EDITORIAL: Costume nonsense

Halloween is almost here, a time when people of all ages can step out of their shells a bit, pretend to be somebody they’re not and generally just have a good-natured fun time. Unless, of course, they’re on a college campus.

As the Washington Examiner’s Ashe Schow reports, the University of Florida posted a memo to students earlier this month discussing the “harm” that arises from certain Halloween costumes.

A portion of the memo read: “If you choose to participate in Halloween activities, we encourage you to think about your choices of costumes and themes. Some Halloween costumes reinforce stereotypes of particular races, genders, cultures, or religions. Regardless of intent, these costumes can perpetuate negative stereotypes, causing harm and offense to groups of people.”

Furthermore, the university said it will have resources including 24/7 counseling to any students “troubled by an incident that does occur.” And of course, as Ms. Schow wrote, “students can tattle on their classmates to the school’s Bias Education and Response Team, which seeks ‘to educate those that were involved, and to provide support by connecting those that were impacted to the appropriate services and resources.’ ”

If this is how college students are being coddled for purported offenses, is it any wonder that the rate at which those students are seeking counseling is skyrocketing at campuses across the country? The Wall Street Journal’s Andrea Petersen reported this month that Ohio State has seen a 43 percent jump in the past five years in the number of students being treated at the university’s counseling center. At Central Florida, the increase has been about 12 percent each year over the past decade. At Michigan, demand for counseling-center services has increased by 36 percent in the past seven years.

No one should discount those who truly need help, nor those who provide it. But there is no getting around the fact that some of the root causes stem from students, parents, college administrators and faculty believing that no one should have to hear or see things they find objectionable. On the contrary, college should be a place where assertions are challenged. And Halloween costumes should be among the least-challenging issues a student would have to overcome.

And let’s not forget the Constitution here, either. The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, warned its students about cultural appropriation with regard to Halloween costumes, to which media law attorney Mark Weaver tweeted: “And I’m warning this public university about the First Amendment.”

Precisely. No one has the right to never be offended. Better college kids learn how to deal with such issues like the adults they purportedly are, to better prepare for the real world beyond the ivy walls, where every day is Halloween in one way or another.