The Great Kwanzaa Discrepancy of 2009 (Yeah, I went there).

I know I’m a week late, but I place a higher importance on recuperating from finals through a ritualistic rediscovery of my Gamecube than on blogging. Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah.

As I’m late to documenting this “controversy,” I shall let others more enlightened take over summary duties (that’s you, Charles!). Like most all “controversies” that have occurred at the Claremont Colleges, this one came to life thanks to a hyper-sensitive reaction to an (by all accounts) innocuous event.

Get ready, here it is:

White people (and two Asians, don’t forget the two Asians) attended a Kwanzaa event thrown by the Office of Black Student Affairs and LEFT halfway through.

HOLYSHITOMFGTHATSHITISWACKLIKEMYMOTHERFUCKINGOPRAH!!!!!1!111!#@!@($!@$&#!%

This prompted Scripps student Rachael Ballard to post a series of web videos on her Facebook page deriding these whities as “cockroaches.” First, she admonishes these crackers for being at the event (“If you walk into a room full of black people, knowing it’s a black holiday, and feel uncomfortable, it’s because we don’t want you there!”) and proceeds to 180 into some new (and contradictory) sentiments: “Yes, we did see you leave. Yes, we know you were scuttling and shuffling like cockroaches. But we heard you, the door opened, a gust of wind (Ed. note: maybe it was Elijah!) just entered the room. Your exit was apparent. So I’m sorry that us black folk weren’t entertaining for you long enough.”

Indeed. Not entertaining enough, or too entertaining? As Rachael Ballard perhaps rightly complains, she should not be made to feel a spectacle for a white (and Asian! Do NOT forget the Asians!) and condescending gaze during Kwanzaa. BUT:

No one was doing a better job at making a spectacle out of Rachael Ballard than Rachael Ballard herself.

Christmas zing!