From Campus Reform, one of two useful websites that peers into the sick culture of many indoctrinating left-wing educational institutions (the other is Campus Reform) comes the release of this jaw-dropping memo sent to students at Gonzaga University:
That Facebook entry links to a website listing “6 Ways To Celebrate Cinco de Mayo Without Appropriating The Mexican Culture.” The Gonzaga Facebook page includes a graphic with such advice as “don’t you dare put on that ‘sombrero,’” “acknowledge the stereotypes you have internalized and discover why they are problematic,” ““donate to organizations working for immigrant rights,” and “support AUTHENTIC Mexican businesses,” although “CHIPOTLE DOESN’T COUNT.” “Try a family-owned restaurant run by actual Mexican people (They have better food anyway. We promise.),” the graphic says. “Maybe even enjoy some authentic Mexican music.”
My immediate reaction to this ham-handed, bigoted message would be, after the obligatory “Bite me!,” to have lunch at Taco Bell, pull out those old Bill Dana comedy albums, and to watch “The Three Amigos.” Oh, and I will put on a sombrero (I own a great one, as well as an authentic Sioux headdress, three cowboy hats, a fez, a Viking helmet (not so authentic), a beret, and Kaiser Wilhelm helmet, and a jester’s cap), because I will wear anything on my bald head that I goddamn please, and if my attire offends someone, that’s their problem. I don’t wear any of those costume pieces as insults, and as a member of the world community, I will borrow, honor, emulate and appropriate whatever part of it that appeals to me. For I am a free citizen of the United States of America, and don’t order me to express myself as you would prefer.
Dr. Garbuio is a bigoted fool (she guarantees that food made by “actual Mexican people” is better? Why would that be? In truth, the best Mexican food I ever had in my life was made by my friend, the late Jeffrey Wayne Davies, a Welsh immigrant and graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris who opened the first, and finest, gourmet Mexican Restaurant in the Boston area. I’ve been searching for the equal of his mole chicken ever since. ) Her deceitful promotion of illegal immigration by Mexicans (immigrants, illegal immigrants–oh, what’s the difference?) is particularly hypocritical in this context. Students should support Mexicans “appropriating” the United States illegally, but dare not don a sombrero in their own country. This is the kind of progressive illogic that causes “Bite me!” to rise from my gorge.
An ethics-based memo about being respectful to those students celebrating the holiday would be fine, just as a St. Patrick’s Day memo suggesting that it is not a good day to mock the Irish, and all students should be respectful and considerate of others would be appropriate. However, telling citizens of, say, Boston that if they are not Irish they “don’t dare wear green” or sing “Danny Boy,” and that instead they should consider donating funds to Irish charities is more offensive than any sombrero.
That political correctness obsessed and nationality bigots like Garbuio have jobs on campuses is, to paraphrase John Dean, a cancer growing on academia. The way to excise the growth is to expose it, oppose it, and defy it.
Ethics Alarms 
Taco Bell? No political point is worth hurting yourself like that.
As for everything else, as a Mexican I grant you permission to get drunk on Tecate and cheap Tequila, eat Mexican or pseudo-Mexican food to your heart and belly’s content, wear authentic or ridiculous Mexican garb, listen to good mariachis, decent rock and bad pop of Mexican manufacture, and have a generally good time. Not that you need my permission in any case. 🙂
Also, it’s not an important holiday for me, but I’ve learned why it’s important for the Mexican-American and Chicano community, so I gladly celebrate it now non-ironically.
Another thing, the first half of that email is actually pretty good. Just stating the facts. I’ll only add that, as expected, Mexico lost the war. But the story both behind it and after it is fascinating. If you like reading history I’d strongly recommend learning about this war.
And finally, since we want to celebrate Chicano culture. Play Lalo Guerrero’s Ardillitas at full blast from your car stereo. This guy is my favorite Chicano artist, and there is no beating the Mexican version of Alvin and the Chipmunks. Or if we’re all getting offended, let’s go for his parody of the Davy Crockett Ballad, Pancho López, both in Spanish and English versions.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Oh, I know the Mexican War well. Ruthless ol’ James K. Polk wanted the land, and figured out a way to take it. The old “trumped up war” trick. Worked well in the Spanish American War too. I compare it to this scene in “Shane”:
Cinco de Mayo has nothing to do with Polk and the Mexican American War.
