Cambridge Students Raise Controversy Over Preparations For Opulent End-of-the-Year Party
Across the pond, a swirl of controversy has arisen from student preparations for an Empire-themed ball, which is set to be held at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, on June 14, 2009. (As an aside, John Harvard is an alumnus of Emmanuel College). The Emma May Ball is one of several ‘May balls’ held annually or biennially by colleges at Cambridge University, which function similarly, but in expanded capacity, to residential colleges at many American universities.
On the ball’s website, which has a suitably empire-like theme to it, organizers say this year’s event
takes as its inspiration the Victorian commonwealth and all its decadences. Travel with us to the Indian Raj, an emergent Australia, and the West Indies. See for yourself the hedonism of 19th Century Hong Kong, the sweltering rainforests of Sri Lanka and the beautiful cliffs as you sail around the Cape of Good Hope. Last, but by no means least, journey back to the jewel in her majesty’s crown: the Great British Isles themselves. On Sunday 14th June, in the glorious grounds of Emmanuel College, we invite you to experience the Pax Britannica and party like it’s 1899.
One must be skeptical of any college event that promises to transport you to the the “sweltering rainforests of Sri Lanka” and “around the Cape of Good Hope”, but rumor has it that Emmanuel College throws a terrific party; would certainly hope so at £106 per ticket – or $151 USD. The night’s festivities include a long list of musical acts, as well as copious amounts of ethnic food and booze, from locales that formerly composed the British Empire.
Because of its theme, the event has been decried by some as making light of Britain’s oppressive colonial past. One individual interviewed by the Daily Mail said, “Colonialism is associated with repression and exploitation and slavery. We are not thin-skinned but you have to draw the line somewhere. For a leading university like Cambridge it is amazing how ignorant some people can be.”
Really, though, it appears that protesters are making a big deal out of nothing. It seems to be just good ‘ol fashioned college debauchery to us – albeit substantially fancier than your run-of-the-mill Ivy League frat party.
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February 17th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Actually, the colleges at Oxbridge and the residential colleges at most American institutions are world’s apart.
February 17th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
The jewel in the crown was India. The Isles were the crown.
But still, this sounds incredible; I’m jealous. Even better, though, would be an English-Summer-of-1914-themed ball.
February 17th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
cost of this event isn’t much more than they typically are. i think the real concern is that the ball celebrates the british empire which hardly was all strawberries and champagne.
but, whatever.
February 17th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
So IvyGate never updates, but the one time it does it writes about a non-Ivy League subject? Lame.
February 18th, 2009 at 2:28 am
“Really, though, it appears that protesters are making a big deal out of nothing.”
And I suppose a party in an American college set in a Gerogia plantation promising Southern decadence would be perfectly acceptable
February 18th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Pericles–agreed. There’s something rather messed up about revisiting “the past glories” of an empire that all but enslaved millions from China to the Caribbean. I’ll just chalk it up to the same spirit that moves members of the oh-so-relevant royal family to dress up as Nazis. Guess that’s what inbreeding and poor dentistry leads to.
February 18th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
To the victor go the spoils, ladies and gents. Imperial Britain was the shit, and there is not a single historical empire without human rights infractions. That is the price of conquering anything. Expanding Pericles’ logic, we shouldn’t celebrate any American holidays based on events prior to the 1860s… or the 1960s, for that matter. And that would be silly. So stop being overly sensitive, consider the actual motives of the people throwing these parties, and let Cambridge have its fun.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
“there is not a single historical empire without human rights infractions. That is the price of conquering anything.” yeah, no shit. maybe that’s why conquering any”thing” shouldn’t have happened at all. I’m sure you’d have a different opinion if your ancestors were sold into slavery or impoverished by a foreign power.
February 19th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
“And I suppose a party in an American college set in a Gerogia plantation promising Southern decadence would be perfectly acceptable”
Old South!! At every fraternity!
February 19th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
That should read, “every KA fraternity!”
February 20th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
That’s kind of the point. If you DON’T conquer, you GET conquered. In an ideal world, sure, everyone would stick to their own “original” territory (whatever that means), but that’s not how it works. Had my ancestors been on the wrong end of the system, I would be no less imperialistic… I’d simply wish they’d beaten their oppressors to the punch.
February 24th, 2009 at 1:11 am
WTF? Is this America? Is this the Ivy League?
No? Then who gives a fuck. Britain became 2nd world relative to America circa 1800.
Please…Please…Please don’t resort to oxbridge when you cant find any ivy news. make up news instead. just make it entertaining.
February 24th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
@Penn ‘10… “Britain became 2nd world relative to America circa 1800″? Bullshit. It was only after WWI that anybody started giving a shit about the USA, and only after WWII that the US superceded the British Empire as the world’s most important superpower (with the USSR). America was a backwards shithole for most of the 19th century (which many parts still remain, in comparison to most European countries – you would never find places as backwards as some places in the US (not just the South and the Midwest, but even places in the Northeast – suburbs in NYC, most of Connecticut, slums in Philly etc…) anywhere in Western Europe. People at Penn should learn some history.
Besides, so what if Emmanuel College wants to throw a BE party. Yale tried to throw a Gone With the Wind Party this semester (but it was vetoed)… Even so – a swinging ’60s party? The US was abusing human rights in Vietnam, assassinating people in South America etc… This country has abused the human rights of and killed more people than the Empire ever did, it has continued to impose what it sees as its way of living life on most nations out there (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1woMJkjZJY4&feature=PlayList&p=21C1E15A0FA775FE&playnext=1&index=14 for an example of this) and so on…
So maybe we shouldn’t throw any parties… But that would be stupid. Anyhow, Oxford and Cambridge parties and May Balls are better than any Ivy party – they are wilder, have better music and are generally more fun. Every year we have a mindless Spring Fling at Yale which is just a massive waste of money on artists who come and play promo sets… Great.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
“In an ideal world, sure, everyone would stick to their own “original” territory (whatever that means), but that’s not how it works.”
pace Hitler.
March 3rd, 2009 at 2:04 am
Sounds like a boss party. Wish I were there.