Saturday, March 28, 2009

The "Distasteful" British Empire

A leading college at Cambridge University has renamed its controversial colonial-themed Empire Ball after accusations that it was "distasteful".

Unveiling_War_Memorial_Royal_Visit_Ottawa_1939_MargaretFultonFrame
The King & Queen unveil the War Memorial, Ottawa, 1939 by Margaret Fulton Frame

The £136-a-head Emmanuel College ball was advertised as a celebration of "the Victorian commonwealth and all of its decadences".

Cool: Students were urged to "Party like it's 1899" and organisers promised a trip through the Indian Raj, Australia, the West Indies and 19th century Hong Kong.

Yawn: But anti-fascist groups said the theme was "distasteful and insensitive" because of the British Empire's historical association with slavery, repression and exploitation.

Sigh: The ball Committee, led by two extremely weak-kneed and politically correct presidents, Richard Hilton and Jenny Unwin, dutifully announced the word 'Empire' would thus be removed from all promotional material.

In any event, Padre Benton speaks, and so do I.
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3 comments:

  1. BillyDMarch 19, 2009 at 3:51 PM

    Wait - didn't the British Empire play a leading role in wiping out slavery?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lord BestMarch 20, 2009 at 1:51 AM

    Yes, but you can not mention that in polite society, it is not correct to do so.

    ReplyDelete
  3. StauffenbergMarch 20, 2009 at 9:13 AM

    Which is why it is fun to do so, occasionally, and enjoy the faces do-gooders are pulling almost immediately...

    ReplyDelete