Oxford dope party called off over ‘cultural appropriation’

AN OXFORD college has been forced to cancel its “cannabis themed” party amid accusations of “cultural appropriation”. The entertainment team at Mansfield College planned to host a bop on Friday where students were encouraged to dress up as their favourite “stoner icon”.

In an email to undergraduates, they explained that the party would be “4/20” themed to commemorate the “internationally recognised day of protest for the legalisation of Marijuana” on April 20.

Students were told: “4/20 is not about the consumption of da herb itself, and more about the arts, music, and literature surrounding it; it’s a celebration of a rich culture including everything from hippies to Hip-hop, from Seth Rogan to the Dude.”

The email encouraged “all you (plant) pot-heads out there” to “dress as stoner icons like Snoop Dogg, Todd from Bojack, Shaggy from Scooby Doo, Harold and Kumar – or even the Super Troopers”.

The entertainment team advised students: “If you’re white, don’t try to go as Snoop Dogg or Bob Marley. Blackface isn’t cool”.

However, the theme provoked students who felt that it could lead to “cultural appropriation”.

One undergraduate said that the college’s elected welfare representatives were also concerned that the event would be “exclusionary”.

“Anyone who might have negative experiences of drugs or addiction might be affected by it,” the student told The Daily Telegraph.

The entertainment team later apologised for their “significant mistake”, as they told students that the cannabis theme had been dropped.

The university declined to comment.