I am absolutely going to tell you that there was some uniqueness to the derby party: it was their desire to have a Derby party, just like it is your desire to write back on this message board. Furthermore it is a tradition to have a derby party and they are at liberty as Americans to do whatever they choose and desire to do, but those freedoms are being infringed upon. These people are fighting, irrationally, for something that does not actually hurt them in any shape or form. Being offended is NOT a rational complaint, it is a selfish complaint. If you are offended you remove yourself from the situation until you are no longer offended. If you go home at night and you are still offended by a party being thrown across town... you are an irrational person.

I am a germaphobe. People at Woodstock did not shower for days and it makes me gag just thinking about how they relieved themselves during the festival. Hell they didn't even have those disgusting port-a-potties back then.

I am highly offended by the filth of this microaggression of having a Woodstock themed party. Shame on these girls for not thinking about germaphobes before changing the party to the Woodstock theme. I think they should all apologize to my fellow germaphobes, be expelled and the sorority immediately disbanded without a hearing.

I don't see it as some sort of awful capitulation. I just see it as a pattern that we've been seeing lately where a group is given special consideration simply because of political correctness. If a group of non-minority students complained that the Woodstock theme was offensive, I doubt the theme would have been changed. By the way, I have less of a problem with a sorority giving in on this type of thing, than I do when the school administrators give in on these types of things. I think school administrators have a responsibility to treat all students fairly. There should not be special privileges for certain groups. Nowadays it seems that when certain groups complain about anything, no matter how ridiculous, the administrators cave in for fear of being labeled racist otherwise.

By the way, I have to admit that if I was being harassed by bullies over something ridiculous, I would probably cave in too. For example, if every time I wore a blue shirt, there was some psychotic person who screamed at me and told me they hated blue shirts, I would probably stop wearing blue shirts if I knew I was going to run into that person. The reason I would give in is because it simply would not be worth it to have to put up with the harassment. Who wants some crazy person screaming at you? It wouldn't matter to me that their grievance wasn't legitimate, I would just want to avoid the headache.

I think it is quite possible that the sorority was doing the same thing. And if that is the case, I think it is understandable. I don't like the idea of bullies forcing people to do something through intimidation, but I guess as long as the intimidation is legal, there's nothing anyone can do about it. You just have to make a decision as to whether it's worth it to stand up to the bullies. Sometimes it is just easier to give in and avoid the headache.

let me see if I can manage to generate some empathy for Dartmouth sorority girls.....

eh....nope

Danzig, it appears that the right to choose to NOT have a Derby-themed party, as the sorority members did by a near unanimous vote, is not part of their own liberty.

i equate this, roughly, to my wife telling me she doesn't like the shirt I'm wearing, an old fav of mine, just before we go out. I can't understand her objection to this green shirt (I know better than to say it's irrational), but I'm willing to switch to blue. She'll be happier, and I'm pretty sure I'll be just as happy with the blue shirt. My green shirt may have been "unique" in the narrowest definition of unique, but it's not unique in its ability to be a perfectly fun shirt to wear.

Changing a sorority party theme from Derby to Woodstock has about the same significance.

Exactly. Regardless of the point they are trying to make, which in theory is rather ridiculous, I have a tough time believing that a Dartmouth sorority is really the source or point of origin where something like this should be even take with a grain of salt. A private institution that probably charges 65K a year for students to attend.

The kids probably have the same party with a different theme and are drunk by 2 pm regardless. Such a brutal sacrifice they have made. Instead of drinking cheap bourbon they drink cheap vodka and beer, put a tie dye and some hippy beads on. Tremendous sacrifice these kids have made. Music will probably be better though

Good lord. I maintain that some of the dumbest people I have ever met were my 5 years :):) attending a similar institution

So none of you would have a problem with Churchill cancelling the Derby if the same group demanded the Derby be cancelled on the same basis that they wanted this party cancelled?

wait...there were protests a year ago, so the sorority voted to change their stupid invitation only party...and I'm supposed to worry that Churchill downs will do the same as a group of chicks at Dartmouth?

Is it me or is the point of this being missed?

It's not you. They are totally missing the point. The obvious point is that this is another case of political correctness running amok. This has become a pattern nowadays and it seems to be getting worse. The people who make these demands keep moving the goal posts too. When their demands are met, that is never the end of it. A short time later, they will demand something else.

The thing that many people don't realize is that most of the people making these demands are professional victims. They are unhappy people and they're not really sure why they're unhappy. So in this particular case, they found a reason to be unhappy. They are unhappy because they are offended by the theme of the party. Next time, it will be something else. they're just blowing off steam. It's totally misplaced anger. They will always find something to complain about. The girl in my friend's building was like this. You would be mistaken to take her complaint about the Christmas tree literally. She wasn't really unhappy about the Christmas tree. She was unhappy, period. It had nothing to do with the Christmas tree. She was always complaining about something. If she wasn't complaining, you'd have to assume she was under the weather.

I would love to follow up on the group that complained about the Ky Derby party. I would bet anything that they have complained about several other things and will continue to complain about a number of issues. There are people out there like this. If they're not complaining, they wouldn't have anything else to do. In addition, when they get their way it just encourages them to come up with something else to complain about.

Yup, I dont even know about this case but your points are spot on.

You guys do realize the protest was last year, that it was in regards to racism in general because of the many police stories? That only a few protesters decided to protest at this sorority? That the members decided to make a change based on their own beliefs, not because of the protest last year? You might want to read the story linked in the daily caller article, rather then just going by that piece.
Because it sounds to me that the sorority had close to a year to think all this over, and 96 percent said make the change. Was it due to the protests, or just part of a larger picture? I think its the latter.....
And no, i didnt miss the point that some are trying to make....because i think that is not the point of what happened.

They are professionals at getting their own way and have been doing so their entire life. Thank their helicopter parents for that. It is not so much that they are unhappy but they need to get their own way. I am not even sure deep down they give a **** about getting their own way in this scenario. It is a game to them

No they won't. From the final line of the article Danzig linked to:

"KDE is currently under social probation by the College, and this year’s Woodstock event will be dry."

Article about THAT:
http://thedartmouth.com/2016/02/02/c...-suspends-kde/

Thanks for linking to the Dartmouth article. While I am still offended by the misunderstanding of the use of "antebellum" in regards to the origins of the Kentucky Derby, it's less easy to see it as KDE being "forced" to change their theme, when it looks like the sorority did it under their own initiative.

And I also get Dunbar's point, that for a group of college students who likely have no actual interest in horse racing, that the theme of an annual party is not the hill they want to cry on. I think they just want to dress up and whether they wear fancy hats or love beads is immaterial to them.

:tro:
yeah, antebellum is a term that many apparently think means 'old south'. not quite. nor is the derby antebellum....but, good luck getting that out there. (when lady antebellum hit the scene, I asked....why would a band name themselves lady before the war? have yet to get an answer)
I think after last years various protests, they had a year to consider what they wanted to do going forward, and decided a change from what's been done for years is called for.
but some people don't like change at all, so we get breathless panicky articles, that don't even accurately report what the story was.

I think the real point is...why is this thread that has nothing at all to do with racing in the paddock? and how it is apparent that the Kentucky derby is racist at that?

The Jimmy Winkfield Memorial Party begins 2017 I will invite all the appropriate NY Congressional reps for a picture opportunity. Calling Silvia's to book the date once NYRA announces the date.

Laugh now, but all its going to take is a slight amount of attention to this story and then suddenly they will be targeting the actual Derby itself. And don't think it couldn't happen.

and......
just saw that lady antebellum has been chosen to sing the anthem at the ky derby.
amazing.