posted 10-13-2003 03:38 PM            

By DAVE GOLDINER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER


Critics says Ghettopoly's board, cards and game pieces are racist.

An outrageous new board game called Ghettopoly has stoked anger among black leaders over its "pimp" and "40-ounce" game pieces, "Ghetto Stash" cards and insults directed at blacks, Latinos and other ethnic groups.
In the crude copy of the timeless Monopoly game, "playas" vie for the right to build crack houses and projects and the bank is renamed "Da Loan Shark."

Instead of Broadway and Park Place, contestants buy properties dubbed Hernando's Chop Shop, Weinstein's Gold and Ray Ray's Chicken and Ribs.

Ghettopoly, which is the brainchild of a Taiwanese immigrant named David Chang, is selling briskly over the Internet at $29.95 a pop.

It is also sold nationwide at Urban Outfitters stores, although a clerk said the chain's New York stores all are sold out.

"The game is demeaning and it's racist," said City Councilman Bill Perkins (D-Harlem). "He's making profits at the expense not only of the people of Harlem but people of color everywhere."

Some of the properties are named Harlem, the Bronx and Hell's Kitchen, which Perkins called an insult to New Yorkers.

"It's selling hatred," said the Rev. Wyatt Walker, senior pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in Harlem.

He says it's fun

Chang, 28, did not return calls for comment. The St. Mary's, Pa., man said in a statement that he picked up "insight into the culture of the ghetto" from rap songs and video games.

"Ghettopoly is controversial because it's both fun and real- life," Chang said. "It draws on stereotypes not as a means to degrade but as a medium to bring together in laughter."

The game is played much like Monopoly, with "playas" moving around a board and landing on properties - except you could land in the emergency room or Just Loitering.

There's no Chance or Community Chest, just Hustle and Ghetto Stash cards with messages like "You Got Yo Whole Neighborhood Addicted To Crack. Collect $50."

Another reads: "It's past midnight and you're feeling horny. Go straight to Cheap Tricks Ave."

One of the ugliest caricatures has a figure of "Martin Luthor King Jr." holding his crotch and saying, "I have an itch."

The game doesn't only take shots at blacks. It lampoons Asians for selling "dog soup" and hookers who provide oral sex at massage parlors.

A group of black clergymen in Philadelphia has launched a nationwide boycott and held a demonstration outside Urban Outfitters headquarters this week.

"It divides the nation, it divides neighbors," said the Rev. Robert Shine Sr., president of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia & Vicinity. "He has capitalized on racism."

posted 10-13-2003 09:09 PM            

Oh boy! For some reason that game reminded me of the Bible in Legos site. When I first saw it I thought - what a nice way to teach kids about the Bible. I figured they’d start using it in Sunday Schools. But then when I started looking around, especially under Latest Additions, I changed my mind – definitely NOT for kids. This person is portraying words taken directly from the Bible though – just in a twisted way.
http://www.thereverend.com/brick_testament/

posted 10-15-2003 09:53 AM            

If people can't handle brutal honesty, they may not want to stay at this forum," said Aidil Polanco, a junior journalism and mass communication major and one of the two mediators, to start the session. Blue & White Staff Manager Seth Shore accompanied Polanco as a mediator.

The participants responded well to Polanco's challenge and offered candid opinions on the conditions of race relations in racial humor, in the media and in issues of achieving greater equality. The overall atmosphere created the sense that, although the issues of representation and fair treatment have improved over the years, more work must be done for individuals of all races to look past skin color to fully share and understand each other's experiences.

"Until I stop having to fight for affirmative action or wondering if my children will be able to come to this university or wondering where federal funding is going to go, and is it going to be proportional, I can't laugh," said Tyra Moore, a senior psychology major and president of the Black Student Movement.

Moore said she cannot laugh at the racial jokes delivered by some white comedians because of the persistent concerns she expressed. The first subject of the night referred to white comedians who are criticized for making racist jokes to predominantly African-American audiences, à la "Comic View" on BET. Participants generally agreed that African-American comedians who use similar material about their own minority are not criticized.

"The only white comedians I would laugh at are ones on 'Comic View' because I feel like they have been screened," Moore said.

Darrel Johnson, a junior applied sciences major, argued that different opinions on comedy create double standards. Why should a white person not be permitted to make racial jokes about African-Americans if Afircan-Americans can make racial jokes about white people, he reasoned?

"[Comedy] is a good way to get people to start thinking about things they might not have thought of before," said Samantha Terry, a junior psychology major and representative of Masala and of Students for the Advancement of Race Relations.

Ethnic jokes have become a fixture of many headlining stand-up comedians. The discussion raised the argument that if one finds the material offensive, one should not choose to watch it. Seldom will a person be chained to a chair and forced to watch Chris Rock perform. However, the forum also raised the question about drawing the line between humor in good taste and blatant racism.

"I can't say I have been extremely offended. I tend not to take comedy seriously unless it is something that is out and out racist," Terry said.

