Ken Berwitz
As regular readers know, I have, for years, blogged a series under the title “Real Racism”, which shows instances of overt hate speech and discrimination based on people\’s race, religion and/or nationality.
More recently, I have blogged about “Unreal Racism” as well – i.e. instances where racism is found where none exists or is intended.
Looking at college campuses, I could fill this blog with material almost every day. Here is one recent example, excerpted from Eric Owens\’ article at dailycaller.com:
Officials at ClemsonUniversity have apologized for serving a lot of Mexican food at a coupledining halls because two students found it offensive.
Clemson\’s food-themed “Maximum Mexican” night, a student favorite, occurred on Wednesday night.
One of the twostudents complained about the ongoing cafeteria fiesta by tweeting an image ofcafeteria workers wearing sombreros. The caption of the tweet – which nowappears to have disappeared – was: “Our culture isn\’t a costumeand we will not be mocked!”
“This is somethingthat Clemson Dining has done for years without any sort of backlash. Peoplelove the cultural nights in the dining halls,” senior Austin Pendergist told CampusReform. “What\’s next? Are they going to take away all potato based food as tonot offend students from Irish decent? Remove the stir fry station soAsian-American students don\’t feel as if they are being misrepresented? Whendoes it end?”
Pendergist noted thatthe extent of “Maximum Mexican” night was “a couple balloons, sombreros, andsome tacos.” He also recalled that the school\’s cafeterias have a series ofculturally-themed events throughout the year.
Oh brother.
Two students – two students – decide to be the mice that roared, and complain about the dining hall serving Mexican food with a few sombreros visible — and Clemson caves in to them? Does that mean that every other time two students decide to make something out of absolutely nothing, Clemson will cave in again?
Here\’s an idea for these two terribly aggrieved students. There is a chain of fast food restaurants called Taco Bell. Maybe you\’ve heard of it. If you go into a Taco Bell you are going to find a Mexican theme, and lots and lots of stereotypical Mexican food. Click here to look at the chain\’s food lineup – see if you find anything offensive about it. Then go into one of their store locations, and see if you find anything resembling a stereotypical Mexican motif…which you, of course, will.
Since you think “Maximum Mexican” night is such a mockery of your culture, how about mounting a protest at that location – or, better yet, their national headquarters. I\’ll just bet they\’ll close up and send a letter of apology in no time.
This is exactly the kind of mindless PC crap that goes on in colleges and universities around the country every day – and, astonishingly, is taken seriously by those colleges and universities. When do a few of the Deans and other administrators finally grow some logic, sprinkled with a touch of courage, and tell the whining complainants to screw off?
Unreal racism. It\’s…..well, it\’s unreal.
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UPDATE: my wife and I are in Manhattan today, and had a ball watching, listening and dancing to the music of the Hispanic Day Parade — in which 20 different Central and South American countries, Mexico very much included, march down Fifth Avenue, wearing traditional garb, to their countries\’ traditional music.
If the two whining complainants from Clemson had been with us, their heads probably would have exploded. But, to tell you the truth, everybody seemed to be having a pretty good time. Even Hispanics who were “stereotyping” themselves.
So it goes…
