Well, SHE stepped in it, didn't she?
In the News & Record today, Sharon Davis talks about the lack of decorum at commencement ceremonies. As I read her letter, I agreed with her. A lack of civility and good manners seem to permeate many functions these days from whooping and hollering at graduations to newly-married couples shoving cake in each other's face.
Then Davis said:
It was there that she lost me. My experience, and keep in mind I attend graduation ceremonies for a living, is that the commotion of which Davis speaks cuts across all lines, racial, ethnic, gender, class, etc.
While I certainly appreciate families wanting to honor and celebrate their grad, it is possible to cheer without being totally disruptive. However, to suggest one group has the market on this kind of behavior is ridiculous. To suggest it is "...basically...the black community who behaves this way..." is not only incorrect, but racist.
Then Davis said:
"I don't mean to play the race card, but basically it is the black community who behaves this way, and it's not fair to all the other people who are there to honor their students."
It was there that she lost me. My experience, and keep in mind I attend graduation ceremonies for a living, is that the commotion of which Davis speaks cuts across all lines, racial, ethnic, gender, class, etc.
While I certainly appreciate families wanting to honor and celebrate their grad, it is possible to cheer without being totally disruptive. However, to suggest one group has the market on this kind of behavior is ridiculous. To suggest it is "...basically...the black community who behaves this way..." is not only incorrect, but racist.
posted by jw at 9:19 AM
3 Comments:
I saw that, early this a.m., and wondered where the first blog would take it on. Congrats for having ladylike balls.
Let's ask the very hard question: why does she think this is so? Is it her experience that only one race is loud at graduation? Could it be that in GCS, **ONLY** African-American families cheer (when they're asked not to)?
Let's do a study. Let's put in video cams. Let's broadcast it and zoom in on offenders.
then it'll be easy to point fingers, eh?
My first question was how limited is her experience at graduations? How many and at what places has she attended that this is her perception?
Well I graduated Page High a few years ago, and went to Page graduations over the past few years, and recently my brother graduated from App. It is a known fact that blacks make noise, hoop and holler, and scream when someone in their family walks across stage. Why is it? If you think the statement is wrong go to a high school graduation this weekend and sit back and watch. Itll be true...
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