City
Rhino under fire for "racist" Cowboys and Indians event
A group of concerned Torontonians took to Twitter Saturday night after learning of a "Cowboys and Indians" party at a Parkdale bar. About 15 to 30 people came dressed for the event, decked out either in cowboy gear or "Indian" getups with faux headdresses and war paint.
The Rhino was the inadvertent host of the party, later issuing a statement clarifying that it did not invite or endorse the party in any way. Nevertheless, many have pledged to boycott the bar over its supposed tolerance of "racist" dress, citing comparisons to black face and referencing the ongoing Idle No More protests.
Clearly, the lesson learned from this situation is that businesses should deny service to anyone who has the potential to offend others with his or her presence. That may include a patron purporting an unpopular political option, wearing a t-shirt with a swear word on it, or someone who tells a "How many X does it take to screw in a lightbulb?" joke in poor taste. Better safe than sorry, right?
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The comparison with blackface just goes to show the ridiculous lengths people go to when they feel they have the right to dictate private behaviour and politically correct thought. Instead of indicating a slippery slope they just go right off the cliff. And I'll bet no one takes offense with the "stereotypical" cowboys...
To justify their existence these humourless self-congratulators go sleepless in their search for racism. Many high-minded, conspicuously tolerant people are also idiots.
Some kids dressing up as "Cowboys and Indians" everyone cares about.
You suck internet.
And let me guess, all the people who don't think this is a serious matter.. are.... white? Woah, how did I know, right?!!?!?
You people seriously need some lessons in cultural sensitivity and what it's like to not have prejudice. This is basic, 21st-century stuff we're dealing with.
that's what our situation is right now. This isn't racist. it's part of western mythology. why isn't it racist to dress like a cowboy too, under this crap logic?
People need to get a life.
Society is so completely backwards when it comes to what is truly racist and what is not.
These people did not intend to insult any group of people in the slightest.
Why everyone is so blind by political correctness boggles my mind.
You have white people whose ancestors raped, killed, and stole land from Aboriginal persons, while in the modern day they wear fake versions their traditional clothing like headdresses that symbolize respect and have religious backgrounds to them. This is a complete mockery. Not to mention the blatant racial stereotyping.
Your race or your skin colour or you background are not a kind of costume you can just take on and off. This is something you are born with, and if you are born a person of colour, you are subject to the institutionalized prejudices that society gives, and as a "women of ethnic background", you of all people should understand this.
The average Aboriginal does not walk around in a feathered headdress on a daily basis.
The average Aboriginal does not wear ceremonial paint on a daily basis.
This event was not tied to a particular moment or day. It was not celebrating a Native hero (a la Robbie Burns). It was taking something sacred and reducing it to drunken revelry (oh, if you're about to type a "drunk Indian" joke in response, stop...)
Whether Idle No More was happening or not, this really is no different than going out in blackface. It's ridiculing a race of people, who have - whether you want to admit our country's shameful history or not - have been rendered "invisible". They chose the theme for whatever reason because they thought no one would be offended because "well, it's just Indians...it's not like we're going out dressed as Al Joson..."
Don't agree? I dare any of you who think dressing as an "Indian" for a fun night out as not racist to go out in blackface.
Let me know how that works out for you. I'd do it myself. But I'm already Black.
1) you probably couldn't spot an Aboriginal if you saw one outside of your TV.
2) drunk joke? Your reading comprehension is sub-par...you had to go for the cheap shot didn't you? Because you have nothing else to back it up with.
Come harder...this won't be easy.
I've also recently moved North of the city to a town where the very same people decided to have a "blockade" and caused trouble until they ran out of booze and had to go home and get their Welfare cheques.
Why would I care that an "ethnic" person is fine with something, just because she's "ethnic?" You could be stupid and consequently think stupid things. You could be a self-hating white supremacist apologist.
At my high school, the leader of the racist skinhead crowd was a native guy. He was OK with everything he did. That didn't make the fact that he singled out other brown kids to beat up after school any less racist.
See, logic can be fun!
Sorry find another way of amusing yourself.
