At Tufts University, Offensive Halloween Costumes Could Be Investigated by Police

Thinking of dressing up? Think again, cultural aggressor.

Katalinks / Dreamstime

I previously honored the University of Massachusetts-Amherst with the distinction of least fun college ever, but Tufts University's Halloween costume crackdown is providing serious competition.

Leaders of Tufts' Greek community sent an email to fraternities warning their members not to wear "inappropriate, offensive, or appropriative costumes," or costumes that appropriate cultures or "reproduce stereotypes on race, gender, sexuality, immigrant, or socioeconomic status." Also forbidden: "Outfits relating to tragedy, controversy, or acts of violence."

Well, that disqualifies just about every possible Halloween costume I can think of. Aren't even traditional costumes like vampire/zombie/skeleton "related to acts of violence"?

Tufts is trying to spin the letter as something "written by students, for students, to encourage a thoughtful and considerate celebration of Halloween." A spokesperson told The College Fix that "Tufts University does not have a 'Halloween costume policy."

Tell that to the Greek kids who are concerned—reasonably so, in my view—that the university plans to call the cops on students who wear politically incorrect Halloween costumes:

There are consequences for wearing an offensive costume. Mary Pat McMahon, the Dean of Student Affairs, described the consequences as follows: "The range of response for students whose actions make others in our community feel threatened or unsafe, or who direct conduct towards others that is offensive or discriminatory, includes OEO and/or TUPD investigation and then disciplinary sanctions from our office that could run a wide gamut depending on what is brought to our attention and the impact of these actions on others. Any complaints will result in full investigation by University officials and could result in serious disciplinary sanctions through Judicial Affairs." We encourage all students that feel like they have encountered someone who is wearing an inappropriate and offensive costume to please file a report by filling out the following link…

Nope, no Halloween costume policy to see here. Students can be investigated—perhaps by the police—for the crime of cultural appropriation, but no, this is not a policy. It's just what happens.

At this point, we might as well cancel the holiday. College administrators have killed it.

Comments

[Hyperion]

Crikey, this country has went full on retard. Don't the cops have something better to do? Like shooting puppies and beating up people for smoking plant leaves?

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Maybe the hope is that the cops will shoot the white kid wearing a culturally appropriative black costume by mistake?

[Hyperion]

I don't think playing Russian roulette via cop is a really great idea.

[A frilly pink thing]

Seems like a prime trolling opportunity

[Princess Trigger]

Report people for hair styles you are "offended" by.

[Call Me Conrad]

+1 "Man Bun"

[Vernon Depner]

Would it not be an unassailable defense to say that you IDENTIFY as a vampire or a zombie?

[MetalBard]

I never did quite understand why cultural appropriation is wrong, but these same people think it's perfectly ok for someone to appropriate an entire gender.

[Rasilio]

Only if you were Trans(lvynian) or Hatian

[The Grinch]

Looks like my Harambe wearing a Klan outfit is out. Damn.

[MetalBard]

There 's always Nazi Pepe the frog

[Florida Hipster]

I really hope someone baits them into arresting them and sues the campus police and college.

[The Fusionist]

See below - this private college's speech policies might make winning not so easy.

[Florida Hipster]

Clothing is part of expression, which is protected in the 1A. If you are arrested by campus police your rights have been violated, private school or no.

[The Fusionist]

Go ahead and see how that works.

[Florida Hipster]

I can't be bother to go further north than Jacksonville.

[Libertarian]

If you get to Jax then you're already in Georgia. You might as well go just a bit farther to Massachusetts.

[Florida Hipster]

Also, I think RICO is making up these stories. I've never heard of any of these "schools".

[The Fusionist]

These Tufts guys aren't playing around:

"In April 2012, members of the men's crew team wore T-shirts at Tufts' Spring Fling featuring a silhouette of a rowing team on a boat and the phrase "check out our cox" (referring to a boat's coxswain). According to multiple accounts, several members were suspended from the team after a bias incident report was submitted due to the shirt's content, two senior captains were removed from their positions, and team members had to write apology letters."

FIRE got the students their team positions back.

(I bet Reason covered this, but didn't check)

[MetalBard]

Forced apologies have always pissed me off. Any apology that is forced is not a real apology, and the entire exercise only exists to humiliate the person doing it. It's no different then your mistress making you ask for another caning.

[Agent Cooper]

"bias incident report"

1984 is a how-to manual for some people.