Except that the French may never had invaded had we not given Mexico back after the war.
You have to be clearer for this US-centric reader. I regard the cause of the chip-on-the-shoulder attitude of Mexican Americans toward the rest of us to be resentment toward Mr. Polk’s War (which Mexico did lose), and assumed that was what you referred to, as in “then you will understand why the school is telling non-Chicanos to show respect by giving to pro-illegal immigration efforts.” Because THAT has absolutely nothing to do with the Battle of Puebla, just as Cinco de Mayo has nothing to do with the U.S. or U.S. citizens, and shouldn’t be treated with any special reverence here. The battle and that war have little significance today in Mexico, much less here. I can’t imagine a reason to study either.
”as a Mexican I grant you permission to get drunk on Tecate”
Would you permit substituting Pacífico (¡una cerveza más fina!) for the Tecate? I first tried it in Mazatlán back in 1987, it immediately became my favorite import and has remained so to this day.
Haven’t touched Tequila since 1977, with good reason…
So, I did my part to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, and pasted this on their multicultural circle-jerk site on Facebook:
I don’t know about Mexican food because I don’t like it, but every Chinese restaurant I have been to in the United States is crap and run by Chinese. That is because they don’t service Chinese food. They service an American version of Chinese food. I have been told by my Chinese friends that the food they serve, they don’t even eat.
Which makes me think it isn’t even their culture because they are just giving American’s what the Americans think they want. I wonder if other cultures do this as well.
In Mexico we eat burgers with Pico de Gallo and sushi with jalapeño peppers, so yes, all cultures tropicalize foreign foods.
I once had an argument with a Chinese restaurant owner when I noticed Asian patrons eating food that wasn’t on the menu. Turns out they had a different, secret menu for Asians only.
It might also be a cost thing. Chinese food is cheap, but real Chinese food in the US is expensive. I’ve heard a lot Chinese nationals complain about it.
Very true. If a restaurant likes you, they will let you order off the other menu. Although it won’t be in English. There was a place in Vienna where hubby and I used to eat real Chinese food. Very hot!
China has many specific and, pardon the word, diverse cuisines. The “hot” ones aren’t the only “real” ones. I live in Chinatown and know where to get the “real-est.” And a friend who travels to many different parts of the China regularly says that Chinese from one province don’t necessarily like the food from another,
either.
One of the complaints about Chinese food in the US echoes the same for say, bagels on the West Coast. Unless you want the ingredients (water, in the case of the Jewish specialty) imported to up the cost of your food astronomically, you need to settle for something less than you would get in its place of origin. Wasabi, by the way, doesn’t count, nor does the Wagyu beef. Both are just dandy, but the former is not exported at all (the US grows its own, less fiery – believe it or not – version), and the latter has imported the certain cattle breeds and treats them similarly but what the cattle consume is different and affects the taste of the beef. Vive les différences!
And that goes for so-called cultural appropriations too.
I’ve heard this is fairly common, especially if there’s a significant Chinese population in the area. The public menu is the primary source of income, while the secret menu provides a little extra side-income and brings the local ethnic community together. For what it’s worth, I once dined at a Chinese establishment that dropped the pretense and put everything on one menu. It was fantastic.
In such a restaurant, I once ordered “duck feet” by mistake.
I don’t want to think about it.
Don’t feel bad. For all you know, the secret menu might be what all those dog and cat-teriaki jokes are really about.
Italian food comes to mind…like Olive Garden.
#O lives Matter
If I had that collection of hats, plus a coolie hat and a turban, I’d deliberately put on a prop comedy routine, complete with EVERY stereotype in the book, including a clueless Hindu shop owner, a proverb-quoting Chinese philosopher (deliberately mixing up the r and l sounds), a lazy, amorous Mexican, a blustering WWI-era German, a Tonto-talking Indian chief, and a few others, just to say a big “bite me” to political correctness.
“a proverb-quoting Chinese philosopher (deliberately mixing up the r and l sounds)”
With the two huge front teeth and eyes taped back and all? Priceless!
I’m dead positive that we are in the midst of an uprising that is literally trying to indoctrinate the public to grouptink. Is it fair to say that such a movement has has its roots in communism and is striving for groupthink in all things and anything else is forbidden.
