A movie entitled White Chicks is in theatres right now. The plot revolves around two black FBI agents dressing up as white girls and going undercover. While not my particular cup of tea, it no doubt has its funny moments as the two main characters go through their fish-out-of-water experience.

Given the premise of the movie, I couldn't help but be reminded of Spike Lee's 2000 movie entitled Bamboozled where, according to IMDB, a frustrated African American TV writer proposes a blackface minstrel show in protest, but to his chagrin it becomes a hit. As shown in the screenshots below, the movie contains actual blackface performers.

A Google search for fraternity and blackface will reveal the annual ritual of stupid suburban white boys with myopic understandings of American culture putting on blackface resulting in (despite the obvious First Amendment right to make an ass out of yourself) their subsequent suspension, required apology, coerced contribution to the local negro college fund and/or mandatory attendance at cultural sensitivity training for them and their housemates.

In light of White Chicks and Bamboozled, can someone explain to me and all future pledges what the rule is with regard to blackface/whiteface--without utilizing some politically correct subjective or double-standard? I'm really good at following and advocating rules. I just want to know what the rule is and I can't figure it out. Is it like the "n" word? Blacks can do it with impunity, but whites can't. The problem with such a rule is that racism will always exist as long as double-standards continue to exist.

Many college campuses have promulgated speech codes in an attempt to provide guidance as to what is and is not acceptable. Invariably, such codes are blatant illegal censorship in direct conflict with the First Amendment. Fortunately, groups such as FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education) have been successful in publicizing such illegal codes, defending alleged violators and in getting the illegal restrictions rescinded.

Can someone give me one instance, just one, where someone complaining about being offended was required to attend in-sensitivity training because they were just too darn sensitive instead of the standard reaction of requiring sensitivity training for the alleged offender? Surely, in all the instances of alleged insensitivity, there has been at least one where the offended person unreasonably reacted to something that was otherwise innocuous and the collective reaction of everyone involved was to recommend to the offendee a little insensitivity training.

Perhaps this is the answer. Provide incoming freshmen, not with sensitivity training, but rather a thorough course in the First Amendment along with a healthy dose of insensitivity training. Then when the frat boys put on their blackface, they can be properly mocked for the idiots they are and everyone--frat boys and offendees alike--can go about their studies without all of the usual hoopla, administrative hearings and other interruptions. I won't hold my breath.