Barnes said after some students complained they were offended by the skit, the school followed its racial response protocol. But the students at Friday's protest said they're unhappy with the school's response.

"We see stuff like this happen a lot and it gets brushed under the rug," student protester Kyle Dick said.

"Due to the response of what's happened here because of the blackface incident, we are feeling that there are many people who don't understand the systemic racism that does exist at both Bethel and other places," Bethel junior Nina Rasmusen said.

By the mid-20th century, changing attitudes about race and racism effectively ended the prominence of blackface makeup used in performance in the U.S. and elsewhere. It remains in relatively limited use as a theatrical device, mostly outside the U.S., and is more commonly used today as social commentary or satire. Perhaps the most enduring effect of blackface is the precedent it established in the introduction of African American culture to an international audience, albeit through a distorted lens.  Blackface's groundbreaking appropriation, exploitation, and assimilation of African-American culture—as well as the inter-ethnic artistic collaborations that stemmed from it—were but a prologue to the lucrative packaging, marketing, and dissemination of African-American cultural expression and its myriad derivative forms in today's world popular culture.

Post Edited (One Love) : 5/15/2010 8:48:56 AM (GMT-5)

Post Edited (PotOnWheel) : 5/15/2010 9:00:33 PM (GMT-5)

Post Edited (One Love) : 5/15/2010 12:03:24 PM (GMT-5)

I don't think that ANY PLACE is safe. Neither as victom or as actor--both participate in sins. (Just look at the perspective of reconciliation in S.Africa.)

My Bethel son called my wife to talk about it--a good move.

Post Edited (PotOnWheel) : 5/15/2010 8:02:50 PM (GMT-5)

FOX -

The costume at the controversy performance was complete with deadlocks and gold teeth, but it was the student's blackface that some objected to the most.

"I think it was boys acting ignorant," Lelia Ellison said. "But its a sign that they're not educated. They don't know. So many people didn't realize that what they did was wrong."

He was impersonating someone. Does anyone care that Fred Armisen puts on makeup to make his skin darker to look like President Obama on SNL? No. Was this a stupid idea for a skit? Probably. But it's been blown way out of proportion.

19 hours ago

Personally as a university, Bethel should be supporting both those who are hurt and those who were in the skit. These boys are upstanding guys who are known well among the bethel community. They apologized immediately after they realized what they did was wrong. They apologized profusely. That is all they can do. What do you want from them? Thats all they can do, they can't take back what happened or what was done. Publicly humiliating them is just as wrong as what they did. Yes, the boys needed to know what they did was wrong. I'm not denying that, they needed to be talked to. They also should talk to the students who were offended. This situation did not need to be brought into the paper, radio, or the television. As a professor, Rivera should have known what is proper etiquette of what to disclose to a reporter and public. He should know, anything you say to a reporter will get twisted. No reporter is honest. All they want is dirt and drama. No this is not his fault, however he should have known better to give information to them. False information has been said about Reed Larsen which also makes the situation worse. I am also a student at Bethel, and as another Bethel student said, I am now walking around in fear that anything I say will cause offense to somebody. This has caused so much unneeded separation at this university. This whole situation was handled so poorly. There was NO need for a protest DURING a chapel service that was about reconciliation. Bethel is all about reconciliation, but this has NOT been shown to these boys. What happened to grace? or forgiveness? Some people in the protest are willing to shout around campus their opinion, and thats ok. However, when i was expressing my opinion in a private, quiet conversation I was approached by someone saying I needed to get my facts straight. Also when sitting at a table discussing the matter, we have to sit and whisper about it so no one is offended. So this is telling me, we need to hear your opinion loud and clear but we can not express ours at all. Is that right? No.In the real world you will not be able to have a hissy fit about every little thing said to you, you need to pick your battles. Something that has been done innocently or intentionally is two different things. It is VERY clear that what these boys did was unintentional. Forgive and move on. Not only is this humiliating to these boys by all the publicity but you are also giving Bethel a bad name. This destroys community.

Fact of the matter is the boys have all done everything asked of them WILLINGLY, including missing classes, to help resolve this issue. It's time to let it go and move on.

 

Post Edited (PotOnWheel) : 5/16/2010 8:49:21 PM (GMT-5)

I'm note sure you got that. They are parallel: it is not justice from man and mercy from God. Mercy must also come from men--just as justice must; and justice wil be hard to so, as mercy wil be hard.

Clear?