SOMBRERO

Undergraduates at Sheffield University were banned from wearing costumes deemed politically incorrect on Halloween. Included in the ban, were Sombreros. Posters were put up around the campus to warn students, who, if caught wearing such clothing, were to be challenged by security staff. The news site The Tab stated: ‘My culture is not your costume.’

Ross Tully, the student union’s women’s officer said: ‘We have produced these posters reminding you this Halloween to consider whether your costume mocks or demeans another person’s race, culture or disability.’

Students were angry. Alex Garcia wrote on Facebook: ‘As a Mexican I can legit say fuck this shit.’ Another student asked: ‘Will leprechaun hats [be banned] on St Patrick’s Day?’

The ban was announced following advice from the National Union of Students (NUS), critical of insulting costumes. The NUS stated: ‘This Halloween we went everyone to check and double-check their costume to avoid the exploitation and degradation of others. Don’t let Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, Transphobia and Ableism be the real Horror this Halloween.’

The standard response to this type of nonsense is to dismiss it as ‘political correctness gone too far’, ‘or political correctness gone mad’, or even ‘political correctness gone stark raving bonkers’. Such a response completely misses the point.

Despite public hostility, political correctness continues to spread, and the creed’s believers continue to invent new forms of supposed offence and/or prejudice and/or hate. True believers are undeterred by ridicule.

A part of the reason for this zealotry is the logic of it, that the ridicule misunderstands. If Mexicans say that they are not offended by Sombreros being worn, that does not mean to say that the politically correct are wrong. Far from it. They cannot be wrong. The allegations they make, as they choose to believe, stem from scientific analysis. Their proclamation that wearing a Sombrero is racist etc, has been scientifically proved. Therefore they cannot be wrong.

If Mexicans do not accept that wearing Sombreros at a fancy dress party is racist etc, then this merely proves the extent of the false consciousness that they are suffering from. Even when the politically correct point out that wearing a Sombrero is racist etc the Mexicans cannot see it. This means, for the politically correct, that EVEN MORE political correctness is needed. The Mexicans and others need to be forced to accept the racism etc of wearing a Sombrero.

This is the mentality we are up against.