I'm boycotting the Rhino because they served me and my friends rancid beer and then told us that it was our imagination. The puking that followed that evening would beg to differ.
Sit the hell back and stop enforcing your tolerance for ignorance on the rest of us.
This thread screams of ignorance and privilege.
I often wonder who the hell voted in people like Rob Ford then I read the comment section and shake my head.
Please name me, in Western society, once instance where a white person would be oppressed.
Pay gap? Not being hired because you had an ethnic name? Had a racial slur used against you? Bullied because of your race? Taught you weren't a "normal" berson because you didn't represent the 'majority' (white, male, straight)?
You must have absolutely no idea what people of colour, or in fact any type of minority, actually go through in society.
If some people want to have a fun party, that's their concern. Its not actually racist either, its just some harmless fun.
Perhaps these policing tweeters should find something better to do than patrolling the city's party scene and acting a negative light on the Rhino.
Finally someone speaking some sense. They could have walked into any bar in the city. Was their choice of costume insensitive? Maybe. Should the Rhino be held accountable for the actions of grown adults and what they chose to wear? No.
The problem, as has been made abundantly clear in the wake of the Idle No More Protests and has been made clear in the comments section of this blog, is that most Canadians are either totally ignorant of native issues, or simply don't give a shit.
And babies HAVE been stolen from them. Usually by drunk Irish neighbours who are standing over the wrong crib.
NATIVE PERSONS FIND IT OFFENSIVE.
THEREFORE, IT IS OFFENSIVE TO NATIVE PERSONS.
HOW IS THIS LOGIC SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND????
Benedict: You clearly have not done any study on Irish history. If you did the research though, you would discover that your views are incorrect. The two things you describe happened exactly to the irish. I have the feeling that you are making statements based on opinion rather than fact. I have studied Canadian history extensively, and am well aware of the absues that our first peoples endured in times past and currently.
Anyway, if you'd done three seconds of
Googling you could have added this relevant campaign:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/26/us/gallery/ethnic-costumes/index.html
And you also would have added the update to that Storify (the update that was put up yesterday, yet is strangely missing from this post, maybe because it would undermine your whole thesis) where a First Nations person talks about how he and some others he gathered, talked to the patrons about why what they were doing was offensive. Or would that have been too fair for you?
You're never going to get out of JSchool this way, honey.
I DONT FIND THIS RACIST.
some people having fun , enjoying themselves? If they had said 'conquer Indians, send them to residential schools, that would be racist but this is harmless fun.
Why do people have to judge them and criticise, just live your own life and let others live theirs if they aren't causing anyone pain.
These overzealous, holier-than-thou twenty somethings absolutely disgust me. The Rhino has no obligation to respond to these stupid tweets.
the word Racism is being thrown around the same way people like to call each other stupid ... as if theyre any different (Halloween??) than the ones receiving the name calling.
Why does affiliating this apparent racism party with IdleNoMore make it more relevant to the public ? if its inappropriate than its inappropriate and because someone takes a photo and immediately ignites a flame of racist bashing, doesnt make it true to the actual story, or the intent of the participants.
in light of the aboriginal movement in canada / the world right now, everyone is finally aware & looking for a piece of action to make them feel like their involved or even a part of why things may be IdleNoMore.
at what point does someone just simply tell the party goers they are offended. instead of taking it online to bitch. maybe going right up to them, and inquiring, maybe telling them how offended you are becoming seeing their costumes would make a change.
Its always surprised me to see, how much better everyone is that everyone else when they have no intentions of trying to find a solution. you arent a racist right blogger? and those fuckers at that party may have been. but you didnt stop them. you didnt speak up. and you are an accessory to what youre calling a racist party. when everyone starts acting on issues -> the way idlenomore is. then everyone has a right to tell everyone else what theyre doing wrong in society.
the bystander effect is real. and if you dont want to be a sheep,than stand up for what YOU believe. plain and simple.
Some kids dressing up as "Cowboys and Indians" everyone cares about.
You suck internet."
^^THIS.
Cue the re-education camps....
