Weird Discrimination Claims Dis Purported Victims

Excuse me for descending to slang, but Merriam-Webster Online’s definition of dis (variant, diss) — “to treat with disrespect or contempt” — demonstrates that it is the best word to use in discussing increasingly weird claims of discrimination that reflect a disrespectful, contemptuous opinion of the alleged victims.

At the University of Virginia, for example, the hallowed, sanctified, often praised but often ignored University Honor Code has been described as racially discriminatory because a “disproportionate” number of minority students have been found to violate it. (See here and here.) Similarly, as at virtually (probably literally) all other selective institutions, the argument that applicants for admission or employment should be evaluated by the neutral, colorblind principle “without regard” to race, ethnicity, etc., is now widely condemned as racist.

How can it be good for a group to claim, or for its erstwhile friends to claim, that it cannot be expected to meet the same standards of honor and academic accomplishment as everyone else? (Note: this question does not apply to claims that the honor code, though formally and facially colorblind, is applied in a discriminatory fashion.)

Today’s Cavalier Daily reports a more frivolous example of the same kind of self-dissing claim of discrimination.

A dress code implemented by Jaberwoke, a restaurant and bar located on the Corner, has generated debate in the University community as some claim that the new stipulations discriminate against certain racial groups.

The dress code, established last semester, prohibits hats without brims, baggy clothing, sweatpants, plain white t-shirts and camouflage unless worn by a member of the Armed Forces.

Additionally, under a behavior code, customers may be asked to leave if they do not tip, are not respectful of other customers or do not follow instructions given by Jaberwoke’s staff.

According to Anderson McCluer, co-owner of Jaberwoke, the Virginian and West Main, the dress code has been created to improve the quality of customers’ experience at the restaurant.

“The main idea is to make the Jaberwoke a nicer place to go,” McCluer said. “The quality of the Corner has been increasing for a while now, and our belief is that the expectations of our customer base have been increasing.”

McCluer said he hopes the dress code will promote good behavior within Jaberwoke….

“I don’t think a person’s ethnicity is defined by their clothing, but their personality may vary well be indicated by dress,” McCluer said. “What we are talking about here is not ethnicity or race, we are talking about behavior and personality.”

The response has been nothing if not predictable.

Second-year Law student Gabriel Walters, president of the American Civil Liberties Union chapter of the Law School, said Jaberwoke’s new dress code reminded him of a case in Norfolk, Va. where the ACLU of Virginia has filed a suit against Kokoamos Island Bar, Grill and Yacht Club for prohibiting costumers who have braids, twists, cornrows or dreadlocks in their hair.

“The policy itself and the items of clothing listed may be racially neutral; however, the intent of the policy is suspicious and I think that the application of the policy may very well be race specific,” Walters said.

….

“The biggest issue that I saw in it is that it doesn’t directly affect different ethnic backgrounds but it does imply such, especially with baggy jeans and white t-shirts” said Greg Thompson, former president of Alpha Phi Alpha, a historically black fraternity. “It does not seem to take into consideration the cultural traditions of certain clothes.”

Add good manners and presentable dress to the list of things that it is racist to expect of minority students. There was, however, one promising comment.

According to Rebecca Glenberg, a representative from the ACLU of Virginia, the difference between prohibiting hairstyles versus a dress code is that clothing can be easily removed while hair is a part of a customer’s body.

“We think that dress codes are fine as long as you apply them across the board,” Glenberg said.

What’s this? Could there possibly still be some faint, residual belief in neutral, colorblind equality lingering in the recesses of the liberal mind, perhaps in a collective unconscious buried so deep that it has not been erased by the politically correct devotion to racial preferences of the past generation or so?

I hope so. But if not, the national office should tell Ms. Glenberg to watch her language. If she doesn’t, uninformed observers might mistakenly assume the ACLU still believes in racial equality.