Colleges tell students to ask faculty if their Halloween costumes are offensive or not

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know it goes more than that. The policing never stops. Sombrero hats are off limits? A Japanese person actually wearing a japanese outfit is off limits. No one is talking about black face here. Cultural appropriation has extended to everything. Anything can be worthy of an offense.

Yes it is nonsense, and you are probably part of the problem.

Is somebody getting arrested for wearing a sombrero?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would an article detailing the exact same thing from the New York Times be more legit? Pc culture is absolute nonsense.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/10/31/us/cultural-appropriation-halloween-costumes.html?smid=tw-share&referer=https://t.co/Q4bWszND3O

Yes, an article from the New York Times is more legit.

What does this article say? It says that lots of people are worrying about cultural appropriation. If you don't want to worry about cultural appropriation -- good news! you don't have to! If you want to go in blackface as Kanye West, go right ahead. There will be people who are upset about this, but you don't need to worry about their opinions, because you already know that "PC culture" is nonsense.

OP here. Who cares which paper it's in? It's not a matter of worrying; it's the fact that so many busybodies thrive on telling others how to live and careers and reputations can be ruined over perceived slights. And the fact that there are countless well paid college administrators being paid to micromanage and police what consenting adults do outside the classroom on their own time. Is this kind of coddling *really* preparing students for the real world? There's a fine line between colleges teaching youth how to be good citizens and the crap we have here where people are all but told what to think.

We're heading down a slippery slope as far as free speech and the nature of "tolerance" in America and the West. Who would have imagined 20-30 years ago that people could make a career out of being offended for other people and printing out leaflets about "appropriate" attire at off campus house parties?

Just some food for thought next time you write Larla's tuition check or bitch about the ballooning coast of education....cause of useless staff like these people at Wesleyan and SUNY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know it goes more than that. The policing never stops. Sombrero hats are off limits? A Japanese person actually wearing a japanese outfit is off limits. No one is talking about black face here. Cultural appropriation has extended to everything. Anything can be worthy of an offense.

Yes it is nonsense, and you are probably part of the problem.

Is somebody getting arrested for wearing a sombrero?

No but the insufferable complaining about nothing and guilty white people getting offended for other people is an utter waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
OP here. Who cares which paper it's in? It's not a matter of worrying; it's the fact that so many busybodies thrive on telling others how to live and careers and reputations can be ruined over perceived slights. And the fact that there are countless well paid college administrators being paid to micromanage and police what consenting adults do outside the classroom on their own time. Is this kind of coddling *really* preparing students for the real world? There's a fine line between colleges teaching youth how to be good citizens and the crap we have here where people are all but told what to think.

We're heading down a slippery slope as far as free speech and the nature of "tolerance" in America and the West. Who would have imagined 20-30 years ago that people could make a career out of being offended for other people and printing out leaflets about "appropriate" attire at off campus house parties?

Just some food for thought next time you write Larla's tuition check or bitch about the ballooning coast of education....cause of useless staff like these people at Wesleyan and SUNY.

Evidently plenty of people care about which paper it's in. And with reason, given that some papers have a reasonably good (though not perfect) reputation for reporting facts that are accurate, while other papers don't.

As for people supposedly making a career out of being offended -- people make very good livings off all kinds of things I find ludicrous. Advising companies about how to get federal contracts, for example. Trying to improve the reputations of companies that jack up the prices of generic medications because they can. Life coaching and potty training consulting. I'm not going to get upset about one more ludicrous way to pay the bills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You know it goes more than that. The policing never stops. Sombrero hats are off limits? A Japanese person actually wearing a japanese outfit is off limits. No one is talking about black face here. Cultural appropriation has extended to everything. Anything can be worthy of an offense.

Yes it is nonsense, and you are probably part of the problem.

Is somebody getting arrested for wearing a sombrero?

No but the insufferable complaining about nothing and guilty white people getting offended for other people is an utter waste of time.

Are you doing the complaining? If so, and you think it's a waste of time, then stop doing it. If not, it's not your time being wasted, it's somebody else's, and everybody gets to decide for themselves what to waste their time on.

[Anonymous]

My friend who is a geisha actually went as a geisha for Halloween. I like to see people scream cultural appropriation at her. It's reached levels of stupidity. When Japanese people tell these whiners they don't mind and these people are offended on their behalf anyway is plain stupidity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP here. Who cares which paper it's in? It's not a matter of worrying; it's the fact that so many busybodies thrive on telling others how to live and careers and reputations can be ruined over perceived slights. And the fact that there are countless well paid college administrators being paid to micromanage and police what consenting adults do outside the classroom on their own time. Is this kind of coddling *really* preparing students for the real world? There's a fine line between colleges teaching youth how to be good citizens and the crap we have here where people are all but told what to think.

We're heading down a slippery slope as far as free speech and the nature of "tolerance" in America and the West. Who would have imagined 20-30 years ago that people could make a career out of being offended for other people and printing out leaflets about "appropriate" attire at off campus house parties?

Just some food for thought next time you write Larla's tuition check or bitch about the ballooning coast of education....cause of useless staff like these people at Wesleyan and SUNY.

