The popular club night Fuzzy Ducks, which takes place every Wednesday at Wahoo, has attracted condemnation from members of the Oxford Activist Network after running the theme night ‘Country Estates and Council Estates’.
Alice Nutting, a member of the Oxford Activist Network and a former JCR equalities officer, told Cherwell, “Club nights like these breed a circus culture of casual snobbery. They play on cheap stereotypes, implicitly mocking people from low income backgrounds and ridiculing their supposed lifestyles. This is terrible from an access perspective and could easily alienate students at this university who are from council estates themselves.”
Nick Evans, a postgraduate student at Wadham and a member of the Oxford People’s Assembly and the Oxford Activist Network, also commented on the insensitivity of the event.
“This celebration of class division is especially offensive in a city dominated by an elite university, and yet in which twenty two percent of children live below the poverty line. In some areas nearly half of children live in poverty. This is set to get worse as we have just seen homeless support, adult social care and funding for children’s services slashed by the county council.”
The management of Wahoo nightclub stated, “All events, themes and content are discussed in advance and the Management team advise on the potential impact these may have with respects to the site specific and Mandatory Licensing Conditions.
“The theme ‘Country Estates and Council Estates’ is an established annual event that has been in operation for several years without cause for concern or complaint from the authorities and/or any other interested party. We will review its inclusion in the events calendar over the next academic year after your comments.”
“Please rest assured that neither Wahoo nor Fuzzy Ducks wish to cause offense or harm to any individual or demographic.”
