Students at the University of Colorado at Boulder have been told this year that some standard costumes are now deemed “offensive” and are unacceptable. This includes costumes as cowboys, indians and anything involving a sombrero. Once again, I am concerned that these rules based on tolerance values are intruding into the speech rights of students and wrongly assumes that all such outfits are derogatory to a particular race or culture.
There is no explanation why dressing as a cowboy is now offensive. However, I also fail to see how the university can declare outfits as indians or including sombreros are now deemed to be offensive. Both are part of a shared history in this country. I have had kids who dressed as little indians for Halloween. My kids love the Indian culture and wanted to engage in harmless play acting.
Why not prohibit Viking outfits as offensive to those of Norse bloodlines or animal outfits as objectifying wild animals for sensitive environmentalists?
Also declared unacceptable are any outfits depicting “white trash” or “over-sexualized” outfits like dressing as a geisha. There remains a part of university faculties and student bodies who insist on shaping conduct and choices of students according to their notion of ideal behavior. It becomes a slippery slope as any objection from any student or professor is deemed sufficient to show it is indeed offensive. The student code includes this provision:
Abusive Conduct. Unwelcome conduct by an individual(s) that is sufficiently severe or pervasive that it alters the conditions of education or employment and creates an environment that a reasonable person would find intimidating, hostile or offensive. The determination of whether an environment is “hostile” must be based on all of the circumstances. These circumstances could include the frequency of the conduct, its severity, and whether it is threatening or humiliating. Simple teasing, offhand comments and isolated incidents (unless extremely serious) will not amount to abusive conduct.
If someone now holds a Cowboy and Indian themed Halloween party, would’t it be viewed as offensive to a reasonable person in light of the university warning? After all, the code lists a premeditated act as an aggravator for discipline:
“Aggravating Factor. Any circumstances accompanying the commission of misconduct that adds to its seriousness. Examples may include the use of violence or force, violation of a trust or duty, premeditation of an incident, the existence of a previous conduct violation, and elements of hate and bias.”
My point is that there is a value to allowing people to express themselves and to accept that we live in a society of different views and values. The alternative is the slippery slope displayed in Colorado as we add more and more things deemed offensive until we are left with princess outfits (subject to objections that they foster female stereotypes) and ghost outfits (subject to those who view it as an insult to religious sensibilities).
Christina Gonzales, the dean of students, is not saying that students will be charged with improper conduct. However, if the school deems such outfits to be offensive, it is hard to see how the students are expected to know where the line is drawn.
I understand her warning that “Making the choice to dress up as someone from another culture, either with the intention of being humorous or without the intention of being disrespectful, can lead to inaccurate and hurtful portrayals of other people’s cultures.” Here is the original letter which raises valid points for students to consider.
I can understand the warning but the scope of what is deemed offensive is troubling in my view. While this letter does not suggest disciplinary action, my concern is the direction of such standards given the equally broad standards for disciplinary action for hostile, disrespectful, or insensitive speech on some campuses.
The warning includes “negative representations of cultures as being associated with poverty (“ghetto” or “white trash/hillbilly”), crime or sex work” is not acceptable. One spokesman said cowboy costumes are one such example that constitutes a “crude stereotype.” It reflects the same concern that I have previously addressed in the loss of free speech rights in the name of tolerance and pluralism.
The objections to all Native American costumes appear to have reached retailers. One leading costume site adds the following statement to its costumes:
I understand that many may disagree with my concerns on this story and, again, I understand that the university is trying to encourage more respectful outfits on campus. I agree with that warning. However, if outfits like Indians and cowboys are considered offensive, should they be subject to the enforcement of the student code for offensive conduct?
Source: Yahoo
“University of Colorado-Boulder Tells Students Not To Dress As Cowboys, Indians, or Other “Offensive” Outfits” – JT
Good, I can’t stand “other” offensive outfits.
Betcha anything the letter writer regrets the example of a cowboy as a stereotype. But it did serve up a nice juicy headline doesn’t it?
Hopefully, Boulder is full of critical thinkers and “gets” the point of the letter. Or are we all now in favor of bringing back minstrel shows and Goldman Sachs throwing more “homeless” parties? Remember that one? But it IS a class act when the costume includes a leaf-blower, isn’t it. Let’s all sit around and laugh at what a great costume that is, huh.
SWM, Thanks for the other side of the story. What do you think?
College kids will put up with anything as long as they have their computers.
Someone take some photos of Dean Gonzales in her Sunday best. Then duplicate the outfit. Have the boys of the Boulder Tribe wear the outfit and affront gays. Then she can not sanction anyone for offending gays because they dress just like her. Then, if she is married take photo of usbandHay (pig latin) and imitate him. You kids out there in Boulder have to stand up and be tough. Next thing she will do is take away your football team. Then your debate team. Then your team of horses.
As long as he doesn’t shoot @ Chief Wahoo.
My husband dresses like a cowboy all the time because he was, for several years, an actual cowboy on a horse herding cattle. I wonder if I should suggest he’s dressing insensitively when he goes to a Cleveland Indians game.
(Hopefully someone will catch the deep sarcasm in that remark)
Although I deplore this infringement on the First Amendment, it’s good to see white trash entering the protected classes. Pretty soon we’ll be a joyless, humorless, culture, but Sensitive…we will be sensitive. Sounds like a great plan. Wasn’t this the message in Invasion of the Body Snatchers? I was a hobo about 7 years for Halloween . How do I repent, I have hobo guilt.
THIS is PURE B.S……………….
randyjet – There is not one single US military action since World War II that has been undertaken to “to preserve protect and defend the Constitution of the US”. Every military action since then has simply aggrandized US power and expanded the country’s imperialism. Further, US wars have absolutely nothing to do with the subject of this post. Stop being naive and self-congratulatory.
