Knew this was coming.
A couple of college students found themselves in hot water recently over their Halloween costumes when they chose go to as...Diddy and Baby Oil.
Obviously one of the big stories from this year has been the downfall and arrest of rapper and record producer Diddy (also known as Puff Daddy, and P. Diddy, but his real name is Sean Combs) on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
A federal indictment accuses the rapper of hosting drug and sex-fueled parties he called “freak offs” filled with prostitutes and…well, whatever else you do at a freak off.
Diddy has pled not guilty, but the court has rejected his requests for bail and kept him behind bars as he awaits trial. But one of the details that caught everybody’s attention was what was found when they raided Diddy's homes.
According to affidavits, the rapper had 1,000 bottles of lube and baby oil in his home – which his lawyer tried to explain away by claiming that Diddy simply bought in bulk from Costco:
“I mean, he has a big house. He buys in bulk. I think they have Costcos in every place where he has a home. Have you sat in a parking lot of a Costco and seen what people walk out of there with?”
Well Costco quickly cleared their good name by responding that they don’t even sell baby oil.
Guess they’re going to need a different defense there.
But anyway, the story of Diddy and his baby oil quickly became a viral meme and the subject of jokes all over the internet. And apparently one pair of college students decided to turn the joke into a Halloween costume – which was probably a bad idea for a number of reasons.
Right out of the gate, dressing like an accused pedophile probably isn't the move, no matter how funny the jokes are.
But even worse, the guy decided to make the boldly idiotic move of wearing blackface.
https://twitter.com/NorthwestNick/status/1850652357513613732
Yeah, not smart.
Well the video was quickly deleted, but not before the internet determined that the students are reportedly from San Diego State University. And now, the university has rushed in to investigate.
In a statement, San Diego State said that they haven't yet confirmed that the two in the picture are SDSU students, but they condemned the costumes and said they were looking into it:
"We appreciate those who have come forward to share information about images circulating online. The use of blackface and any actions making light of sexual assault are deeply offensive and have no place in our community. The individuals photographed are not confirmed SDSU students, and our team is working to confirm information, including the location and identities of those involved.Any behavior that stereotypes or harms individuals based on race or ethnicity, or trivializes sexual assault, contradicts our university values and undermines our commitment to inclusion and belonging for students, faculty, and staff."
But after issuing their statement, a free speech organization sent a letter to the university encouraging them to drop the investigation and defending the students' rights to free expression.
According to a letter sent to SDSU by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE:
"Regardless of whether anyone finds these costumes offensive, SDSU, as a public university bound by the First Amendment, may not impose disciplinary measures that violate students’ expressive rights or launch chilling “investigations” of clearly protected expression."
And listen, was the costume in bad taste? Sure. Should they have known that you can't wear blackface these days? Of course.
But should they have their lives and college careers ruined over a dumb costume? Absolutely not.