FWIW, I think the costumes were in poor taste but I also don't really care either, like 99% per cent of the population, which includes many of the ambivalent first nations people represented in this comment thread.
I really think that people do not know what to complain about anymore...
Its cowboys and indians!
Little kids play this all the time but when adults do it, its rasist?
Give me a break!
Kids also play cops and robbers, is that rasist? What if adults were to dress up as cops and robbers would that be rasist?
Honestly people need to get a life and stop complaining about everything.
I for one will continue to go to the Rhino, and if you are one of the people boycotting them, then GREAT last thing i need is to be around people like you...
how would you feel if a bunch of black people painted their faces white and paraded around with a grilled cheese sandwich and a gameboy.... ahhhhhhh! white people are impossible to negative stereotype!
yes yes whites were not blacks slaves, but that makes it ok?
and i have no sympathy for "natives" better yourselves
its not 300 years ago
In England at a certain point in time you would see many signs up at the doors of pubs and restaurants saying:
No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish
You would also see many ads for jobs which would say:
Irish need not apply.
But, the Irish are white!?! Holy fuck, guess it cant be racist.
Everyone all of a sudden cares about the native people.
99.9% of the people here claiming its racist, are doing just that, claiming.
You all get up each and every morning and don't give one iota of a thought to the native people.
Dont try and kid yourself and anyone else with your new found fondness for what is going on.
This is not an example of a minority complaining about important rights that we hold dear, or whose accommodation would infringe upon our most basic freedoms. This was a party. A party where someone's heritage was being caricatured, however innocently, and who caused other patrons of aboriginal decent to feel uncomfortable. No, this was not originally white people complaining on behalf of others -- a friend was one of the initial aboriginal persons who was out for drinks.
Anyhow, for anyone interested in an interesting dive into how "privilege" works, and how you can maybe be a more empathetic human being in this complicated world, here's the go-to link that I always throw down in situations such as this:
https://sindeloke.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/37/
(I moderated a rather large student discussion board at one point, and issues like this came up fairly regularly.)
I don't understand your assumption that the people from twitter don't care about Idle No More either, in fact when you click on some of their profiles, it appears that some of them have participated in protests.
The education of all persons about this issue is so important, that is one of the points of Idle No More, and in fact you should be happy to see so much backlash from social media. Because as the modern world understands it, the internet is how knowledge circulates.
The morality brigade (the Twitter idiots more than the few commenting here) has no right to dictate what people do at a private event when they break no laws. If people want to boycott Rhino in the ignorant and mistaken belief that it is the Rhino's problem then its their business, but as others have said its more likely their would never go their anyway.
More likely they are deep in the bowels of York or U of T. meeting in great angst and anger to create straw man arguments and test them out in an echo chamber of like minds. No, there's no narrow-minded thinking going on there, oh no.
(hey, its a generalization but anyone who went to uni knows its true)
My only fear is that the Ontario Human Rights Commission gets its hooks into something like this. They are the one organization that is above the law, and can ignore what the courts or constitution has to say."
This whole thing????
Privilege is a useful way of thinking about a problem and it's more valuable to have the views of first nations people on this, but it's NOT the last word either. At some point outrage can't be the only moral force; there has to be some common sense, too.
You are not funny, nor are you informative. Your last paragraph was as unintelligent as they come, using the widest stroke brush you could find to wipe over a very sensitive issue. My question to you is, are you racist or just plain ignorant?
Are you promoting the use of black face? because I guarantee you if a person of Native decsent walks into the Rhino on that evening, and you found yourself wearing a "Pochatontas" costume, you would feel nothing but shame and embarrassment. And believe me they would let you know. In no way is this on the same level as someone wearing a shirt with a swear word on it. With you logic me having a shirt that says "fuck" on it is on the same level of someone having a old timey "black face" party. There is a thing called "level's", I really don't know how to explain it to someone who is clearly as ignorant as you, but basically these two things are on different ends of the spectrum.
