Oregon State cancels 'wear black' promotion
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- A sea of orange filled Reser Stadium at the first home game of the year for the Beavers, the first installment of an Oregon State plan to flood the stadium with fans dressed in school colors.
"The university and the athletic department was hoping to encourage attendance and support our football game," said Steve Clark, vice president of university relations, "so certain games wear orange attire, two games wear black attire.
OSU printed "wear black" and "wear orange" on some football tickets, posters and on the athletic website to coordinate colors.
But the "wear black" days aroused concerns.
"This community is not ready for having a blackout Reser or a wear black day when students don't realize wearing black could be really culturally insensitive," said Amelia Harris, president of the Associated Students of OSU.
Harris is referring to an incident back in 2007 which led to protests outside Reser Stadium. During a student campaign called "Blackout Reser," some students wore black face paint and afro wigs.
"Even if I wear black makeup and I don't think its harmful or racist, that doesn't mean someone won't take it very seriously," Harris said.
After hearing student concerns, the athletic department decided to end the promotion.
Students have mixed feelings.
"I think it's kind of silly," said freshman Carly Januzzi.
"So we're taking pride that we're actually doing well this year, and saying that they're no longer behind us - it's kind of like ... why?" asked sophomore Sarah Folytn.
The Ducks game on the 27th is "wear black" day. I never for a moment thought it meant . . . BE black. The only problem I had was that BLACK is not a Duck color - it is, however, a Beaver color. This is totally ridiculous.
Well, I tell you, I'm incensed when they wear ORANGE face paint.
I mean, how culturally insensitive can YOU PEOPLE get?
@Mikey seriously. My oompa loompa heritage is strongly offended by them painting their faces orange. *cries*
What about those that are offended by the color orange or those deathly affraid of beavers. The combination of the two will certainly lead to a lawsuit.
This is to much! If black is part of the schools colors-who cares if it hurts someones feelings.
As the days go by, there seems to be less freedom in this country due to the liberal agenda.
 @sortbait What a tool.
gimme a break...
Couldn't they all wear cute little beaver tails?
 @jpk Oh, but they'd have a lawsuit by "Friends of Beavers" for belittling their physical shape.
Come on, Mikey, I said nothing about wearing beaver chompers!
Holy !#$%. So now wearing black is considered racist? Please, government, send me photos of the clothing you want me to wear. But make sure the mannequins do not denote any identifiable race or ethnic group.
 @Nobody except that the mannequins may be an insensitive depiction of our politicians.Â
*facepalm*
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So now in our uber-politically correct universe, we have to watch what colors we wear for fear of offending someone?
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'take offense' is an active verb. As in, those who might be offended have to do something.Â
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Ya know, the beaver might be offended by the use of his likeness as a football mascot. Better change it to the Oregon State University trees.... Of course, then we might offend trees....
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What about all those fake n bake girls that are orange... how is an orange out not offensive to them???
I wonder if someone would take offense if I where to go white for a day? Even though I'm white.
"Even if I wear black makeup and I don't think its harmful or racist, that doesn't mean someone won't take it very seriously," Harris said
Someone, somewhere will take offense at anything someone does. It happens. Get over it. The world doesn't run the way you want it to. Get over yourself.
what happend to freedom of speech?Â
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 @Robert Goldfuss You tell me, they stopped a promotion... I think they have the freedom to do that, even if it is for a silly reason.
Political correctness run amuck......AGAIN!!!!
Well lets see- there must be some color that doesn't offend somebody:
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Red: Native Americans
Black: African Americans
White: Euro-Americans?
Orange: Irish Catholics
Green: Irish Protestants
Purple: Anti-Easter Bunny crowd
Yellow: Asians
Pink: Anti-gays, anti-feminists
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Maybe blue?
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Must we be so serious?
Blue would offend the smurfs amongst us!
How about Plaid? No that would not work you'd just tick off Loggers or Red Necks.
@al_02 dont forget gold. that might offend poor people.Â
why is every single thing we do now either racist,intolerant,discrinatory...why even go out of the house...geez
""Even if I wear black makeup and I don't think its harmful or racist, that doesn't mean someone won't take it very seriously," Harris said."
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Great - we should probably never do anything that someone will take seriously.. heaven forbid!! Where do these idiots come from?
Wear black anyways beavers. Protest the protester. They are idiots in this case
A friend of Mine and I did that one day. We made up signs that said"Honk If you Hate Protesters" and" We are Protesting the Protesters". Less then 10 minutes after setting up across from war protesters we were asked to move along or be arrested. Charge was going to be Protesting without proper permits. Let me tell you it was well worth it while it lasted.
PC gone amok! I wonder if Snooki and other orango-americans were offended on the "wear orange" days?
 @Ifishsum Reading that "orango," I was trying to figure out how to pronounce it - and into my head popped orango-tang!
Next up: Whites declare full rights to all white copypaper, Blacks declare sole rights to all black ink, and nobody is getting any work done while the Asians claim the sunshine for themselves, Native Americans get the dirt - and everything grown in or touching it, and we're all just waiting for the Smurfs to hurry up and grab the sky before those green Martians get here.
"some students wore black face paint and afro wigs." naw nothing insensitive about that
Considering many OSU students wear orange face paint on "wear orange" days, no I don't see anything insensitive about that, except people that like to get upset about things that have double meanings, when the spirit meaning wasn't the one they thought it was.
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now about the afro comment, I can understand an issue there. However, keep in mind that it was the reporter, not a person being quoted, as the one who called it that. But, remember there are fuzzy wigs in colors from orange to black to rainbow. Seems to me I've seen OSU folks wearing orange wigs, so again - where's the problem with that, unless you insist on taking the wrong meaning of the double meaning?
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Personally, I think this is really silly & an overreaction.
 @OSUx2 Umpa Lumpa's might take offense!
My gawd....... The athletic department has sheet for brains Black is one of the school colors, this is pathetic.
So minorities have the complete rights to a color? If I see a minority wearing white I should act indignant and offended? This is stupid.