Evidently plenty of people care about which paper it's in. And with reason, given that some papers have a reasonably good (though not perfect) reputation for reporting facts that are accurate, while other papers don't.

As for people supposedly making a career out of being offended -- people make very good livings off all kinds of things I find ludicrous. Advising companies about how to get federal contracts, for example. Trying to improve the reputations of companies that jack up the prices of generic medications because they can. Life coaching and potty training consulting. I'm not going to get upset about one more ludicrous way to pay the bills.

Even if these people have the power to write students and faculty up for BS "infractions" and draft constitutionally dubious speech codes? None of the people you described are in a position to educate people or shape young minds. Apples and oranges.

I was just reading about some circus at my alma mater (Dickinson) because of costumes and a theme party that bothered some people cause of sombreros and such...nothing dreadful. The diversity life director went on the record saying "there's no such thing as a good theme party" and called for more sensitivity training and restrictions on parties. The college President is considering banning YikYak from campus internet because people are getting their feelings hurt on online message boards.

Colleges censoring the internet and restricting parties doesn't bother you? For real? These snowflakes are going to be fucking toast once they leave their bubble and get a job in the real world.

[Anonymous]

Or maybe they will shape a more thoughtful, less offensive "real world". After all, the social consciousness of each generation does its part to shape the environment in our society. Who knows how things will really change and unfold. Should be interesting to see, in any case....

[Anonymous]

The level of censorship and prior restraint at today's colleges is so bad that even Chris Rock and Seinfeld don't tour them any more.

Closing kids' minds to "potentially offensive" speech and ideas is no way to teach them how to live in a free society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Or maybe they will shape a more thoughtful, less offensive "real world". After all, the social consciousness of each generation does its part to shape the environment in our society. Who knows how things will really change and unfold. Should be interesting to see, in any case....

Sombreros and geishas and Pocahontas are offensive to you? I'm not going to pretend our society is perfect but there seems to be a sizable, extremely vocal minority who will always be offended or play victim whenever it suits them. I respect their right to free speech but they clearly don't respect mine. Why let them have the upper hand?

If these "ideas" were a religion it would be mocked to no end and its members are ostracized. Instead we have to worship at the altar of PC and anyone who disagrees with stupid shit that most normal people don't care about, like costumes, microaggressions etc. are bullied or browbeaten.

Sorry, this isn't progress.

[Anonymous]

Kylie didn't get the memo: http://hollywoodlife.com/2015/10/31/kylie-jenner-eskimo-halloween-costume-party-pic-video/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
OP here. Who cares which paper it's in? It's not a matter of worrying; it's the fact that so many busybodies thrive on telling others how to live and careers and reputations can be ruined over perceived slights. And the fact that there are countless well paid college administrators being paid to micromanage and police what consenting adults do outside the classroom on their own time. Is this kind of coddling *really* preparing students for the real world? There's a fine line between colleges teaching youth how to be good citizens and the crap we have here where people are all but told what to think.

We're heading down a slippery slope as far as free speech and the nature of "tolerance" in America and the West. Who would have imagined 20-30 years ago that people could make a career out of being offended for other people and printing out leaflets about "appropriate" attire at off campus house parties?

Just some food for thought next time you write Larla's tuition check or bitch about the ballooning coast of education....cause of useless staff like these people at Wesleyan and SUNY.

Evidently plenty of people care about which paper it's in. And with reason, given that some papers have a reasonably good (though not perfect) reputation for reporting facts that are accurate, while other papers don't.

Is that you, Judith Miller?

As for people supposedly making a career out of being offended -- people make very good livings off all kinds of things I find ludicrous. Advising companies about how to get federal contracts, for example. Trying to improve the reputations of companies that jack up the prices of generic medications because they can. Life coaching and potty training consulting. I'm not going to get upset about one more ludicrous way to pay the bills.

[Anonymous]

Isn’t college a place where our teenagers become young adults and learn to think for themselves???
How will these graduates ever survive in the real world if they have to “check in” with a college professor to “get permission?”
Ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t college a place where our teenagers become young adults and learn to think for themselves???
How will these graduates ever survive in the real world if they have to “check in” with a college professor to “get permission?”
Ridiculous.

They won't survive, but their alma mater will be $200k richer!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wearing a black belt if you are not a black belt master was also off limits. Just ban everything. tons of people love Kung fu and anime culture. Next thing Cosplay will also be cultural appropriation.

The reason the nytimes had to write an article on it and thankfully most of be commentators on the article agree is that he policing has gone way too far. It's not just about "black face"

You can thank today's PC feel good mantra of feelings trumping reason/"I think or feel this way, therefore it must be true" that's status quo in academia and among many millennials I know. Someone can claim they're offended for an infinite number of reasons, legit or BS, and no one dares argue with them. Cause if you do, that would be racist! Or sexist, cis or whatever the victim catch word du jour is. That's why scum of the earth rap is considered "art" and girls who make false rape claims get academic credit for dragging mattresses across campuses.

All feelings matter, doncha know?!