Groupthink, Hmmmmm….
Paul W. Schlecht,
Remember, groupthink was an integral part of the discussion in this document? THE IRREPRODUCIBILITY CRISIS OF MODERN SCIENCE.
I think that a lot of progressive thinking is traceable to Soviet disinformation that stretches back 80 years or more. There was a continuing effort to present the socialist world as a minority’s or woman’s paradise, in comparison to the hell of a market economy. The free world won every battle, but neglected to notice the little vanguard growing in our own country.
And we’re paying dearly for it now.
The commies predicted all of the maladies we call progressivism plaguing our nation today, many years ago.
”Remember, groupthink was an integral part of the discussion in this document?”
That I do: policy-based evidence-making rather than evidence-based policy-making.
And from my Dear Brother:
The Truth Wears Off
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/12/13/the-truth-wears-off
That “The Truth Wears Off” article was an interesting read.
Thanks
That article is seriously troubling. And it should be troubling to any scientist that reads it. In fact, it should be troubling to ANYBODY who reads it. I wonder how many “known facts” are just simply wrong? At my age, I doubt if I’ll ever know, but it’d be nice if somebody was trying to find out
”That article is seriously troubling. And it should be troubling to any scientist that reads it. In fact, it should be troubling to ANYBODY who reads it.”
That what you call cascading troubling…?
I couldn’t agree more, d_d; an alternative title might have been When The Bullshit Kicks In.
It gets worse.
The following (which I believe is right up your alley) fleshes out how some of that “troubling” occurs; researcher bias (you’ll never guess in which direction) and lax peer review, or what some call “toss it over the cubicle divider.”
How a Rebellious Scientist Uncovered the Surprising Truth About Stereotypes
http://quillette.com/2015/12/04/rebellious-scientist-surprising-truth-about-stereotypes/
Yep, and is one of the reasons I retired when I did. Fudging data (or outright faking it) is one of the reasons journalism is failing today.
My cultural take on this jibes with an author I cannot remember for sure, but think it was William C. Dietz. The French Force at Pueblo was French Foreign Legion. They fought to the last bullet, for the last man. When offered a chance to surrender, he said he still had ammunition (1 bullet) so he’d continue to fight. So which culture is more significant? I have no idea. The victors always write the histories.
That’s right! Everyone is allowed to be an asshole in America UNLESS you are a comedian hired to poke fun at politicians!
Do I detect #55 as the source of that comment?
#55. The Joke Excuse, or “I was only kidding!”
Indeed. For a comic to be able to claim his or she was only kidding, the jokes have to have some plausible chance of being enjoyed by tbe the butt of the jokes, and the Golden Rule applies. Jokes that are insults that depend on the dislike of the target to get laughs are not “fun.” They are calculated cruelty with cover.
Roasts are, by definition, designed to offend. I personally hate them. But I think we should hold average Americans to a “slightly” higher standard than comedians. I certainly go about my daily life trying not to gratuitously offend people even though it is my right to do so.
”trying not to gratuitously offend people even though it is my right to do so.”
That’s a right?
Damn; I always considered it a privilege.
But I think we should hold average Americans to a “slightly” higher standard than comedians
Absolutely wrong, Spartan. Everyone knows the order of standards, from high to low, goes thusly:
1) The Media
2) Comedians
3) All Democrats
4) Average people
5) The President of the United States
Oh puh-leeze! Most of America has given up on the media, or the left, adhering to any standards whatsoever!
You’re making my point for me.
Not really.
Where the heck did you get that order?
Yet more evidence of the blinding power of the victimhood-as-a-badge-of-honor mentality.
joed68: Agreed! That woman did nothing to conceal the hatred and raw derision she had for her victim. It was designed to wound, NOT amuse, and it was plain as day.
Also joed68: Yet more evidence of the blinding power of the victimhood-as-a-badge-of-honor mentality.
Priceless.
Apples and oranges, in more ways than a few.
Still Spartan wrote, “Roasts are, by definition, designed to offend.”
Poppycock!
Roasts are, by definition, designed to be funny not a place for political attack dogs to unleash their disrespectful vengeance upon their prey.
