Ames Is Trying to Emulate Iowa City

The city of Ames seems to be doing their very best Iowa City imitation. Iowa City, or as conservatives like to affectionately call it, the People’s Republic of Iowa City is a progressive bastion of politically correct thought thanks to the University of Iowa. The University of Iowa was recently rebuked by a federal judge for kicking a Christian student group off campus. They have also recently mischaracterized Iowa’s fetal heartbeat abortion ban that is currently being challenged in state district court.

Somebody needs to tell Ames that this is not a contest. They will not be outdone.

Exhibit A: The Ames Public Library will host “Camp Drag.”

The library’s public calendar description says:

Camp Drag is a series of workshops for families with children in grades K-5 and teenagers in grades 6-12! The goals of this workshop are to:

• Provide interested young people with a unique opportunity that isn’t offered elsewhere in the community to learn the art of drag performance, including history, culture, and skills.
• Provide youth with an age-appropriate venue in which to learn about and experience drag.
• Allow youth to explore the diversity of drag performers and performance styles.
• Help youth develop self-confidence and self-expression.

In order to make this a meaningful experience for our youth, we are looking for experts to be instructors during one or more sessions of Camp Drag. If you are interested in being an instructor, please complete our online Instructor Application.

Provided in partnership with Ames Pride and Renegade Arts Collective.

Presentation of a program does not constitute the Library’s endorsement of the content or views expressed by participants. If your organization is interested in presenting a program, please visit bit.ly/APLprogram. 

I don’t know what parent in their right mind would send their kid to this, but I can think of healthier and sane ways for kids to develop self-confidence and self-expression.

Exhibit B: The Tree of Oppression at Iowa State University

The Iowa Federation of College Republicans gave me a heads up about this.

Last fall Iowa State University’s student government approved funding for a “Tree of Oppression” proposed by the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

The Iowa State Daily reported:

The aim of the “Tree of Oppression” being to “represent the macro- and micro-aggressive interactions marginalized students experience under institutionalized systems of oppression each day,” according to the legislation.

The micro- and macro-aggressions would be represented via plastic chains.

$1000, according to the Iowa Federation of College Republicans, was authorized by the student government. This money comes from compulsory student activity fees that students have to pay. Students, some of whom, may object to this type of politically correct nonsense.

The Ames Tribune also reported on the “Tree of Oppression.”

Juan Bibliani, vice-president elect of the Student Government, said the group will likely pick a date to put up the chains at their meeting next week. The chains are scheduled to stay up for the rest of the current academic year, and through the 2018-19 academic year.

Bibliani said the chain colors don’t represent anything specifically. Instead, the chain-weaver chooses what each color corresponds to part of their identity. The range of identities vary between gender, race, national origin, mental health status and more.

Oh brother. Also, just a note, the “Tree of Oppression” is located somewhere other than the free speech zone on campus which was in 2016 renamed “Agora,” a Greek word that refers to a public gathering place, because of the “confusion” the term “free speech zone” caused since the entire campus is supposed to be a place of “free expression.”

Not so much confusion as a change of heart after the blowback Iowa State University received.