke lacrosse players who last spring became embroiled in a rape investigation after a drunken party, showed they don?t care much about how they treat others. No one has yet called for censoring speech to prevent such an incident. No one should. The thoughtful can think of no example in government or academe where a “hate speech” or other such code improved on the First Amendment, civility, common sense and reasonable upbringing.
The better remedy is for fraternity members to act like the men their organization says it is looking for: “Sigma Chi seeks men of good character, students of fair ability, with ambitious purposes, a congenial disposition, possessed of good morals, having a high sense of honor and a deep sense of personal responsibility.” It?s a good start that the national organization suspended operations at the fraternity for 45 days in response to the Halloween party.
It?s worth discussing why no moral outrage exists against those who celebrate the “hood” lifestyle in popular culture. The men and women who populate rap videos aren?t exactly role models for being good parents and contributing members of society. Tell the fraternity?s chapter president, Richard Boyer, what you think about his leadership. You can reach him at [email protected].
