So let me get this straight.

In order to protect minority latino students from being subjected to the ORDEAL of others celebrating their culture, the school is punishing the minority latino students who threw a party celebrating their own culture?

Something like that!

I have many French friends. They are not insulted when someone puts an Eiffel tower on a cake...or wears a beret...though anyone who has been to France gets that the only "people" wearing berets are made of styrofoam and in tourist shops.

Everyone is guilty. I may as well confess now. I celebrated all manner of Japanese culture and appropriated one of their women.

If you don't celebrate with them, you're guilty of insensitivity by ignoring them. And missing out on a good party. What is wrong with these puritans who run around taking offence where none was intended?

appropriated one of their women.

Congratulations!

Confession: I eat sushi.

Let's put it out there now. In about 2 weeks I will likely be wearing a leprechaun hat and eating corned beef and cabbage. Will I be mocking the Irish, or will I be celebrating the culture?

I am 1/4 Irish.

From the quote: Partygoers ultimately were reprimanded or placed on "social probation," and the hosts have been kicked out of their dorm, according to friends.

The hosts have been kicked out of their dorm. And somebody thinks this was okay. All this shows you, and the only thing it shows you, is that there are people in this world whose mission in life is to punish others. It never occurs to them that they might someday be judged by their own standards. It's probably too late for some of them, but for others it would be an act of mercy to ridicule them early and often.

College administrators sent multiple schoolwide emails notifying the students about an "investigation" into a possible "act of ethnic stereotyping."

This is getting ridiculous.

Is using chopsticks to eat Asian food "ethnic stereotyping?"

What about when one of my Asian coworkers uses a fork to eat American food? Should I be offended? Should I report her to HR?

I had a Mexican coworker who joked when shown another coworker's new Ford Expedition that in Mexico he could fit 4-5 families in there. Should I have reported him to HR?

I had a Colombian coworker who died her hair blonde. Should I have reported her to HR?

I had a black South African immigrant coworker who introduced a white South African immigrant friend of his as a fellow African-American. Should I have censured him?

Let's put it out there now. In about 2 weeks I will likely be wearing a leprechaun hat and eating corned beef and cabbage. Will I be mocking the Irish, or will I be celebrating the culture? ~ Posted by: Goo at March 4, 2016 8:42 AM

You will not be celebrating Irish culture.

Corned Beef and Cabbage is not a traditional Irish dish. The leprechaun hat is a mockery of Irish folklore.

Who cares?

Wear the hat and eat to your content. It's the silliness of a non-holiday celebration. Watch Darby O'Gill and the Little People or The Quiet Man.

Who cares. Ireland and the Irish will survive your drunken pantomime.

I am 1/4 Irish. ~ Posted by: Goo at March 4, 2016 8:42 AM

I'm slightly more than half Irish. My mother's side was full [Chicago] Irish and my father's side had a drop or two of Scotch-Irish. My maternal great grandparents were born in County Limerick.

My grandmother was a huge Notre Dame football fan who though Dan Devine walked on water and the green jerseys were sanctified by God. She talked like you'd expect a stereotypical Irish grandmother to talk.

My grandparents loved Chicago's St. Paddy's (not Patty's) Day Parade and festivities and embraced and laughed at/with the ridiculous stereotypes.

Unfortunately, not a new thing. Many moons ago (1998 ish), my fraternity attempted to throw a cinco de mayo party... Members of the mexican heritage club on campus evidently took exception to this and filed a complaint to block the party on the grounds of it being insulting to them. The school sided with the idiots, despite arguments from several of our many latino brothers, and threatened us with revocation of our campus charter. Naturally, the event was changed to a "May 5th Party" with much agave-based liquor and round-brimmed sun hats.

My white suburban teenager daughter and son like hip-hop. I sure as hell didn't raise them to be cultural appropriators, and told 'em when they're arrested or expelled they're on their own. They should stick to purely white music, like jazz* or rock 'n' roll*.

*I get the irony that many white people became rich and famous while their forebears / influencers did not.

"Act of ethnic stereotyping"? An college official said that? A real one, not a character played by John Cleese or Eric Idle?

Life imitates Monty Python, I guess. Bowdoin College, I fart in your general direction.

Excuse the typo, should be a college official.

Old RPM Daddy: "All this shows you, and the only thing it shows you, is that there are people in this world whose mission in life is to punish others."

That's what I'm thinking too - that this is all perpetrated by people who get pleasure from causing misery to others. It seems like wherever you go there are people who just can't stand the idea of other people doing what they want and enjoying their lives.

appropriated one of their women.

Congratulations!

Confession: I eat sushi.

You know Amy, eating sushi in the context of appropriating women is appropriating lesbianism.

On a completely serious note however, isnt the entire basis of america culture the appropriation of the best part of every culture of every person who wants to be an american?

My white suburban teenager daughter and son like hip-hop. ~ Posted by: DaveG at March 4, 2016 9:31 AM

Without white suburban teenagers, hip-hop would still be a ghetto street music niche, instead of a multi-billion dollar a year industry.

I am outraged.

So maybe one of those academics might want to read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero

The Spanish developed a flat-topped sombrero, which they brought to Mexico. It was modified by the vaquero into the round-crowned Mexican sombrero and poblano.[3] Although "sombrero" is usually taken to refer to the traditional Mexican headwear, the term "sombrero" predates this item of clothing, and is and has been applied to several differing styles of hat. Other types of hats known as "sombrero" can be found in South America and Spain, including the sombrero calañés, sombrero cordobés and sombrero de catite (Spain), sombrero vueltiao (Colombia).

So the Spanish introduced a hat, well, to the world. It's been modified for local conditions, tastes and customs. Who knew?

I live in Florida, I wear a boonie hat. A flat topped hat with a wide brim. Or, a sombrero. None of y'all passed out from shock or horror that I would culturally appropriate?

"On a completely serious note however, isnt the entire basis of america culture the appropriation of the best part of every culture of every person who wants to be an american?"

DingDingDingDing!

Exactly. And that's what these people are determined to stop.

Americans are horrible people who come to the aid of everybody they are descended from, and it's just mean to show off like that. If they can be perpetually set against one another, then the USA won't be able to do that any more.

Mark D: "appropriated one of their women."

Hey, as long as you appropriated her with her permission . . .

and, if that is the case; are you sure that it wasn't her appropriating you?

Are tiny American flags racist too now?

I am now suitably armed with a supply of (local microbrew) red ale. And anyone who has seen me will attest that I am 0% Irish.

I guess the Mexicans themselves are racist, as at the 2015 Mexican Grand Prix, the first in 25 years, the winner and the other podium finishers wore gigantic Pirelli sombreros on the podium. At the US Grand Prix in Austin they wore Stetsons and at the Russian Grand Prix they wore Russian fur hats. Racist bastards all.

http://www.autonewsinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/F1-2015-MEXICO-NICO-ROSBERG-Un-mexicain-au-sombrero-600x400.jpg

> I am outraged.

Yeah, listen, totally sorry to be late with this, but I wanted to express sympathies with Gog in this difficult time.

Hang in there, ya big lug.

@ Crid LOL!

Wow. Bette Midler. I haven't thought about her since Duran Duran declared their own musical supremacy over the Beatles.