Yale University is in turmoil after a series of emails about culturally insensitive Halloween costumes. Some students there are protesting what they say is a hostile environment for students of color.
The controversy at Yale began when a dean sent out a pre-Halloween letter asking students to be mindful of offensive stereotypes and “cultural appropriation” in their costumes, and cited not only blackface but also war paint and turbans as things to avoid. Erika Christakis, associate master of Yale’s Silliman College, responded with an email questioning the climate of “censure and prohibition” and defending young people’s right to be “transgressive.” She suggested that anyone offended by a costume could either choose not to look or engage the wearer in dialogue.
All of that, let to this young lady, reading Master Nicholas Christakis the riot act, as you can see below.