University Of Georgia Groups Ban Racist Hoop Skirts That Aren’t Racist
Brian Carey
March 25, 2015
If we could go 24 hours without hearing about some utterly stupid idea being taken seriously in contemporary American academia, that would be great.
Today’s bit of nimwittery comes to us from the University of Georiga. That school’s Panhellenic Council (PHC) and Interfraternity Council (IFC) have determined that traditional hoop skirts are inappropriate.
Why? Because women in the Slave States were known to wear them during the 19th Century.
Sorry if you were looking for a good reason.
The presidents of both the PHC and the IFC emailed the student body on March 16 to let people know that “hoop skirts are not appropriate in the context of some events.” They also said that they “will continue to review costuming and themes for future events to ensure the appropriateness for our organizations.”
Terrific. Maybe they can also ban the hairstyles that women wore during that era.
Of course, the voice of sanity does exist in academia. It’s just that it’s always in the minority. Here’s what Brennan Mancil, Vice-Chairman of the UGA College Republicans, said about the issue: “Greek life can celebrate Southern culture without embracing the evils of slavery” and that the “Antebellum dress is an historical expression, not a political statement.”
And then he used some really sound logic that, sadly, will not change anything.
“Hoop skirts were worn as far back as the 16th century…[and are] only incidentally tied to [slavery],” he said. “If the logic for banning hoop skirts extended to other social practices, then we ought to ban mint juleps and chewing tobacco, both of which also became popular during the Antebellum.”
http://downtrend.com/brian-carey/university-of-georgia-groups-ban-racist-hoop-skirts-that-arent-racist
