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A piñata shaped like a white woman was strung up to a tree at the University of Memphis, then African-American students took turns beating it with a stick.
Where is Al Sharpton when you need him? Isn’t this a shocking case of racism?
No, actually it isn’t. Turns out the students involved were mere grade school kids, brought on campus for a special “Luau” party sponsored by the university. The piñata was supposed to represent a hula dancer.
“We want to assure our community that no racial or gender animosity was intended,” said a university spokesperson.
At worst, this seems like a bad case of multicultural confusion. (Hawaiian luau + Mexican-style piñata = what cultural tradition exactly?)
Luckily, in this case, the racial dynamics were not reversed, with white students and a black piñata strung up to a tree. Imagine the controversy that would have generated.
Nevertheless, the university was compelled to explain itself when the picture started generating backlash after it was posted online.
It’s a sad thing when a few kids can’t swing at a piñata without unleashing an avalanche of racial grievances. But that’s the reality we live in.
Is this racist?