[Hunthjof]

That was my thought. We also need to stop saying that they can't get anymore insane. They are taking that as a challenge.

[Citizen X]

The one the U.Va. crew team had about ten years before that was funnier: "8 Large Men And Their Tiny Cox."

[BearOdinson]

"appropriate cultures",
Like those of us of Irish and Scottish heritage, from whence this holiday was stolen?

YOU CAN'T HAVE SAMHAIN!

[BearOdinson]

And I will expect there to be no drinking of ales, lagers, schnapps or whisky. Except by those of Germanic or Celtic ancestry.

[Florida Hipster]

Yay! I can keep doing the Halloween and whiskey!

[BearOdinson]

WHISKY!! All others are abominations of fermenting of wheat or GODS FORBID, corn!

The only grain that should be allowed to be fermented for alcoholic consumption is barley!!!

[BearOdinson]

Having said that, I will raise one for you Florida!!

Slainte, Skal and Prost!

[Florida Hipster]

Right now I'm drinking Whistle Pig Rye. I'm not too picky on style.

[Gojira]

I dunno what Halloween parties you're going to, but my very multi-racial/ethnic family & friends circle indulges in all of the above.

[BearOdinson]

I assume that there will be a census taken at the door to make sure that the proper ethnic alcoholic beverages are consumed only by the proper members of each race. For those of mixed heritages, I expect that calculations will be performed to ensure that only those with enough of each heritage are allowed to indulge in their particular beverages. Don't forget the SJW multipliers.

[Libertarian]

I'm of mixed heritage and therefore I assume I'll only be able to have mixed drinks.

Perhaps in the near future we'll all be required to get DNA tests and have the results tied to our social security numbers so that we don't cross cultural lines.

[BearOdinson]

And what about those with American Indian heritage? If they drink any kind of booze, it is the colonial white men giving them firewater. Therefore bad. But if they are prevented from drinking, they are being discriminated against by privileged white men. And therefore bad.

What are the injuns to do?

[MetalBard]

And smoked with peat

[Zeb]

I don't think I'd want all of my beer to be smoked.

[Vaelyn]

Can't our Japanese friends still make sake out of rice?

[Vernon Depner]

I recommend that all students in the Greek community at Tufts dress up as Mary Pat McMahon this Halloween.

[SadlyShakingHead]

Wait a minute; if the cops show up, won't they be wearing uniforms that qualify as "Outfits relating to tragedy, controversy, or acts of violence?" #HalloweenLivesMatter

[The Grinch]

Agents of the state don't count maybe?

[Rasilio]

That would actually be perfect trolling.

Have a group if students tailing the university cops and continually calling in bias reports indicating individuals wearing uniforms of an agency that routinely subjigates, oppresses, and commits violence against minorities

[Gojira]

Wood

[IAMTHEGODOFTHEINTERNET]

THAT'SJUSTWHATTHEYWANTYOUTOTHINK#ITBEGINS

[Cynical Asshole]

At this point, we might as well cancel the holiday. College administrators have killed it.

Well, if I was in college right now, I sure as hell wouldn't dress up as anything for Halloween. It's impossible to know what might set off some SJW cunt waffle.

[Brett L]

Put on the shortest gym shorts I could find and hang a sausage out the bottom, then when stopped and bothered, explain that I was protesting penis privilege or manspreading or something.

[Playa Manhattan.]

My wife threw those shorts away.

[GILMORE?]

'No more cruising in public parks for you, mister!'

[Florida Hipster]

Clayton Bigsby is a safe bet.

[Princess Trigger]

Looks like your walkin' around dressed like a middle class white person - that just screams "Colonial Subjugation".

[Agent Cooper]

I would go as a blind person, and when confronted, I would say I was dressed up as a "not-see"

[GILMORE?]

I sure as hell wouldn't dress up as anything for Halloween

Nope, but i'd start wearing a sombrero every other day of the year.

[Adans smith]

I guess the Phantom of the Opera is out. No 'strange duet' entrance.

[The Fusionist]

So you can't *appropriate,* so I guess the only thing to be is *in*appropriate!

[The Fusionist]

Really, it doesn't matter what costume you wear, since everyone's going to Heaven anyway.

[BearOdinson]

While I certainly don't agree with your theology, and I know our concept of what the afterlife may be like, and what it takes to get there are quite different, I do share your disdain for the Universalist idea of "everybody goes to Heaven".

