Posted on 05/05/2014 12:26:32 PM PDT by Impala64ssa
Northwestern University continued to stumble over diversity issues this week as Mexican students voiced disagreement with a campuswide letter that advised students not to celebrate Cinco de Mayo by engaging in racially-offensive activities, such as eating tacos and drinking tequila.
The letter was sent to students via e-mail, and published in The Daily Northwestern last week. Leaders of Alianza, a Latino student group, and the Associated Student Government called on students to remember that Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico’s victory over France in the Battle of Puebla. It is not a day to throw a sombrero-themed party, they said.
“Some of our peers choose to throw ‘Mexican-themed’ parties that are culturally insensitive, offensive, and detrimental to the Northwestern community,” said the letter, which noted that this was a problem year after year. “Drinking tequila shots, eating tacos, and wearing sombreros do not commemorate Mexican culture; on the contrary, that offends, marginalizes, and isolates many of our friends, classmates, and community members, and casts our entire community in poor light.”
The two Alianza presidents who signed the letter are not Mexican, according to The Daily Northwestern.
Their recommendations were quite a shock to Northwestern students who actually came from Mexico. Several of them fired back recently.
“I’d like to say that I proudly embrace my tacos, tequila and sombreros,” wrote Ruben Antonio Marcos Bours, a Northwestern student, in a statement. “To me, they are a key part of my childhood, growing up in Monterrey, Mexico.”
Another student who grew up in Mexico called the letter “over the top.”
“The people who wrote it had a good intention, but their perspective is different,” said Pablo Garcia Romero, a Northwestern student, in a statement.
Alianza’s letter was no more popular among non-Latino students.
“I’ll probably still go to Chipotle and drink Corona tomorrow, but I do that like everyday is it still offensive?” asked one online commenter.
Realizing that the letter was poorly received, representatives for Alianza and ASG confirmed that they are drafting a new letter that will better explain their position on Cinco de Mayo sensitivity.
“We’re not trying to pass judgement on the role tequila or tacos have in the Mexican culture,” said ASG president Ani Ajith. “It comes down to context and intent.
Every group has to find something to whimper and whine and be upset about. What a bunch of total pussies we have roaming the planet these days. Yes there are some legitimate beefs, but the rest just need to GTF over themselves.
Dang. Now the members of Alianza have gone and flung a taco craving on me. Lo siento in advance about the cultural offense, y’all.
THANK YOU. Glad someone mentioned it.
It’s not fake, but it’s not important. Not really important.
This is the same fascistic nonsense as muzzies warning their “infidel” coworkers not to eat lunch in their presence during Ramalamadingdong month.
On one campus the muzzies of MSA warned Jewish students not to be seen eating pitas & hummus as these were proprietary Arab foods.
Mexicans telling us not to eat tacos? I thought the idea is to spread one’s culture, not restrict it.
Not long I guess until black people will be telling whites, “Is that fried chicken you’re eating? I’m offended.”
Yeah, it’s like the blacks-on-TV thing.
They do have a good point about how offensive Tequila drinking is. That stuff is nasty.
LOL! You got that right. Tacos and Freedom Fries too!
I celebrate by taking a siesta with my straw hat over my eyes or ordering at Taco Bell and driving off.
That's already happened.
So I guess that makes this offensive too?
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If you don't want to engage in those activities that is fine, but please don't tell me that I can't. I promise not to be offended if you decide to eat corn beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's day, Spaghetti on Columbus day, or any other food on a holiday that has a particular food associated with it no matter how loosely.
Really? You're fine with this PC crap because it doesn't happen to impact YOU? I don't celebrate cinqo de Mayo either, but I'll not stop eating mexican food or drinking tequila.
LOL!
My office just held a ‘Nacho Day’.
My (naturalized American citizen) Mexican friend is heading back to his old hometown for Cinco de Mayo. Since it fell on a Monday this year, they pushed back the celebration until the weekend.
He said there would be a big spread of food, everyone chips in, with, yes, tacos and lots of other South-of-the-Border delectibles, followed by fireworks, music, dancing. It’s his favorite day to go back and visit. So yes, to many in Mexico it is a big day, similar to our Independence Day.
To commemorate it here to me isn’t much different than celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day (No ‘offensive’ stereotypes of the Irish there, eh?) or Columbus Day. It’s an acknowledgment of the heritage and uniqueness each immigrant group has brought into our American whole, even if the form of celebration isn’t always the most - uplifting.
So yes, those who would take offense should go jump in a lake. I will not let their grievance mongering dictate to me. Ever.
IMO, this and other similar incidents have nothing to do with being offended and everything to do with using the “offended” approach as a technique of intimidation.
It is a test, to see how much back bone the white gringos have. They have none. Result? More and more intimidation and bullying coming our way.
This is all part of a longer term strategy, nothing to do with tacos. If you watch the larger society, we are losing almost 100% of the time.
Cultural Neville Chamberlain(s).
No, really. What’s Cinco de Mayo?
OK sorry.
I’ll have the burrito instead.
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