Do you think cotillion is racist?

[Anonymous]

My three kids went to Cotillion. Most of our friends sent their kids also. It is a good way to learn etiquette, which I still believe in. It is also a good way to get kids, mixing and talking, basically interacting without their phones.

[Anonymous]

Next thing, you will want to cancel a debutante ball and quincineras!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes or no? Do you think people who send their kids are racist?

Hell no it’s not any of this. Focus on something more productive OP. Is a country club racist? Just stop. Same difference.

[Anonymous]

No, they were very welcoming to my Jewish child and wanted me to help recruit more kids from the Jewish day school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. OP here. I sent my kids. My oldest actually really enjoyed it. My youngest is doing it a little begrudgingly.

I really just sent them to learn how to handle themselves publicly and not stress when they sit down to a place setting with multiple spoons and forks. (That’s one example of why.) I felt like such an idiot the first time I had to attend formal dinners. Or having to greet adults.

I never had exposure to those things growing up but now I do.

But I was also listening to a podcast tonight coincidentally about how etiquette classes are racist. So thought I’d ask the community their opinion.

What was the podcast’s reasoning?
People teach etiquette at home. I don’t think outsourcing it makes it racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not racist, but it's...something.

It's old fashioned for sure. But I don't think teaching kids formal manners is racist, classist, or misogynistic. There's a great quote from a Brendan Fraser '90's movie - Manners are what we do to make other people comfortable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not racist, but it's...something.

It's old fashioned for sure. But I don't think teaching kids formal manners is racist, classist, or misogynistic. There's a great quote from a Brendan Fraser '90's movie - Manners are what we do to make other people comfortable.

Cotillion isn’t just about knives and forks 🙄

[Anonymous]

I don't know enough about cotillion to say if it's racist, but I can sure say a lot of the responses on this thread are. Wow.

[Anonymous]

https://www.mncppc.org/2393/Teen-Cotillion-Program

PG County’s cotillion program is far better than the cotillion I attended for private school kids in Georgetown when I was in 8th grade.

Get out of your bubble, op. Cotillion isn’t just for white people. If your bubble is white, then that’s a choice you made.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you must have a chip on your shoulders, sure, I guess. Just like anything can be twisted to be racist or classist or whatever. If you want to ban cotillons, you might as well get rid of Jack and Jill. The black communities have their own forms of classism and racism too.

If you're normal, it's just something some people like to do. Let and live.

Wait -- what's Jack and Jill? I'm from the Midwest, I don't understand any of this.

[Anonymous]

I'm not white, but I would like to send my kids to junior cotillion just to learn proper manners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. OP here. I sent my kids. My oldest actually really enjoyed it. My youngest is doing it a little begrudgingly.

I really just sent them to learn how to handle themselves publicly and not stress when they sit down to a place setting with multiple spoons and forks. (That’s one example of why.) I felt like such an idiot the first time I had to attend formal dinners. Or having to greet adults.

I never had exposure to those things growing up but now I do.

But I was also listening to a podcast tonight coincidentally about how etiquette classes are racist. So thought I’d ask the community their opinion.

Why wouldn't you just teach them at home?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://www.mncppc.org/2393/Teen-Cotillion-Program

PG County’s cotillion program is far better than the cotillion I attended for private school kids in Georgetown when I was in 8th grade.

Get out of your bubble, op. Cotillion isn’t just for white people. If your bubble is white, then that’s a choice you made.

That looks like a great program!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you must have a chip on your shoulders, sure, I guess. Just like anything can be twisted to be racist or classist or whatever. If you want to ban cotillons, you might as well get rid of Jack and Jill. The black communities have their own forms of classism and racism too.

If you're normal, it's just something some people like to do. Let and live.

Wait -- what's Jack and Jill? I'm from the Midwest, I don't understand any of this.

It’s not that you’re from the Midwest, because J&J is in the Midwest too. It’s just that you don’t know any UMC Black people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Interesting. OP here. I sent my kids. My oldest actually really enjoyed it. My youngest is doing it a little begrudgingly.

I really just sent them to learn how to handle themselves publicly and not stress when they sit down to a place setting with multiple spoons and forks. (That’s one example of why.) I felt like such an idiot the first time I had to attend formal dinners. Or having to greet adults.

I never had exposure to those things growing up but now I do.

But I was also listening to a podcast tonight coincidentally about how etiquette classes are racist. So thought I’d ask the community their opinion.

What was the podcast’s reasoning?
People teach etiquette at home. I don’t think outsourcing it makes it racist.

Too much to type. I’m not saying I agree, I was just interested in this as a topic of discussion - to understand the perspectives of others.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-can-do-hard-things-with-glennon-doyle/id1564530722?i=1000605103836