The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    acanuck's picture

    Hey, Queen's University PC Nazis: Sumo suits are not racist instruments of oppression

    By acanuck on Mon, 03/29/2010 - 9:38pm | Sports, Social Justice

    The Alma Mater Society at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., has just cancelled a campus fundraiser for a local foodbank. The problem: the event would have involved students donning sumo suits and wrestling each other. A few similar events have already been staged at the university. Here are photos:

    http://www.pbase.com/parpho/image/119537016

    Good harmless fun, it appears, but no! The Alma Mater Society (hereinafter called the nutjobs) suddenly realized the event would "devalue an ancient and respected Japanese sport, which is rich in history and cultural tradition." Huh? Who gives a fuck? Suppose people had been invited to wear hockey uniforms and stage mock fistfights? Would that devalue an ancient and respected Canadian sport? What if it did?

    Here's the National Post story, and the nutjobs' grovelling apology for their "wrongdoing." (Yes, that's the word they chose):

    http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=2740807

    http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/posted/archive/2010/03/29/sumo-suit-apology-letter-the-full-text.aspx

    Two things: First, if you're going to be politically correct, this event is obviously more insulting and offensive to fat people than it is to Japanese ones.

    Second, there is plenty of real racism and real oppression in the world, hurting real people in real ways. That the nutjobs chose instead to go after the imagined abstract slight to sumo aficionados shows they haven't a clue as to how this world works. What about the people who rely on that foodbank? They're chopped liver?

    This is the same university whose administration last year appointed six "dialogue facilitators" to roam the campus to eavesdrop on conversations and steer them in politically correct directions. Seriously, true story. Nutjobs, every last one of them. Their only redeeming quality is that they have a fairly decent football team.

    End of rant. Thanks for listening.

    Topics: 
    Sports
    Social Justice

    Comments

    Queen's College colours we are wearing once again,
    Soiled as they are by the battle and the rain,
    Yet another victory to wipe away the stain!
    So, Gaels, go in and win!

    Chorus:

    Oil thigh na Banrighinn a'Banrighinn gu brath!
    Oil thigh na Banrighinn a'Banrighinn gu brath!
    Oil thigh na Banrighinn a'Banrighinn gu brath!
    Cha-gheill! Cha-gheill! Cha-gheill!

    Varsity's not invincible, they tremble at the news
    Of Queen's College Colours and are shaking in their shoes.
    Yet another victory, the chance we dare not lose.
    So, Gaels, go in and win!

    Chorus: Oil thigh, na Banrighinn...

    McGill has met defeat before, they've heard the same old tale
    Of Queen's College colours, boys, the ones that seldom fail,
    Remember Captain Curtis and the conquerors of Yale,
    So, Gaels, go in and win!

    Chorus: Oil thigh, na Banrighinn...

    There may be other colours to the breezes oft unfurled,
    And many another college yell by student voices hurled;
    Queen's College colours are the dearest in the world,
    So, Gaels, go in and win!

    Chorus: Oil thigh, na Banrighinn...

    What's the sport of Kings?
    Queen's! Queen's! Queen's!
    Oil thigh na Banrighinn Cha-gheill! Cha-gheill! Cha-gheill! 
    Oil thigh na Banrighinn Cha-gheill! Cha-gheill! Cha-gheill!
    Yay Queen´s!

     

    (Other than that, I'm right with ya acanuck!)


    by quinn esq on Mon, 03/29/2010 - 10:58pm

    When your school's song specifically derides its sporting rivals, you know you are dealing with serious inferiority issues. Still, I fondly remember game-day chartered train rides to Queen's. That was a long trip (and the return trip seemed even longer), but fortunately beer was available for purchase onboard to pass the time.

    Our school song was considerably more truncated, probably unauthorized, and called into question the paternity of our founder, James McGill. I seem to recall the Redmen beating the Golden Gaels repeatedly and decisively.


    by acanuck on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 2:32am

    When your school's song specifically derides its sporting rivals, you know you are dealing with serious inferiority issues.

    As an alumnus of Georgia Tech, I disagree. Here's part of one of our school songs (White & Gold):

    So then it's up with the White and Gold
    Down with the Red and the Black
    Georgia Tech is out for a victory
    We'll drop our battle axe on Georgia's head, CHOP!
    When we meet her our team will surely beat her
    Down on old Georgia's farm there'll be no sound
    When our bow wows rip through the air
    When the battle is over Georgia's team will be found
    With the Yellow Jackets swarming around.

    Here's a part of another school song (Ramblin' Wreck):

    Oh, if I had a daughter, sir, I'd dress her in White and Gold,
    And put her on the campus, to cheer the brave and bold.
    But if I had a son, sir, I'll tell you what he'd do.
    He would yell, "To Hell with Georgia," like his daddy used to do

     

    (Georgia refers to the University of Georgia - the only team we have to beat in a given year for our football season to be considered a "winning" season.)


    by Nebton on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 9:30am

    O, proudly rise the monarchs of our mountain land,
    With their kingly forest robes, to the sky,
    Where Alma Mater dwelleth with the chosen band,
    And the peaceful river floweth gently by.