The levity of comedy does not extend to acquaintances attempting to be funny when it involves a white person telling a racist joke, according to certain panel members. The possibility of underlying racism can create awkward tension due to varying sensitivity on racial issues.

"You might really believe what you are saying and that scares me," Moore said.

"If I overheard someone I didn't know making a racist joke, I'd be angry," Terry said.

The foundation of this argument rests upon the controversy of representation. Can comedians of all races represent African-Americans through the usage of humor? If so, does this privilege extend to all races, or just those that can achieve stardom?

The same theory includes other minorities representing their own cultures in conceivably derogatory humor. Participants discussed this when the topic of minority epresentation on television programs was raised.

"Native Americans are not represented at all. When we [Native Americans] see a Native American on TV, everybody notices," Samantha Richardson, representative of the Carolina Indian Circle, said.

Richardsoin recalled an incident at a Native American culture museum where someone indicated that the museum presented the culture of an "extinct" people. Lack of adequate representation proliferates these false views. Other participants grieved minority portrayal in the portrayal of minorities in the media, which nurtures stereotypes.

"What happened to the professional black family? You look at TV now-you'd think it doesn't exist. There definitely needs to be more realistic representation of black people on TV," Terry said.

Forum participants analyzed television programs with minority characters such as "The Cosby Show" and "The Wayans Bros." Shore introduced the opinion of Professor Chuck Stone, Walter Spearman Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, that African-Americans play the role of "magical friend" to a white person or the role of jester on many shows. Both stock characters encourage stereotypes about African-Americans as ignorant fools or as characters who are only capable of helping others and not themselves. Television bears a large responsibility for the creation and the proliferation of these stereotypes and the continued dominance of ratings by majority group programs.

"White shows make the most money. TV is a business and it is unfortunate, but I don't think it's going to change," Jermain Reeves, a senior history major and representative of SARR, said.

Whiteness sells. Television programs must appeal to the largest possible audience; therefore they must appeal to whites. As long as that remains true, social inequality will stunt the growth of racial harmony. James HaltoM, a sophomore political science major, expressed his concerns about shows like "The Real World" that feature conflicts between interracial cohabitants.

"I think it's a big problem because it teaches young people that we can't live together, we can't interact in a peaceful environment," Haltom said.

Television stations and programs oriented toward minority audiences are not free of blame. Cita, BET's flamboyant animated veejay, came under fire from the panelists at the forum for propagating negative stereotypes of blacks incapable of speaking proper English.

"If African-Americans or Native Americans or Asian-Americans perpetuate the stereotypes that exist, then there is never going to be any reconciliation," Moore said.

Regardless of race or ethnicity, pandering to stereotypes exacerbates social inequality by reaffirming those views. Rhiannon Fisher, a sophomore drama major, offered an example she encountered here at UNC. People have asked her how often she brushes her teeth and whether she shaves her legs and armpits because she is British. The image of Austin Powers flashing a disgusting set of teeth reflects these stereotypes. Fisher said she never realized that his repulsive dental condition was reflecting an American stereotype.

"How terrible that must be to experience on a daily basis," Fisher said.

As a British student studying in the U.S. this semester, she was unaware of others' stereotypes about Europeans until confronted by inquiring Americans. Through this uncomfortable experience, she could identify with others, especially minorities, who receive similar comments. The notion of identifying with a specific group soon led to a discussion about racial conditions at UNC.

Reeves said the lack of faculty diversity was the biggest obstacle to overcome. He said there are not enough minority professors in this school, except in specific departments like African-American studies.

"If I have a black professor, I can better relate to that particular person," Reeves said.

Shore added that "any type of common background" offers students an instantly deeper connection. He introduced the comparison to a student and professor both hailing from Montana, which certainly is not a common occurrence at a university in North Carolina comprised by an majority of in-state students.

The participants argued whether such a connection should hold any influence on a student's ability to succeed in the course. While the students agreed that academic success should not be influenced by a student-teacher connection of any form, added diversity broadens horizons for many students who may not have had the opportunity to know people of different ethnicities in their hometown. Encouraging campus diversity requires differentiation from self-segregation.

"I don't think we should automatically assume that because people are hanging out with their race that they are purposely segregating themselves," Terry said.

Haltom, who is founding a race unity club, said that the hardest step in forming interracial relationships is overcoming the fear of initiation. He argues people have a comfort zone that does "not necessarily mean that we don't want to interact with other races," but makes contact difficult for many people.

The forum encouraged the exploration of new ideas to improve UNC race relations. It sought to bring together leaders of all groups representing various minorities or cultural groups. The focus of the forum was not relations between any specific set of minorities, but to offer any person or group identifying with race relations issues an opportunity to speak out. Judging by the participants' positive reactions, the meeting accomplished its goals.

posted 10-15-2003 09:58 AM            

"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn't want to go to war, and the three most powerful men in America are named 'Bush', 'Dick', and 'Colon'..."

-- Chris Rock