[The Late P Brooks]

I guess my costume of a big fake cock dangling out of my Levis and a "Dicks Out for HARAMBE" t-shirt would probably be deemed not kosher?

[The Fusionist]

Only if you wear an Obama mask to show that you really care.

[Juvenile Bluster]

You're being racist, sexist, and, with the "kosher" remark, anti-Semitic.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

Anti-Semitism is okay with the progressive left.

[The Late P Brooks]

"You can wear your top hat and tails, I suppose, but for God's sake, DON'T REFER TO IT AS YOUR 'MONKEY SUIT'."

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

"Harambe suit"?

[Fist of Etiquette]

What happens if a townie comes to campus dressed as a gay Mexican hairdresser? NOTHING CAN BE DONE.

[Playa Manhattan.]

"Leaders of Tufts' Greek community sent an email to fraternities warning their members not to wear.."

So, not really leaders. People who really want to be in charge, but aren't.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Leaders of the Greek community? And what, exactly, is the percentage of those leaders who are actually Greek? Talk about cultural appropriation.

[My Dog Bites Better Than Yours]

I'm still not clear on this. Can the hot girls still dress up as slutty cats?

[SadlyShakingHead]

Only hot transgenders who identify as female.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

No, as that would be othering toward hot-deficient womynz (and hot-deficient men who identify as womynz, of course).

[Zeb]

Well, first thing they need to do is stop all the fraternities and homos from appropriating Greek culture.

But seriously, their policies on "bias incidents" actually, literally would make me feel unsafe on campus. Will they investigate that?

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Since when is making the KKK feel "unsafe" on campus a bad thing?

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

At Tufts University, Offensive Halloween Costumes Could Be Investigated by Police
Thinking of dressing up? Think again, cultural aggressor

Ok, commenting without reading the article, I fully admit but uhh, the police have to agree that there's a crime to investigate, right?

[GILMORE?]

Also forbidden: "Outfits relating to tragedy"

And i saved my costume from Antigone and everything. People used to tell me I was *classy*?!

[Jake Stone]

I.CAN'T.FUCKING.BELIEVE. that the words We encourage all students that feel like they have encountered someone who is wearing an inappropriate and offensive costume to please file a report have ever even once been said in this country outside of satire.

[Tony]

Do you have to actually be offended or can you assume offense on a hypothetical person's behalf?

[Grand Moff Serious Man]

Well 99.9% of people who complain about Indian mascots and sports teams are non-Native American, so I'd say yes to the latter.

[Derp-o-Matic 5000]

It's almost always the latter.

[0x90]

Leaders of Tufts' Greek community sent an email to fraternities warning their members not to wear "inappropriate, offensive, or appropriative costumes,"

If both inappropriate and appropriate are out, guess I'll just have to go around starkers!

[SadlyShakingHead]

I've got an idea: they could all dress as clowns. Just a bunch of happy, fun loving, clowns running around campus at night. What could possibly go wrong?

[The Late P Brooks]

they could all dress as clowns.

Excellent.

[Derpmaster General]

I always wanted to wear a nazi uniform and say I was prince harry for halloween. Unfortunately that would end in being single and unemployable.

[DPM]

The fraternity Beta Beta Beta

[KDo]

Acceptable Halloween Costumes (this list IS exhaustive):

1- cushion (to be scary, call yourself "Peter")
2- (fair-trade) chocolate chip cookie
3- another member of your family (get their permission first)
4- tree

Unacceptable Halloween Costumes (These are merely a sort of guide - the list is a work-in-progress):

1- fire hydrant (people died in fires, you know!)
73- mummy (death-trigger / cultural appropriation)
1292- janitor (unless you sincerely want to be a janitor in real life)
5400- angel (Christianity is not the most important or only religion!)
93,399- hubcap (if you don't know why, you really should just stay home.)

[Azathoth!!]

Has anyone else noticed that the Halloween stores seem to be going out of their way in this?

They've got all the regular sections, d?cor, makeup, movie themes, superhero themes, TV themes, classical themes, slutty themes(YUUUGE section) and nearly every store has, very prominently, a section that could be called 'trigger warning' themes.

These are filled with ethno/racial/religio-centric stereotypical costumes. There are accessories that are labeled as being for boys--swords, guns--and for girls--pink.

It's like the gods of Halloween all got together and decided to say 'Fuck you, SJWs'