Dress codes in Tigerland might not read “whites only,” but their effect and enforcement do perpetuate racist stereotypes and unjustly target black people.
Reggie’s management is right when it says its bar’s policies mirror banks’ and schools’. But even if there was nothing wrong with characterizing all criminals as Air Jordan-wearing, pants-sagging thugs, there’s no excuse when two people walk up to a bar wearing white shoes and only one of them gets in.
Here in the tradition-oriented South, we frequently hear stories about selective enforcement of rules meant for the general population that disproportionately restrict minorities. Racially biased dress codes are just one way the Jim Crow legacy survives in Louisiana.
It’s bad enough that we are blind to so many instances of silent racism in our community, and the effects they have on students whose skin color may be different. But what’s even worse is when we recognize a problem and refuse to do anything about it.
Let’s all acknowledge the problems with Tigerland’s dress codes, and ask ourselves how we feel about frequenting its bars so often. Let’s think twice when we wear a prohibited piece of clothing to a bar and make it past the bouncer, but see another LSU Tiger wearing the same thing standing outside.
Despite the at-times regrettable decisions made on Bob Pettit Boulevard, Tigerland is still supposed to be a communal, fun and safe experience for all LSU students — an outlet for a diverse, but unified student body.
It’s not right now, but by recognizing that there’s a problem, we can help it get there.