Yale professor says offensive Halloween costumes are ok, students protest

[Morphine Prince 109,890]

Hundreds marched across Yale University Monday to protest alleged racial insensitivity on campus, continuing a week of fierce tensions over the school’s Halloween letter encouraging students avoid offensive costumes — and one of its professor’s counter email defending “provocative” and “inappropriate” getups.

The 1,000-demonstrator strong “March of Resilience” followed several racially charged incidents at Yale, including allegations that a fraternity turned away minority students from a “white girls only” Halloween party and video of an impassioned student screaming, “Who the f--k hired you?” at a professor over their disagreement.

“The protests are not really about Halloween costumes or a frat party. They’re about a mismatch between the Yale we find in admissions brochures and the Yale we experience every day,” senior Aaron Lewis wrote in a Medium post.“The university sells itself as a welcoming and inclusive place for people of all backgrounds. Unfortunately, it often isn’t.”

The Ivy League tensions began boiling over with an Oct. 28 email from Yale Dean Burgwell Howard and Yale’s Intercultural Affairs Committee. The note encouraged students to avoid any costume that “disrespects, alienates or ridicules segments of our population based on race, nationality, religious belief or gender expression.” That includes headdresses, turbans and blackface.

That email rubbed at least one Yale staffer the wrong way.

Erika Christakis — an early childhood education researcher who oversees Yale’s Silliman residential community with her sociologist husband, Nicholas —wrote an email to her residents-xplaining why “offensive” costumes might be okay.

“Free speech and the ability to tolerate offence are the hallmarks of a free and open society,” she wrote as she remembered a conversation with her husband. “Nicholas says, if you don’t like a costume someone is wearing, look away, or tell them you are offended. Talk to each other.”

Christakis asked if a “blonde-haired child’s wanting to be Mulan for a day” was offensive and questioned if a student could dress as “Tiana the Frog Princess if you aren’t a black girl from New Orleans.”

About 1,000 people marched across the New Haven campus Monday.

“Is it okay if you are eight, but not 18?” she asked. “I wonder, and I am not trying to be provocative: Is there no room anymore for a child or young person to be a little bit obnoxious ... a little bit inappropriate or provocative or, yes, offensive?”

Christakis’ email fueled the mounting tensions and divided the school between those who claim freedom of speech trumps sensitivity and others who believe the campus should be a safe, inclusive space.

One student lashed out at Christakis’ husband, the “Master” of Silliman, when he tried to address his residents on campus.

“It is your job to create a place of comfort and home for the students that live in Silliman,” the woman screamed as another student recorded video of the tense standoff. “Do you understand that?”

When Nicholas Christakis tried to answer, the student snapped, ”Be quiet!”

“Why the f--k did you accept the position? Who the f--k hired you?” she yelled “Step down! If that is what you think about being a Master, then you should step down. It is not about creating an intellectual space! It is not! Do you understand that? It’s about creating a home here! You are not doing that. You’re going against that.”

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/yale-protests-racial-insensitivity-escalate-article-1.2429063

[Voltaire 4,531]

It's unfortunate that this mob of students has allowed themselves to froth at the mouth so heavily that they forget what they are trying to throw overboard: freedom, differences, openness, discourse, and the ability to disagree.

I have never seen a people work so hard to be censor themselves and others since the Church.

[Rolodex of Hate 1,761]

I agree that political correctness has been taken way too far. I really think that common sense is the best way to judge if something will be offensive or not :shrug: But I agree that it isn't offensive for a child to dress as someone like Mulan even if they aren't of the same race, but if they're deliberately RIDICULING other races, then that again is unacceptable, but these boundaries need to be determined by common sense :yes:

[Luiz 4,253]

was waiting for this to pop up on here  

where's the thread about missouri tho 

 

chick at the end loses it 

[Morphine Prince 109,890]

41 minutes ago, Luiz said:

was waiting for this to pop up on here  

where's the thread about missouri tho 

 

chick at the end loses it 

I was gonna make the Missouri one but then this one popped up and  I didn't want to be reductive. 

[AJH219 4,448]

"...if you don’t like a costume someone is wearing, look away, or tell them you are offended. Talk to each other.”

She didn't lie though? As an aspiring college professor, this kind of behavior very much concerns me. Where does the sensitivity stop? If it isn't Halloween costumes, it'll be history lessons, particular pieces of literature (which is my area of expertise), and soon the very essence of higher education is shattered. When did we, as a generation, become so hellbent on running away from the harshness of life? When did we adopt a mindset that any point of view different than our own is wrong, immoral, or gosh forbid one of the "isms"? I know these opinions are probably controversial, and I accept that; but I just don't understand why everything in today's world has to be so "safe". 

[Supersonic 49,376]

Well if y'all get so offended about people being reasonable, Imm start posting white people jokes again and see when the same people that constantly whine over political correctness start accusing me of being a super duper mega mean racist and hurting their booboo feelings again.

[shane_c 480]

The Missouri professor that tried to stop journalists from covering the protests teaches a Lady Gaga course.  Its all over the news. Promo. 

[Dayman 6,252]

“Free speech and the ability to tolerate offence are the hallmarks of a free and open society,” she wrote as she remembered a conversation with her husband. “Nicholas says, if you don’t like a costume someone is wearing, look away, or tell them you are offended. Talk to each other.”

Christakis asked if a “blonde-haired child’s wanting to be Mulan for a day” was offensive and questioned if a student could dress as “Tiana the Frog Princess if you aren’t a black girl from New Orleans.”

“Is it okay if you are eight, but not 18?” she asked. “I wonder, and I am not trying to be provocative: Is there no room anymore for a child or young person to be a little bit obnoxious ... a little bit inappropriate or provocative or, yes, offensive?”

 

So she spoke reasonably about the subject and is being demonized for it? She even says to talk to someone about their costume if it might offend you and actually talk about it to the person. Like if a white girl wears a Kimono, not even just as a costume lets say in this instance - it's not like they ripped it off a Japanese womans body leaving her naked in the street, so why act like whats happening? The whole cultural appropriation movement is overblown. It's good to be aware about what could potentially cross the line, but being so unwaveringly strict about it is just as bad. You can't force change over night, it takes time. In time though the over bearing supporters will mellow out and the people who couldn't care less about it before will maybe care somewhat. Right now everything is insane, but it will be even and reasonable in the future at least. [Hopefully]

[Logan. 52]

These people need to smoke more weed so they can stop worrying about things that don't really matter

[Dayman 6,252]

2 hours ago, Morphine Prince said:

3 hours ago, Luiz said:

was waiting for this to pop up on here  

where's the thread about missouri tho 

 

chick at the end loses it 

I was gonna make the Missouri one but then this one popped up and  I didn't want to be reductive. 

They should title the video "Yale Students Whine and Moan Because They Can't Handle Real World"

[TiphEret 1,320]

I can see what both sides are coming at, for sure you don't want a Halloween "Dear White People" situation but it is true that dressing up as another culture isn't automatically racists, so it's up to use your brain and see if what you are doing is racist or not. I would also hope as the teacher point out that it could raise discussion but let's be honest in such party if alcohol is involved students aren't going to get into a rational debate...