The fact that this article and your musing gets by the blogto staff is testament to the lack of quality control that goes into this blog. Maybe I am putting to much faith into this blog, or maybe just Canadians in general. Maybe as "journalist" you should take some time to research the idle no more movement, or even talk to some Native's about the schools or struggles they have had over the last 50 years. If you were more informed as a journalist, and less of some wanna be urban switched on post-subrbunite you would know that simply Native peoples have been, and continue to be, marginalized.
My disgust runs deep towards those who can't simply see this a horrible thing to do. We don't have blackface/ slave and master parties, why? Because it is racist. In 50 years from now your grandchildren will be ashamed that you ever even thought this was appropriate.
"Racist, probably not. Culturally insensitive, probably yes."
All these people screaming racism are just looking for something to scream about. In no way did anyone attending this party show any signs whatsoever that they felt they as white people were a superior race to First Nation people (you know, the definition of racism)... did they show no tact? Cultural insensitivity? definitely. But guess what, people generally can be ignorant, say shit that will offend someone in the world or just generally not think before they do things.
But the extreme PC activists need to calm the fuck down because they make the rest of us Progressive minded people look just as bad as they do. Stop being the goddamn thought/fun/action police. You are all like Maude Flanders.
The fact that people are calling for a ban on the Rhino, and calling the Rhino staff/owners themselves racists is the really pathetic part of this whole event.
You have the right to be offended, but what you fail to appreciate is that others have the right to not be offended, and you can't force them to share your point of view. And I don't think its blogTO's job to write articles that mirror your particularl point of view when there are many others out there.
You know what they say about opinions and certain parts of a posterior...yes, everyone has one.
@George, by showing up in that bullshit, there is nothing thoughtful or fun about this chosen action of wearing face paint, headdresses and braids, to say its anything less than racist is deplorable and shows that you are not really that progressive at all. These patrons supposed 'ignorance is a testament to this country's FUCKED education system.
I'd LOVE to know how long the Rhino let this party continue? With everything regarding appropriation that's come up over this past year alone (Victorias Secret, Gwen Steffani, Coachella), I'm floored (not really) that people can remain in bliss.
People sure as shit should be shamed if they think carrying on this type of ignorant behaviour is even relatively ok. There should be goddamn moral outrage. But Canadians are notoriously complacent when it comes to aboriginal issues. In fact, Canada recently came under fire from the UN due to human rights violations against our Aboriginal population. Which is what makes a "cowboys & Indians" party seem all that much more disgusting. If you don't understand why this is hurtful & offensive to First Nations, and why moral outrage is completely just, then you are incredibly, incredibly ignorant about Aboriginal culture. Which would be right on par for the average Canadian.
This type of nonesense WILL be deemed as humiliating & gross as blackface now is, and people like you will go down in history for being the sad sack, out of touch, fart huffing hate mongers you are.
I know people like that as well. On one level i think we may intellectually trick ourselves into thinking that it matters more than it actually does, and that's why we still have St. Patricks's day i suppose. If irish folk really felt they were being insulted there would be huge protests to ban the thing and put massive pressure on the irish government to shut it down. I totally get what you are saying and used to think a bit like that before...now i have no problem with it as long as there is no ill will or racist intent..if there is, then it's racist, obviously.
Amen my friend.
I have every right to be outraged that others don't see this as wrong. Not one Native person doesn't think this isn't offensive. There is no issue to debate, it is insensitive.
Blogto owe's me nothing, but when it prints insensitive articles I have every right to call there practices and controls into questions. BlogTo had every chance to say what happened and open it up for discussion, however such was not the case. What we have is an uninformed journailst trying to "cute" in her writings and trivializing a hot button issue of the day. It is in poor taste and reeks of a lack of class.
I remember seeing a group of people dressed like elves in a bar once...I didn't understand it. And I don't understand this either.
But who really cares...
Anyway, if you want to protest do so over something real like hunger and poverty and people who don't get the same opps and crooked politicians, not this. And along the way, maybe you should get a life!
Next you'll be saying having Christmas is racist - oh, sorry, some places and people already do. More BS. Unbelievable.
