As a frat chapter out of Carleton University marched down Ottawa’s streets with saffron slogans on their shirts stating “Fuck Safe Space,” all it took was one snapshot ricocheting around the social media stratosphere for student frosh leaders to start pleading ignorance in its wake.
By the way the media circus paraded through the digital domain, you would’ve thought the local Hells Angels clubhouse had rounded up the soccer moms for a romp. The big fear was that the clothing would promote sexual harassment and homophobia. Taking in all the incensed media coverage of the perpetrators’ ‘on-campus brouhaha,’ it seems to have had the opposite effect.
Thankfully, today’s political climate can’t stand anything so blatantly bigoted, and incidents such as these only strengthen and entrench politically correct notions.
A reign of political correctness dominates the social landscape. People are quick to censor both themselves and others, out of fear of offending any ethnic, gender, theological, or ideological group with a voice in the wider public.
These notions can be applied to Jeremy Clarkson, leading presenter of the British car show Top Gear. A leaked video of him allegedly slipping the ‘N-word’ into a recital of Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe led to the TV persona’s public persecution. Speculation then circulated around his prophesied lay-off by the BBC.
“I was mortified by this [. . .] it is a word I loathe, and I did everything in my power to make sure that that version did not appear in the [transmitted] program,” said Clarkson, in an apologetic statement.
This is the sensitized climate of today. As the world circle expands, there is suddenly more open space to join new hands; minorities rush from the sidelines and the benches toward an accepting society.
On a national level, the LGBTQ community has been openly accepted by the upstanding members of society. The critical reception that Macklemore’s single “Same Love” received during Youtube’s Pride week demonstrates this encouragement. Young adult fiction has seen an increase in novels with a gay cast of characters; the bandwagon rocks with the next artist trying to reach out to the LGBTQ community. Gay is not just okay; it is hip too.
Rape culture is a harder pulse to put a finger on, with frat boy culture hanging like a fog of ether above university campuses. This issue is not funny, even when guffaws and chortles follow high-fives after a chauvinistic remark. Date rape drugs and boozy gangbangs are the nightmares haunting female students when dating or attending a party. None can deny the whiplash that occurs when a woman cries “rape!” Jock-shaming action is undertaken, and can be very bloody indeed.
This does not rule out the existence of these doomed bigoted clowns altogether. But they are a closeted minority, largely a moronic Beavis and Butthead goon squad, or an underground network of eunuchs from the old socially correct regime, still humping their misogynist, racist shrines.
This shirt incident, heightens awareness of politically correct notions — the Breakfast Club world where everyone can be accepted. Student campaigns and media sensationalism contribute to a firmer stand against future heretics in the ranks.
Already, the witch hunt has started against the frosh leaders, the torch-bearers. The institutional bloodhounds are out and they do not fuck around when it comes to family values.