    Oh never mind. It's a stupid song.


    by Michael Wolraich on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 1:26pm

    Wow. That sucks HARD.


    by quinn esq on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 1:50pm

    I'm confused. Who dragged Williams College into this? (That passage comes from "The Mountains" which is their alma mater song. Google knows all.)


    by Nebton on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 2:02pm

    That would be my proud alma mater. I thought it was college fight song show-and-tell.


    by Michael Wolraich on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 4:11pm

    QED, Neb.


    by acanuck on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 3:58pm

    I know this is just a personal blog, but you should know that the whole Intergroup Facilitators project (which you referred to as dialogue facilitators) was nothing like the media portrayed it. It was never their job to eavesdrop on conversations or steer them. They were meant as a resource for people in residence who might want to talk about race and racism. They hosted a few events, such as film screenings, and tried to encourage people to talk about race and become comfortable with the concept and each other.

    I think this story here represents another instance where media involvement and scandalization is being used to create a sensational story when the reality is... a lot less.... news worthy.


    by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 1:58am

    I'm aware the National Post is a right-wing rag that loves to skewer political correctness, so I considered the possibility of distortion. That said, I've read the AMS's letter of apology, and it was clearly written by stupid people.

    Why does Queen's (both administration and students) appear so determinedly inept at dealing with issues of race and racism? I haven't read about actual incidents of serious racism on campus (though they may exist), but I keep hearing about these bungled attempts at misplaced sensitivity. What the hell is the school's problem?

    As for the facilitators, after the initial flap over the program, outside experts were called in, and I believe their advice was that it was a bad idea. It was dropped.


    by acanuck on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 2:21am

    First and most importantly, Queen's won the National Championship THIS year. McGill... didn't. (As well as having won more Championships historically.) "Put on your old Queens sweater, the dirtier the better, and we'll all....."

    That said, Queens always had a strong class/income thing going - and it has a real difficulty in that it's located in a smallish, whitish, city. Namely, Kingston. Which is great for many things, but it doesn't provide a sea of worldly possibilities, the way a McGill or UofT or UBC might. It also traditionally produced a lot of powerbrokers, and takes their kids - not sciences so much. In short, Canada's white power structure has some deep roots there.

    Which meant, for me, in the 70's/80's, it was pretty much 100% white. Truth was, people like me - poorer whites - were the oddities on our floor, in my classes.

    So I'm glad they're working to change the racial aspect, that's great. That they would at times be a bit cackhanded about it is also not so surprising.


    by quinn esq on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 10:31am

    I was careful, quinn, to acknowledge the one good thing Queen's has going for it. And thanks for reminding me of "Put on your old Queen's sweater, the dirtier the better ... ."

    Much better than the official version you quoted earlier.


    by acanuck on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 4:07pm

    For the dagblog poster boy shot, can I wear a sumo suit?

    I picked one up, cheap.


    by quinn esq on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 4:59pm

    Anecdote warning. Forgot to add that the AMS are - in one of those surprising historic constants - ALWAYS complete and utter tools. Vain little political turds. And they were politically correcting in the most offensive ways even 30 years ago.

    But as long as you didn't know any of them, you were fine - they were harmless. They could whine and they had a mimeo machine, but their power extended to the door of their office. Sadly, I knew them personally.

    So.... you can imagine about how politically correct I was 30 years ago, aged 21. Thus, I became their poster boy -- for how NOT to think, talk or walk.

    I know you'll be as surprised as I was that things degenerated.

    The final scene included me walking into their office, flipping the President's desk on its back, and threatening the entire staff that if they said or did XY or Z again, I'd beat them senseless. Physically. Not with words and stuff. I was fairly direct in those days.

    Their response? Nothing more was heard. A pretty massive win for redneck tactics.

    Thought this'd amuse you, acanuck... Wink


    by quinn esq on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 10:53am

    Do y'all even get enough sun to turn your necks red? I thought that was a Southern thang.


    by Nebton on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 11:10am

    And today, quinn, you've matured into dagblog's poster boy (for much the same things). The AMS would be so proud.


    by acanuck on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 3:56pm

    Personally, any post that breaks Godwin's Law in the headline gets a thumb's up from me.


    by William K. Wolfrum on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 11:27am

    It doesn't break Godwin's Law. It validates it.


    by Nebton on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 11:32am

    Damned Godwin's Law Nazis.

    Personally, I prefer Godwink's Law.


    by William K. Wolfrum on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 11:50am

    I initially wrote it as "PC morons," then decided I was unfairly smearing actual morons.


    by acanuck on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 3:57pm

    While you raise some valid points, I'd like to point out that the AMS will be using the money from renting the suits to give as a donation to the food bank.  And secondly, we won nationals in football - that's a lot better than fairly decent.


    by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 03/31/2010 - 3:29pm