Upcoming Taboo Tuesdays
Nov.18
Dec. 2
Sex, politics and religion are just three of the things regularly discussed at Taboo Tuesdays, a twice-monthly forum hosted by MOSAIC.
At the meetings, Peer Advocacy Leaders, or PALs, introduce controversial or "taboo" topics and allow students to discuss their own opinions about the issues. PALs are also students of the university.
Tonight's topic is Depression Misunderstood and will cover misconceptions and stereotypes about depression.
Chelsea Smith, a junior community activism and development major, is one of the Peer Advocacy Leaders running the meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. in the Student Center, room 302.
"It's going to be a touchy topic but that's what Taboo Tuesdays are for," Smith said.
One October meeting focused on whether revealing Halloween costumes are demeaning to women. The PAL leading the group, Janie Fulling, a sophomore Telecommunications major, opened the discussion with a video clip from the movie “Mean Girls” and encouraged the attendees to share their opinions on it.
Some of the things they discussed throughout the hour were why women’s costumes are so revealing, why women choose to wear such costumes and how gender plays a role in Halloween celebrations.
Natalie Richardson, a freshman biology and pre-med major, attended Taboo Tuesday for the first time in October. She said that discussing social issues is important because sometimes people just accept things the way they are.
Richardson also said that talking about these issues helps reinforce her own beliefs on the subjects.
“I think [Taboo Tuesdays are] helpful because they give a new perspective to someone who is ignorant about [a] topic,” Richardson said. “[They] also force someone to reevaluate their own position and how to explain it to someone else.”
Tonilee Meter, a junior Speech-Language Pathology and Spanish major and a PAL, said that these meetings help students become more aware of social justice issues.
“Taboo Tuesdays provide a safe listening and learning environment for students to talk about things that are ‘taboo’ and frequently discouraged to discuss in our society,” Meter said. “Our hope in facilitating these difficult discussions is that students will be able to listen and learn from each other, creating greater intergroup understanding and awareness, and promote change through that.”
MOSAIC is a campus organization founded in fall 2013. Its main purpose is to host workshops to educate and inform students on campus. The workshop topics include human trafficking, disability awareness and gender issues. Taboo Tuesdays are a new event for this semester.
Fulling said MOSAIC helps students step out of their comfort zone and learn more about the world.
“It's easy to get in a bubble in college - to stop keeping up with the news, to use language that's offensive without thinking about it … to distance yourself from social justice issues in college,” Fulling said. “Through MOSAIC, we strive to get students to break out of their bubbles and challenge their own ways of thinking in regards to the rest of the world.”
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