To any of you that are justifying, defending, condoning, rationalizing, etc, etc. in any way the hateful anti-Trump and/or anti anything associated with Trump deplorable smear fest, you’re all showing off your Moral Bankruptcy. I think it is *signature significance for anyone to justify, defend, condone, rationalize, etc, etc. in any way the hateful anti-Trump and/or anti anything associated with Trump deplorable smear fest.
* Signature Significance: “…Signature significance posits that a single act can be so remarkable that it has predictive and analytical value, and should not be dismissed as statistically insignificant.”, “Ethics Alarms employs the term to describe an extreme ethical or unethical act that similarly reveals the true character of the individual responsible for the conduct, and that can be reliably and fairly used to predict future conduct and trustworthiness.”
This has turned into nothing more than an unethical political tool to smear the President of the United States and those closely associated with him. This morally bankrupt smear fest should be canceled from this moment on.
Agreed! That woman did nothing to conceal the hatred and raw derision she had for her victim. It was designed to wound, NOT amuse, and it was plain as day.
Hmmm. I don’t think you’ve seen many roasts — at least not over the last 5 years by professional comedians. They are awful — they go for the jugular. I have a thick skin, and I know that I couldn’t sit through one without tearing up. Your use of “poppycock” suggests that you may be from an older, kinder, generation.
Still Spartan wrote, “Hmmm. I don’t think you’ve seen many roasts — at least not over the last 5 years by professional comedians. They are awful — they go for the jugular.”
5 Years? Really, 5 Years?
Seriously, Spartan, do you NOT hear the difference between what happened a short 4 years ago and what happened this year?
The 17 Meanest Jokes at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner 2014
Do you realize that your first complete sentence was rationalization #1 and I think maybe?
I could have said 10, or 15 years. You are so black/white, it’s impossible to have a conversation with you. Let me dumb it down — they aren’t hiring a Johnny Carson-type to do these events anymore. They don’t want Johnny Carson. They want edgy — and, most importantly, they want someone who will make headlines and cause a twitter storm for weeks after because people will be “offended.”
Still Spartan wrote, “You are so black/white, it’s impossible to have a conversation with you. Let me dumb it down…”
I point out your obvious rationalization and I proved your theory wrong and somehow I’m the problem in this conversation; oh give me a freaking break!
Still Spartan wrote, “they aren’t hiring a Johnny Carson-type to do these events anymore. They don’t want Johnny Carson. They want edgy — and, most importantly, they want someone who will make headlines and cause a twitter storm for weeks after because people will be “offended.”
Prove your theory.
Still Spartan,
If you can go back and view the videos of Correspondence Dinner comedic routines over the last 5 years and morally convince yourself that there is no difference between the ethical conduct regarding the respect and decorum of the comedians routines then there’s likely nothing that will help you understand what’s wrong with what happened this year.
This one is for you to figure out for yourself.
“…no difference between the ethical conduct regarding the respect and decorum of the comedians routines…”
That wording didn’t reflect my intent very well, this wording is better…
“…no difference between the ethical conduct regarding the respect and decorum shown by comedians routines…”
That last sentence should have read…
“Do you realize that your first complete sentence was rationalization #1 and I think maybe more?”
The recent roast of the press secretary was FAR worse than any of the 17 jokes in this article.
joed68 wrote, “The recent roast of the press secretary was FAR worse than any of the 17 jokes in this article.”
Spartan can’t support her argument with anything, but it’s really easy to counter her argument with the actual facts. Watch the comedians in the last 5 of the of these dinners, the videos are easy to find on YouTube; the hatred from the anti-Trump resistance has set a new precedence.
I do agree with Spartan that today’s roasts (Trump’s name is put to one side for the sake of this argument) are worse – less funny, more insulting – than they were. But I’m not sure that’s a fault of the roasters. Rather it’s what the roasts’ audiences have become accustomed to in recent years, just like Chaplin’s falls look both sadder and less amusing. And, to borrow a name Spartan used, Johnny Carson’s guests don’t have the surprise or even shock value they once had.
Bottom line: It’s going to get worse and not just because of that name I put aside.
So…what if that article’s douche-tastic standard was universally applied? I think it would go a little something like THIS….