Now that your reading skills are out of the way, my point was that not everyone takes this as an "OMG the sky is falling with racism!" point of view. People dress up in costumes for many things, and comparing blackface (which is symbolically pretending you are another race) with face paint or a costume is not even accurate let alone equivalent.
So if you think that we should right historical wrongs by bubble-wrapping aboriginals and putting them on a pedestal, and then frothing at the mouth when a costume party happens that's your problem. I happen to think that aboriginals have been screwed in the past and treaties need to be enforced; however, I'm not going to pretend this costume event reflects on the moral direction of the Canadian people or the historical treattment of first nations in any way.
You also make the generalization that "Not one Native person doesn't think this isn't offensive." Even if you assume most people who posted comments here saying they are native (more than a few) are in fact lying, can you be sure they all were?
This is what bothers me--when people decide they will make blanket statements and become the arbiters of what is or isn't acceptable because their own moral outrage is judged to be the only correct response. If you can objectively argue the costume party was offensive, or prove to me that ALL aboriginals are offended then please do so.
I'm leaning towards "culturally insensitive" and not "the equivalent of blackface." With a slave-era history of minstrel shows blackface has long been racially-charged in a way that war paint hasn't (for one, war paint is markings, not so much making your skin "red" as blackface obviously trying to make your skin "black."). A bunch of white, perma-activists trying to make it equivalent just seems like such a waste of energy.
And a costume party at a bar does not effect or change their heritage. get a grip and stop over reacting.
People are way too politically correct these days. Lighten up Lisa Nabieszko
It's clear that your are simply ignorant to native culture in general, which lets be honest is to be expected of someone who thinks red face is not racist or wrong.
If a technicality is what has got your knickers in a knot, such as the use of the power full word "all" then I concede. I don't speak for "all" native but if 99% agree with me then what does it matter? The fact one person who claims to be native on an internet thread proves nothing. I can say by having lived with natives that this sort of behaviour is wrong, and anyone would tell you that. It offends a very large demographic, so why do it?
.
One persons rights end where another persons begin. You have to often protect the freedoms of the worst in society to protect your own. This simple thing is what allows our laws to balance so the whims of the majority do not oppress the minority, and that the offense taken by the few do not newly and constantly reshape everyone else. If that's too status quo for you, well, that's one of the prices of this freedom. Otherwise its a slippery slope towards having to pass every potentially offensive thing through the potentially offended person, the result of which is no satire, no cultural appropriation, no artistic license, whatsoever. Basically, you end up with Spike Lee maybe shutting down Django Unchained rather than choosing not to see it, and being free to be offended by it. It shuts down valuable and progressive discussion.
It's worth noting that when No Doubt actually attempted to appropriate Native imagery into their "Looking Hot" video, they consulted with Native friends and Native American cultural studies experts, went through such an "approval process", and still ended up offending people and feeling they had to remove the video.
At the end of the day each individual has to calculate the risks and be self-aware as they appropriate dress or create characters, fictions or satire. I don't find fashion appropriation, musical appropration (see Tomahawks "Anonymous" album, Sepultura's "Roots" album, Paul Simon's "Graceland"), writing stories about other races, or the kind of racial satire and commentary you see in sketch shows and from countless stand up comedians inherently offensive. In many cases I find it to be ultimately inclusive, saying we're all in this together, that we are a remix culture building something new from all the pieces of the past. It's a case by case basis where context, tone, intent, it all matters.
But since I mentioned it I have to ask, why is appropriation of music from other cultures so widely accepted, from Klesmet to reggae to rap, and for the most part being influenced by other art from other cultures so widely accepted, but when it comes to clothing or physical characteristics, people immediately cringe? Some people got so mad at Cloud Atlas for it's makeup, when the sole purpose of having other people playing so many different races was to make a progressive and inclusive film that commented on the evolution and cross-pollinization of race and culture through time? And geez, we just got past Christmas, which itself is the result of cultural appropration and is still evolving.
