Plan B Forum

A Mexican restaurant has been banned from handing out free sombreros to students because the publicity stunt was branded 'racist' by university officials.



Pedro's Tex-Mex Cantina, a Norwich restaurant, gave the hats to University of East Anglia students at a freshers' fair in the city in a bid to drum up business from the student population.

But officials at the students' union, where the fair was held last week, took the sombreros from students and ordered the restaurant to stop giving them out because they thought it was offensive for non-Mexicans to wear them.

The union said it breached an advertising policy sent to stallholders, which said: 'Discriminatory or stereotypical language or imagery aimed towards any group or individual based on characteristics will not be permitted as part of our advertising.'

The policy specifies 15 types of discrimination, some of which include colour, ethnic origin, and nationality.

The union said the sombreros were seen as racist and a form of 'cultural appropriation'.

One first-year student told student newspaper The Tab: 'It's ridiculous – it's a comedy hat, not some sort of sacred religious dress. Who is going to get offended? Speedy Gonzales?'

Joe Guy wrote:It's a gay caballero conspiracy and it's been stopped in its tracks by the estudiantes unidos.

Gob wrote:

[Mexican Hat Dance]

'It's ridiculous – it's a comedy hat, not some sort of sacred religious dress. Who is going to get offended?

MajGenl.Meade wrote:Sue, U kidding, right? When Gob and I grew up in the UK (well, in his case I used "grew up" loosely)(and he did)... as I was writing... when we did, Alan Sherman was a radio staple. 'Hello muddah, hello fuddah" was really big, as was the Hat Dance and the 12 Gifts of Xmas

oldr_n_wsr wrote:Were any Mexicans consulted on this?

Sue U wrote:

I had no idea he was an international hit. I would have thought he was strictly an American thing, and more particularly for the nerdier/East Coast Jewish audience (like me ... we had all his records when I was a kid; my Brooklyn nieces have them now). I never heard him on the radio until much more recently -- and then only "Hello Muddah."

When I played in a parody lounge act, we referred to ourselves as "the bastard spawn of an unnatural liaison between Allan Sherman and Spike Jones."

TPFKA@W wrote:Dr Demento was the reason for knowing about Sherman

rubato wrote:He was a big hit on the Rez with "take an indian to lunch" and often played on Dr Demento in LA starting 74-75-ish? when Barry Hansen switched to an all-novelty format.

• Two, four, six, eight, who do we tolerate?
  Indians, Indians, rah, rah, rah!