So if someone with no Irish ancestry wears green on St. Patrick’s Day they are expropriating Irish culture?
Quite possibly one of the stupidest stories of 2016 so far.
I hope Ms. Kruk isn’t planning on law school, because statements like these would never hold up in court. “It’s not about drugs or stolen wallets. It’s about a systematic pattern of crime and harassment in a neighborhood that has seen far too many examples of both.” would make a flimsy argument to justify convicting anyone of a crime.
I can’t help feeling this is an attempt to scapegoat two students for a larger problem, through a sham trial in the court of public opinion - and not the first such instance. We’ve seen it at Yale, where students angry at two professors recited a litany of racial incidents - unconnected with the professors in question - in demanding the Christakises’ removal. This recent incident is, if anything, more absurd still.
I have faith that this “incident” will not even be close to making our 2016 list of Top 10 Stupidest College Stories ™.
For example, a Mexican-themed party can’t compare to the great General Tso’s Chicken Crisis of 2015.
Nonsense like this can only come about in places that where all the adult leaders are products of decades of academic inbreeding…they’ve been educated and employed among other academics, with nobody around who’s spent any time in a business or military environment…nobody who’s in a position to institute a reality check.
Maybe they should have a real issue presented to them like a beer shortage or rain preventing the lacrosse game to take their minds off tacos.
The military is another closed-off environment, and somebody had the foresight to ensure it always has civilian leadership (president, secretary of defense, secretaries of army/navy/air force )so thtat bad ideas that make sense WITHIN the military bubble are always subjected.to scrutiny by somone from outside the bubble . Colleges might consider being more open to leaders who aren’t career academics…peolple who aren’t likely.to be bullied by every sophomore with a politically correct axe to grind (my apologies to any lumberjacks out there whose culture I just appropriated).
To me the test should be whether the purpose of the party was to mock a particular group. If the purpose was to mock Mexican culture, that is a problem. If it was just to have fun, then I think it is fine. If Hispanic and AA students participate in St. Patrick’s day fun and wear green, sing songs, eat corned beef and cabbage, and drink beer, I think that is great, and I am of Irish descent. We can all have fun together. It can bring people together.
I also don’t think that students of other ethnicities should be complaining, unless there was an intent to disparage. By that I mean that if the Mexican Students don’t seem to mind the party theme, and the complaint is from someone who is not Hispanic, then I think that person does not have standing to complain. If I, as a person of Irish descent, am not offended by Hispanic and AA people having an Irish Themed Party on St. Patrick’s day, why should a German or Italian person complain about that? (for example)
Right. It’s “stupid” if you are not the one being mocked.
This sounds like “laughing at us” rather than “laughing with us.”
The students who hold leadership positions are “public figures” on campus, and frankly the push-back should have been anticipated. The kids who are being mocked have a right to free speech as well.
Exactly, BOTH sides should be able to speak without getting punished. But that’s not what’s happening here.
“The kids who are being mocked have a right to free speech as well.”
I agree, but it is not clear to me that anyone was being mocked, and it is not clear that it is people in the group potentially being mocked that are complaining.
I can’t agree with this more and generally, though not always, the intent is fairly obvious.
I come from a culture where it’s still very acceptable to make fun of and stereotype us on TV, in song, and on Halloween (Roma/Gypsy… and Jewish for that matter, but that’s another story). I know the difference of when someone just wants to dress up in a colorful dress and call themselves a Gypsy and when we’re being made fun of as Gypsy scum. (Admittedly, slightly less of an issue in the US than Europe but my point still stands.)
I’m also Irish O’Irish from my dad’s side and again, you can tell the difference between people having fun on St. Patty’s day and having a party to mock the Irish (not really a contemporary issue but it was definitely something that was disgusting and acceptable for a long time in the US).
I don’t know what to make of this case since I haven’t really looked into it. I do think there are legitimate gripes about cultures being laughed at but there is a pretty thick line between that and using a place/culture/etc as a “theme.”
And look, not a fraternity in sight. 8-|
BTW, as a person of significant Irish descent, I find the St. Patrick’s day antics with drunkenness, green beer, stupid leprechaun crap and so on pretty darned offensive. It would be possible, and nice, to celebrate Irish history and culture. Those things do not do so.
Or even the Irish holiday of St. Paddy’s day.
No more luau’s either:
I guess toga parties are now off-limits as well? Bullying the ancient Greeks and Romans. :-/
This is PC police run amok. Seriously, these days just about any action someone does or word used could be construed as offensive. Personal example: on a car racing message board I’m a regular on, there was a discussion about transmissions. Because that is a long awkward word to type, everyone was using the short-hand trans or tranny slang. Remember, this is a 100% car-centric internet forum, a semi-private one at that as it is hidden pretty well from search engines. Everyone on it is generally at most only one degree of separation from others at the most. A cis-gendered person on the board took great offense and caused a huge stink and accused all of us as being prejudicial. So far from the truth and reality.
This reminds me of the textbook publisher’s prohibition against including stories set by the sea because these were region-centric and children who didn’t live by the sea wouldn’t be able to relate to them (also mountains, deserts, prairies, etc).
It’s like the number 1 goal for some people is to become an aggrieved party, and if they have to invent an offense, they will. Once you’re aggrieved, you get attention and sympathy and you have an excuse for not studying, not being happy, whatever. It’s an insult to people who have endured REAL discrimination.
Hypocrisy by Bowdoin administration:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/rampage/wp/2016/03/04/bowdoin-update-on-facebook-school-flaunted-photos-of-alumni-students-in-school-provided-sombreros/
Still, why the outrage over the outrage?
If you say something offensive (I agree you have a right to say it), the offended have a right to object to it (something I also agree with). If you happen to hold an office that is publicly elected, members of the electing public have a right to demand your recall. Whether they succeed in getting you recalled is another matter, of course. But they certainly have a right to free speech and make demands, including asking for a recall even if it seems unreasonable or extreme.
For people who want others to grow thick skin, the anti-PC crowd is itself quite thin-skinned. What are they afraid of?
Is it really the threat to their free speech? Or is it the threat that their opinions might be challenged?
If you dish it, expect blow-back. This is healthy. This is natural. And this is America.