Blah, blah, blah

During a fundraiser for diabetes research at North Dakota State University — the Mr. NDSU Pageant– , a white student in blackface portrayed Barack Obama receiving a lap dance from another guy dressed as the Obama girl.

In the background, two other students dressed as cowboys simulated anal sex while holding an Obama sign, which was ripped at the end of the 30-second performance.

At North Dakota State University only 1.5 percent of the students are black or African American.

I wonder if fox news will even mention this. It was on the front page of cnn.com, but a simple search for it on foxnews.com yields no results. They covered Obama’s “typical white person” comment and Rev. Wright’s speeches enough that you would think they like stories on race and Obama.

Rev. Wright, however, was not racist. He merely pointed out racism in society and U.S. policies. I guess Fox may just like stories on Obama that provide the opportunity for reporters to deny the existence of white privilege and structural racism.

But I still thought that it would cover such blatant racism that does allow simple reporting without challenging their dearly held white privileges. Perhaps Foxnews fears coverage would benefit Obama by countering all their hard work through the Wright story to whitewash racism in society. Weren’t their talking points trying to make Obama seem divisive and Wright seem racist and to imply that most racism today is against white people (ridiculous)?

The skit was performed by members of the NDSU Saddle and Sirloin club, which “promote[s] the agriculture industry through participation in educational and social activities while exhibiting Bison pride.” With over 200 members, it is the largest organization on the campus.

Many white fraternities and sororities have held “ghetto” or “black” themed parties where their members dress up in blackface. A Duke University fraternity held a “Viva Mexico” party that had a border control and id check at the entrance to the dorms. At the University of North Dakota, a campus sorority, Gamma Phi Beta was recently placed on “social suspension” for a racially themed party thrown last fall. At this event, members of the sorority dressed up in “crude mock-ups of American Indian attire.”

Here’s an NPR story for more on the history of blackface.