PARTY POOPERS? UF editorial board whimpers over 'problematic' Halloween costumes
The editorial board of a University of Florida student newspaper tells students to “Leave the racist costumes at the store.”
“Shameless and preposterous,” one conservative student called the opinion piece.
The editorial board asked people if they have considered dressing up as Thanos, the Marvel villain who sought to address overpopulation by exterminating half of all life on the planet.
The editorial board of The Alligator, a student-run newspaper at the University of Florida, published an opinion article warning students against dressing as Indians or donning sombreros for Halloween.
“Halloween should be fun, not problematic,” the piece begins. “Cultural appropriation often rears its ugly head during Halloween, as many people find it cute or funny to dress as racist interpretations of other cultures. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize their costumes are insulting.”
“If your costume has centuries worth of cultural significance and history behind it, it’s not a costume. It’s an insult,” the editorial board out of UF informs readers. “Don’t put on that ‘Indian princess’ costume that looks like a lame rebrand of Disney’s Pocahontas. Don’t glue a fake moustache to your face and throw on a sombrero to dress as a ‘loco hombre.’”
[Related: SHOCK: Even liberal Bill Maher says cultural appropriation ‘was just made up’]
The editorial board asked readers if they’ve considered dressing up as Thanos, the Marvel villain who sought to address overpopulation by exterminating half of all life on the planet.
“What’s even more embarrassing is having an entire football team based on a group of people the U.S. has enslaved, raped, and killed,” the article continues. “Somehow, the NFL still allows the Washington Redskins’ name to exist.”
“Native Americans are people. They’re not fashion statements, not mascots, and certainly not costumes for people to look tacky in. At least the Redskins is one of the lowest-ranked teams in the league. Maybe being outwardly racist drops you a few points.”
“I, as well as many of my student peers, are troubled to see the editorial board of our school newspaper release such a shameless and preposterous opinion piece that reveals their true political agenda,” Jarrod Rodriguez, UF junior and treasurer of the school’s Turning Point USA chapter told Campus Reform. “I think most students at UF would agree that the editorial board of our prestigious newspaper should strive to report the news objectively, without setting out to advance their personal political agendas.”
[Related: Prof: SpongeBob perpetuates ‘violent, racist’ acts against indigenous people]
Rodriguez continued, “This article exemplifies just how far off the deep end the ‘journalists’ at The Alligator have become. It’s disgraceful and students on both sides of the political spectrum should hold the reporters of The Alligator to the highest of journalistic standards. Gators deserve to have a school newspaper they can trust to report the news objectively, just as it should.”
No editorial board members responded to requests for comment in time for publication.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @arik_schneider
