College administrators are attacking individual freedom by telling students what not to wear for Halloween.
As the College Fix reported Monday, numerous colleges are warning students to avoid “cultural appropriation” in their Halloween clothing choices. Consider a few examples.
Next Sunday, Princeton will hold a “Conversation Circle” in which “Students will engage in a dialogue about the impact of cultural appropriation, Halloween, and why culture is not a costume.”
Educating students on “the distinction between what is funny and what is cultural appropriation,” the University of St. Thomas warns against costumes which involve “taking intellectual and cultural expressions from a culture that is not your own, without showing that you understand or respect the culture.” St. Thomas helpfully suggests examples of cultural appropriation would include wearing a sombrero or Native American headdress.
At the University of Utah, students seeking an example of this injustice were pointed towards “Kylie Jenner,” who apparently, “is another example of cultural appropriation as she attempts to physically embody black culture. She has adopted box braids — a traditionally African hairstyle meant to protect the hair, bigger lips and curves for the greater purpose of looking good.”
You can’t make this stuff up.
Still, the self-evident absurdity aside, this effort to make cultural appropriation a thing illustrates just how insipid the left’s equality movement has become. After all, when a college authority subjectively rules that “cultural” clothing is off limits to certain individuals, it delegitimates basic individual freedom. Telling Kylie Jenner that she should not have box braids does not constitute respect for others — it celebrates ridiculousness and authoritarianism. More than that, in Jenner’s case, it takes black Americans and pools them together as a unitary bloc of Americans that voluntarily embraces cultural apartheid.
Of course, at the most basic level, all this fretting over cultural appropriation is antithetical to fun. If it amuses someone to dress up as a Mexican, or a Native American, or a redneck, why shouldn’t they do so? Whatever the motivations for dressing up in such “cultural” outfits, if individuals enjoy themselves by doing so, we should embrace their choices. Ultimately, our society is built on the right to speak and act freely, not the right not to be offended.
Finally, just as with libel law and chilling of speech, here’s the concern of chilling of fun here. If students believe sombreros are off limits, they’re likely to avoid picking out many other outfits.
This Halloween, please ignore the cultural appropriation warnings.