The Dean’s name is Christina Gonzales. Perhaps she should change her name to something more American. Lady Gaga would be good. And no hats at graduation, someone might think you are imitating Catholics. And no mascots for your sports teams. And no dogs on a leash.
The May Day Tribe needs to show up at the Dean’s Office and Occupy Deans Office USA. The May Day Tribe, if anyone can recall since there is no history preserved in this country, was a group of protesters who invaded Washington DC on May Day in 1971 and as a Tribe told the government to shut down the war in Vietnam or we would shut down the government. So we shut down the government. I am a proud member of the May Day Tribe and if I was in Colorado I would call for the ouster of this University President.
You kids these days eat way too much apCray and cannot stand up for your rights. A collection of costume wear at once would be appropriate: headdress, ankle shackle for slave, cowboy boots, lariot, rope, bows and arrows, bare chested women, Gypsy babies with their hands out. The whole gamut. Do exactly what the Dean says that you cannot do. She needs to go back to teaching kindergarten in East Germany.
Back in 1992 an artist named Christo placed thousands of huge umbrellas along the ‘grapevine’ or highway into Los Angeles. He did this in Japan as well, at the same time. Unfortunately there were two deaths, one in Japan and one on the grapevine when a strong gust of wind blew an umbrella onto a woman and she died.
At a Halloween party a few days after a young graduate student of architecture came dressed as a woman with the remains of an umbrella wrapped around him.
The question is, does one enjoy these dark expressions or does one ban every move that might offend someone, even when they are not there.
The human condition is so full of flaws and has been slowly evolving to work the more destructive of these flaws out of its system. However, as great comedians such as Mel Brooks have taught us, we need to laugh at ourselves occasionally. What would life be like if we lived it without any humor, any reverence to past myths, any daydreams, any wonderment at all? The recent arguments involving the Washington Redskins and other disputable positions regarding supposed slurs should be enough, along with this article, to make us stop and think if we really need to eradicate our history or can we laugh at ourselves like Mel Brooks, Jew, who fought in WW2, and made jokes all along the way.
I am deeply offended by this letter. So that means that the writer should take my feelings into account and retract this letter. I am a veteran who served in wartime to preserve protect and defend the Constitution of the US which includes the First Amendment and just because it says Congress cannot pass laws against free speech, free press, and religion, does NOT give her the right to void it by administrative fiat. The Constitution does not say that you have the right to not be offended by some speech or action. If she is to be taken seriously, then she should recant her letter since it deeply offends me and others to live up to her stance that offense should never be allowed on campus. So by her own standards, she is guilty of what she inveighs against.
Mel…what a bunch of junk. When an authoritative source sends out “a gently worded letter” cautioning you to be “sensitive,” it’s not a suggestion. I’ll guarantee any next infraction post-facto will result in some stupid punishment that Jonathan will then report on how stupid political correctness is….especially due to this stupid letter.
I am a cowboy, raised and spent many years on a ranch in Montana, I dress often like a cowboy, I enjoy it, I will continue to dress like a cowboy if I want and I don’t give a diddly damn who it offends. If we run and hide from everyone who cries they are offended, my God man we may as well all lock ourselves in a closet. We have mute buttons and channel changers on our TV remotes, you don’t have to go to a movie or a church if it offends you, we can change channels or listen to our own music on our Ipods, and we have necks and eyes that can turn and look the other way. How about you PC’ers giving the rest of us who are more tolerant a break and lay off the moaning and groaning. Let people be people. You can always move to Russia if you’re looking for someplace with stricter laws laid down by the “ruling class.”
“According to Gonzales, CU students have chosen costumes that “included blackface or sombreros/serapes,” overly sexualized “geishas,” “squaws” and stereotypes such as cowboys and Indians. They have also hosted “offensively-themed parties,” including “ghetto,” “white trash/hillbilly” and “sex work.”
The parties, she wrote, “reinforce negative representations of cultures as being associated with poverty.”
Last year, a Penn State sorority was put on probation after throwing a Mexican-themed party where guests dressed up in sombreros, mustaches and ponchos.
“How any constituent groups or individuals in the University could behave with such insensitivity or unawareness is a question we must both ask and answer,” Penn State President Rodney Erickson wrote in an open letter to the Penn State community. ” Yahoo news. I think one has to understand the culture in which this going on. A lot of bros from Dallas go to UC Boulder. There is a well known nearly all white high school in Dallas where they celebrate “thug day” and “fiesta day”. The students come dressed in black face and wearing sombreros. Some have been known to carry lawn blowers to mock the Mexican workers that care for their lawns.
Jonathan, if you read the original document, there’s nothing in there that says such costumes are unacceptable. It’s actually quite a gently worded letter asking students to be sensitive and consider the effect when choosing costumes that may reflect offensive stereotypes.
Which I think is a reasonable request.
Fox News–which I note was quoted in the article you referenced–has blown it all out of proportion and made inaccurate statements about it.
You can read the original letter here: http://media.salon.com/2013/10/Screen-Shot-2013-10-24-at-4.09.22-PM.png
Not everything is an assault on free speech.
I think it’s very important, when passing on stories of this nature, to reference original sources rather than secondhand “news” reports about them.
The University of Minnesota is doing the same thing. True progressives and lovers of the First Amendment, there is a PC war, and the universities are leading the way! Orwell is crying.
“….elements of hate and bias”
Why didn’t they mention military uniforms? Talk about controversial…..
It seems to me it is offensive to assume that these types of costumes are automatically racist or offensive.