For many members of the Christian community, Christmas is a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Messiah, and a day of religious celebration on a whole. Unfortunately, for many Americans, this day has been demeaned and celebrated for the wrong reasons. If you want to honor an important day in Christian history, then you need to look for ways to celebrate Christmas without appropriating other people’s deeply-held traditions and beliefs.
There are Christians throughout the United States and, because of that, Christmas is a big celebration. During this day, however, it’s important to make sure that you’re respecting the culture in celebration instead of just finding an excuse to drink or be a heathen.
Fortunately it is possible to celebrate Cinco de Mayo without appropriating it. For starters, learning the history of the development of Christmas within culture is a great place to start. After all, you can’t truly honor or celebrate a holiday without understanding the reasons behind an important day.
So this Christmas, if you want to have the moral right to enjoy Christmas, make sure you enjoy the day for what it’s really about. Here are a few culturally respectful ideas to help you celebrate and refrain from appropriating Christmas this year.
1. Learn About The Holiday
If you know aren’t a disciple of Jesus and are using Christmas as an excuse to drink, stop and take the time to learn why you’re celebrating. According to History, Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ roughly 2000 years ago. However, the holiday evolved gradually over time, and differently in different cultures. Because of this, some Christians don’t celebrate Christmas, and many countries have Christmas on different dates. You should research all of this and know the origins of each of the different Christmas customs before you presume to partake in a religion that you don’t even personally believe.
2. Lose The Bigoted Costumes And Clothing
It’s a good thing to ask yourself if what you’re wearing may be offensive to the culture you’re celebrating. Santa Claus, for example, is actually based on a legitimate Catholic saint, famous for caring for children. If you wear an “ugly sweater” with a cartoonish image of Santa, and you aren’t Catholic, you should probably refrain. According to Thought Co. (a division of Idea Police, a division of Google) cultural appropriation applies if any person is dressing up to represent a different culture and picking pieces of another culture for their own gain. So, in short, lose the Christmas carols, gift-giving, and anything Santa-related.
3. Draw The Line Between Celebration And Hate
You can appreciate and celebrate Christian faith without appropriating or demeaning it. Gonzaga University has helpfully provided a useful list of acceptable ways to celebrate. Visit an authentic Christian church (Unitarians DON’T COUNT), donate money to a Catholic or evangelical charity, and turn up the worship music. But don’t try to act like or become a Christian; this is disrespectful. The best way to support and celebrate another culture is as yourself.
4. Eat an Authentic Holiday Meal
303 Magazine suggested you ditch the corporate chain restaurants and eat Christmas dinner with your family. To not do so is offensive to the spirit and purpose of this holiday and all those who respect it. In Christian communities, food is a major part of culture. It’s about bonding, coming together, and giving thanks. So before you sit down to your Denny’s meal on December 25th, ask yourself whether it’s worth slapping a third of the world’s population in the face.
5. Don’t Use Christian Words
Unless you legitimately are a Christian or in the process of becoming one, don’t pick Christmas to try to add religious words to your vocabulary. Always say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas” (“Merry Christmas” is disrespectful to Christians.) Also it is double-super-racist to sing “Feliz Navidad” unless you are a Spanish-speaking Christian. Don’t say “Advent,” “Santa,” and don’t you DARE take the Christian God’s name in vain any time in the month of December. Also, be sure to use religion-neutral “gesundheit” instead of the culturally-appropriating “bless you” if someone sneezes.
6. Consider Easter
According to the aforementioned 303 Magazine article, Easter, or Resurrection Day, is Christianity’s most significant holiday. If you’re celebrating Christmas, consider being a decent human being and making plans right now to attend a sunrise service on Easter as well. If you can’t make that simple gesture of respect to the culture that you’re so casually raping with your elf ears, then maybe you should just cut Christmas out of your routine.
[By the way, I also had to clean up the original “article’s” many, MANY spelling and grammatical errors.]
Aaaaaaand, that same website features an article about how to add a, like, totally cool piñata to your baby shower. It’s almost like they don’t believe any of their own drivel.
The best thing I can do for my baby is to never take parenting advice from a goofy clickbait site.
Well done, Isaac – your two comments above should be a COTD.
Thank God for organizations like Campus Reform! We’re going to need it, and many like it, to lead the way in spreading awareness of,and combating this debilitating mental illness running roughshod through our schools, and poisoning the minds of our children. Ill be donating to them regularly.