Canadian University BANS 'Racist' Sumo Suits

The student government at Queen's University in Canada has prohibited use of sumo wrestler costumes, saying they "appropriate an aspect of Japanese culture" and that "the process of putting-on and taking-off a racial identity is problematic."

The National Post reports:

The Alma Mater Society yesterday published a two-page apology and cancelled a food-bank fundraiser scheduled for today, which was to feature two Sumo suits. The letter scolds the student government's own executive for "marginalizing members of the Queen's community" and failing to "critically consider the racist meaning behind [the fundraiser]."

It also vows to discourage other campus groups from using the suits, owned by the school's athletic department.

Alma Mater Society Communications Officer Brandon Sloan told the Queens Journal that the group received multiple complaints about the proposed event.

"It was brought to our attention by students that there were some concerns about this, so we felt it appropriate that the event be cancelled and that we find other ways to raise funds," he said, adding that the AMS will either plan a replacement event or ask students to simply donate money to the Food Centre."

What do you think?

Comments

[RobinSeattle]

09:40 AM on 04/05/2010

Hey, sumo needs some comic relief. A sumo stable owner was recently sentenced to five years in prison for being involved in the death of a trainee and and two others were given lesser sentences. Then you have the various scandals around Asashoryu, the accusations in the weekly magazines that sumo matches have been fixed and the fact that the sport is on the wane in Japan. Compared to all that, the sumo suit thing isn't a big deal.

[SuperRyan]

02:00 AM on 04/05/2010

I would like to ask any Japanese HuffPost readers what they find more offensive:
The Sumo suits that were originally designed in Japan and exported to the rest of the world.
Or
That these overpriviledge white kids think that Japanese people are so easily offended and that Sumo is the end-all be-all of Japanese culture.

[SuperRyan]

01:42 AM on 04/05/2010

After a bit of research, apparently all people involved in this decision are white and priviledged, and the decision came after some people made some posts on the facebook page for the event.
These spoiled brats are looking for anything that they can claim as an accomplishment on their own, and they have little care for who will suffer the most from their decision, those who use the foodbank.
Queen's is also the university that tried to go fully privatized so they could raise tuition so that it would have the same pricing as American ivy league schools. Queen's claimed the effort was made to improve the standard of education (it would not have, since they would still have the same revenues), but most Canadians viewed it as a way to keep the poor out. Luckily the Canadian government told Queen's if they wanted to privatize, they must pay back all monies ever provided to them from the government.
Queen's was one of the most respected universities in Canada, but they are quickly becoming the next University of Western Ontario.

[Skepticat]

05:42 PM on 04/04/2010

In Canada like most other relatively free countries there are always some people eager to ban something on the grounds that perhaps someone somewhere just might possibly potentially be offended by something although the would be offended never seem to be as upset as their imagined defenders.
Although such people gravitate towards committees where they can impose their prejudicial interpretation about what others might think they do not really represent anyone but themselves. I suspect a country like Japan that can spoof it's own sumo wrestlers and does, can get by without the Queen's student council to speak for them.

[glockman]

08:47 PM on 04/03/2010

Oh, good grief...

[kikaidaboy]

08:32 PM on 04/03/2010

Having a strong traditional culture, mixed with a post war distaste for much of what is "old" and reminiscent of imperial times gives the Japanese a very high level of seriousness AND cultural self deprecation. You'd be hard pressed to make more fun of the Japanese than they do themselves.

This is making fun of iconic imagery and overblown formality.
How many Japanese comedians have I seen staging fake sumo tournaments, acting up in Edo period garb, etc etc.
I can see the college itself not sanctioning this, but it isn't appropriation or racism.

[cameron d]

07:14 PM on 04/03/2010

As a Canadian and a hard core liberal minded person even I found this crazy.

[Queens student]

11:25 AM on 04/03/2010

I'm a Queen's University student, and I have to apologize for this apology.

This sort of insanity is propagated by a very vocal minority of mostly white students who seem to be trying as hard as they can to apologize for things they haven't done.

The vast majority of Queen's students are deeply embarrassed by this situation.

[MCJanes]

10:02 PM on 04/02/2010

They're also banning cowboy outfits as it's offensive to Albertans.

[ScreenParty]

12:35 AM on 04/03/2010

LMAO! Good one.

Wait.... you're joking... right?

[climbing panda]

03:10 PM on 04/02/2010

i don't see how these things are offensive and i'm a fifth generation american-japanese. i would like to know the ethnicity of the "complainants". japanese-americans just don't have a history of being offended by ridiculous things like this. we're normally pretty good natured about stuff like this. unless there is some sort of college/liberal indoctrination along the way.

[levitbobby]

02:50 PM on 04/02/2010

Coming from Canada,I apologize for the idiot liberal students at our colleges.

[bigmovieman]

02:37 PM on 04/02/2010

I have a cousin at Queens, I guess i'll have to let her know that I disprove of of her school's "political correctness."

[OnlyIfIHaveTo]

02:13 PM on 04/02/2010

I bet a huge sigh of relief was exhaled after the AMS signed this order.

[EmmaJ76]

12:51 PM on 04/02/2010

Oh come on give me a break!

[greeneink]

12:39 PM on 04/02/2010

What has any of this to do with race? Bias, prejudice, bigotry, fat bias, may be -- but Sumo suits are not race-related.

An "aspect of Japanese culture" is not related to race, and race is not culture-related, it pertains to skin color, black, white, yellow, red peoples. An 'aspect of Japanese culture' is not race-related, it's about ethnicity and culture.

It can be bigoted and prejudicial, but not as it relates to "race." They are not bringing out any aspect of their culture that is related to their "race" or skin color. But these affairs are culturally bigoted and insensitive in some sense.

[CRMurray]

01:14 PM on 04/02/2010

We have a winner!

[climbing panda]

03:06 PM on 04/02/2010

actually, race was, until very recently, a very big aspect of sumo. there were three very prominent samoan sumo wrestlers from hawaii that were being denied the top rank of yokozuna based on their gaijin - foreigner - status. only in 1993 did akebono make it to yokozuna.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akebono_Tar%C5%8D