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The rugby captain at one of Britain's most ethnically diverse universities has been forced to apologise after inviting students to an 'English party'.
Fellow students accused Timothy McLellan of racism after he sent out an invitation to the event, promising 'no bongos, shisha pipes or Arabic music'.
The backlash was so severe that he has emailed more than 3,000 students at the School of Oriental and African Studies admitting the poster was 'naive and ill-conceived'.
The law student said he was only trying to make a joke out of the fact so many social events at SOAS, part of the University of London, had ethnic and multicultural themes.
In his email Mr McLellan, 20, said: "The aim of the poster was not to alienate or discriminate but rather to express that this party was, unlike most SOAS events, going to have a more mainstream vibe.
"The choice of the word 'English', which I now regret, was not intended to mean that it was a party for white English students but was rather intended to express that the party's vibe reflected England's mainstream culture, which in itself is not racially exclusive.
You couldn't write stuff better than this.....Orwell would be proud. Total 1984-style insanity.....but, I'm afraid. not one bit surprising. It would be wise for all of us here to stop for just a moment and ask ourselves, "How does something like this come to pass? Is it some sort of mass psychosis? Have they all gone crazy? (or, as they'd say. "mad")? Could it possibly happen here?----
Very disturbing. Good for a movie plot, but not a bit happy in real life. A society and a culture that once reigned supreme and explored the far ends of the world, bringing science, representative government, and a sense of democracy and decency to half the world, now reduced to a pitiful self-loathing joke.....
Yep its about as sad as the man that was convicted of revving his engine in a racist way in the u.k i just hope america never gets that bad...we need a revolution as it is now anyways.
So no one has a problem with this line: "...promising 'no bongos, shisha pipes or Arabic music'."
If there was simply a problem with him having an "English Club," I'd agree the outrage is silly. But it seems to me that the outrage is over how he promoted the club, and the impetus behind it (which seems exclusionary to other cultures which have since assimilated into English culture).
So no one has a problem with this line: "...promising 'no bongos, shisha pipes or Arabic music'."
If there was simply a problem with him having an "English Club," I'd agree the outrage is silly. But it seems to me that the outrage is over how he promoted the club, and the impetus behind it (which seems exclusionary to other cultures which have since assimilated into English culture).
Am I reading this incorrectly?
OK, Anchorless, here goes:
Admittedly there may have been an "ornery streak" in the remarks---I didn't get deeply into the story. If so, however, I still think it reflects on the tremendous cultural gulf between the relatively rare western liberal democracies and their deep sense of guilt and need to accomodate everyone else, and the normal "default" cultures of most of the world, which, of course, as a matter of policy, promote themselves, and thereby discount others. This, to me, is the "crux" of the story---an ongoing, heated argument about the "meanness, hurtfulness, and unkindness" of promoting ENGLISH culture in ENGLAND (!!). Such an uproar would ONLY occur in a liberal western society, and nowhere else.
If, as you say, these "other" cultures were annoyed because of certain snide references, the question then becomes--"As an Arab--or a Pakistani--or a West Indian, in Great Britain, are you British, or are you not? If you are British, as you say, then how is it you are offended by the relatively mild disparaging remarks made toward other, non-British cultures? Surely these are NOWHERE as hateful as are heard in many cultures around the world toward "outsiders".
"If, on the other hand, you still identify strongly enough with these non-British cultural features, to the point that these remarks OFFENDED you, then it seem to me that you aren't truly British, after all."
That, at least, is how I see it. These folks are determined to have their cake and eat it, too---to be British, and yet not British, according to the "whim" of the moment. We're not talking about hatred or mistreatment or genocide here, we're talking about some very mild remarks. If THIS causes offense, I'd say somebody needs to grow up. The British, on their worst day, don't even approach the xenophobia that's a standard part of many "respectable" cultures all over the world. They just accept the criticism better, that's all......
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