The people at the Rhino bar were wearing an unsophisticated reduction of the Native stereotype. This is a lot harder to defend than the use of Natives for comedy in Parks and Recreation, a show by Amy Poehler (who has worn a Native headdress in a photo shoot, btw), and who Heather, who created the Storify on this page, is a fan of. But they still don't seem to have had any malicious intent, so I have a hard time making the leap to relentlessly shaming them, calling their moms, calling the Rhino, their staff, their patrons, racist. Educate, not so they will never examine race again, but that they would do so with greater sophistication and respect.
If you want to find people acting genuinely OH MY GOD racist, there's a few in here, but the National Post thread on this topic makes this thread look like a Care Bear parade.
Apparently someone thinks so:
http://quintonslatestcuresforboredom.blogspot.ca/2009/11/amish-paradise-what.html
What a world.
Those who don't believe this is racist or that the folks who protested were "oversensitive" - cultures are not costumes. Let's let the people who are oppressed define the terms of their own oppression, because white folks haven't been doing such a good job.
Here's an IDlenomore protest. All the Natives are wearing blue jeans; the traditional garb of the cowboy. Are THEY being racist? Discuss.
If I was the restaurant owner, I would sue these specific activists back to the stone age. There is no reason why these cyber bullies couldn't have just approached the group and exercised something called basic human courtesy.
Instead, they went onto social media because that's whats adults are supposed to do and vilified an innocent guy holding a sign and a restaurant that simply made a mistake in how to handle a volatile situation.
Good job cyber bullies. Way to act like mature adults.
Amber Waves @emptysthemepark:
@_dharmamonkey It's hilarious. There are newspaper articles about the racist party they allowed there. Deleting Yelp reviews can't save u!
dharmamonkey
@emptysthemepark Totally. I love it.
Amber Waves @emptysthemepark:
@_dharmamonkey I do too. Social media n00bs are the best. :D
================================
This is an example of the weekend social media warriors that attempted to virtually bully the restaurant involved with the cowboys and indians party. Rather than tackle the situation in an adult and mature fashion, they swamp Yelp with their bogus reviews and then consider people that don't follow their bully ways as "noobs".
Ms Waves should really be careful about what she says.
This was a racist act and cannot be construed any other way. No excuses.
Have you ever heard of the Irish potato famine or do you think that it was about some hungry potatoes?
I agree with Shane! I do agree that some of the photos are a little offensive to Indians but I doubt there was anything anymore sinister than a good time intended.
By the way, which tribe? The Wannabes? I frequently hear that line but never get to know the connection.
So, don't feel that way. It's just an opinion. Get over it.
As for the expletives, well, that's life in the big city.
So this episode has been totally annoying, aggravating, but it got people talking about an issue which needed to be brought to light. It was a challenging learning experience.
The Rhino's website mentions that some people came in and distributed flyers aptly titled "Our Culture is not a Costume". This was the best and most admirable response. Apparently the party-goers were asked to remove their costumes and they complied without ado. This was also a good thing. This was not mentioned in the above report. Facts would have been helpful. So, thanks once again, Jeff, and good luck to you and the Rhino.
BAN ALL BIRTHDAYS
BAN ALL COSTUMES
ONLY VEGAN/GLUTEN FREE VISION QUESTS TO PARKDALE SHALL BE TOLERATED TO COMMEMORATE DAY OF BIRTH (Which is a total colonial mind phuck desgied)
FORGET THE SMALLPOX BLANKETS ITS THE WET BLANKETS WE REALLY NEED TO FEAR
CLEARLY THERE 20 somethings BORN IN THE 80s ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ATROCITIES BEING PERPETRATED ON NATIVE CULTURE TODAY FTW!
I'm disgusted with English people dressing up as Cowboys, mocking Cowboy Canadians.
Enough is enough.
When will people grow up and stop dressing as 1800's horse riding people?
Disgusting.
And to celebrate a birthday in 2013 ... how dare they - disrespect cultures who don't believe that this is the year 2013.
And how dare they drink, don't they know that some religions and cultures don't believe in drinking. How insensitive.
Don't you have to have proof that the person is racist before you call them racist?
Or can you publish photos of private individuals without consent and claiming that they were holding a racist event?
not worth the coverage imho.
pathetic