Mexican Standoff

Credit: zigazou76 / photo on flickr

The student union at the University of East Anglia, a public university in England, ordered a Mexican restaurant to stop handing out sombreros during a student fair, calling it racist and cultural appropriation. Student union members even took sombreros from those had received them to keep anyone from being offended.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

The British Mexican Society backed the Tex-Mex eatery for giving away the free hats.

Chairman Richard Maudslay said: "I would applaud any business of any nationality for doing anything to try to drum up business in a legitimate way, which this seems..."

Sounds like the British Mexican Society simply refuses to assimilate.

[Rufus J. Firefly]

I'm being serious. If one of those pukes came anywhere near my sombrero...

[jalank]

...from my cold dead hands!

[Rufus J. Firefly]

"Campaigns and Democracy officer Chris Jarvis said: "We know that when it comes to cultural appropriation the issues can sometimes be difficult to understand and many don't realise that they may be about to cause offence or break a policy."

Man oh man the smug arrogance of a small mind.

Go fuck yourself Jarvis.

[The Iconoclast]

So if anglos wear sombreros it's cultural appropriation, but if a bunch of Mexicans enjoy listening to 50 Cent, it's cultural domination.

Isn't this taking a paternal attitude both toward other students and institutions but also toward Mexicans who are considered unable to see that they're being taken advantage of? Isn't it the student union officials, then, who are racist?

[John C. Randolph]

There is no such thing a "cultural appropriation". Culture is not property; it can't be "appropriated". Culture can be imitated, and that imitation can be in good or bad taste. If it's done it bad taste, so fucking what?

-jcr

[Radioactive]

where's Jose Jimenez when you really need him?

[SIV]

Who orders Mexican food in the UK?

[The Iconoclast]

"Who orders Mexican food in the UK?"

People who are sick of boiled cabbage, the raison d'etre for cultural appropriation in the first place.

If we don't stop them, eventually they're coming for our tex mex, people.

[Rebel Scum]

PC proggies have lost their fucking minds.

[Robert]

Isn't that xenophobia? Declaring foreign things to be unworthy of display in your country?

[LarryA]

"Cultural appropriation" = "Only Mexicans can wear sombreros."

It's like "Only Germans can have Christmas trees, and only the French can drink champagne."

[SQRLSY One]

Only Americans can indulge in heavier-than-air flight, since that particular thingee was first invented by AmuriKKKans...

Else ye are indulging in CULTURAL STEALING, ye bahstahds!!!

[A Cynic's Guide to Zen]

You can't eat your burrito if you don't eat the London broil! No podemos comer con estos gringitos, estan maripositas.

[John C. Randolph]

Whenever I've been to Mexico, I see a lot of people trying to sell sombreros to the tourists. Maybe these idiots from East Anglia should try to make them stop.

-jcr

[Nosea]

Pink, really? Maybe they should be pissed at the restaurant for not giving away authentic sombreros.

[Vapourwear]

Nothing keeps people from being offended like stealing from them.