The Goldsmiths row about chicken shops is ridiculous – PC students seem to be calling for a new kind of ghetto

We’ve become accustomed to reading the words “student freshers’ week” followed by a description of someone comatose in a gutter wearing half their clothes. That’s ancient history. Last week, in Canterbury, police were still issuing advice to students – telling them to “stay safe” – but the truth is that most students today are far better behaved than their parents. The police would do better telling my generation to behave responsibly.

Of course, the odd young daredevil still indulges in anti-social behaviour, but most 16- to 24-year-olds think getting drunk is “pathetic”. The latest statistics reveal that this age group are less likely to drink than any other adults – and only one in 10 see it as “cool”.

When asked about their sexual orientation, a third say they are gay or bisexual, but most say it’s “not important”. Contrary to popular opinion, they are considerate and extremely anxious not to cause offence.

In my day, protest and outrage was the name of the game – these days you might think that political correctness has gone too far and is stifling freedom of expression.

New Cross in south London is home to Goldsmiths University, an institution surrounded by a rich mix of ethnic and white working-class homes. Last week, a tour of local fast food outlets was condemned by some students as “patronising”. The students’ union had set up a trip for freshers, billing it as a “chicken run” – a good way of financially supporting the community. Che Scott-Heron Newton (daughter of the famous jazz musician and poet) was outraged, claiming the trip was a “gross exotification of local working-class culture” and “a disgraceful joke”. She added, in case we hadn’t got the message: “I am beyond disgusted and appalled.”

The union issued a statement justifying their actions while the chicken shop staff told journalists that students were a big part of their business. Plus, the “chicken run” had been led by black and ethnic minority officers, with “gender-neutral toilets” en route – but even that news didn’t placate the dissenters, who were ranting that the event could lead to “diverse students not wanting to attend Goldsmiths”.

South-east London is a relatively poor area, so why not put money into local shops and cafes? Is a white pound worth less than a black pound? Being overly politically correct has become a way of life for some lily-livered individuals – and this storm over friend chicken marks a sad chapter in the history of Goldsmiths, which has hosted some of Britain’s most talented artists, from Damien Hirst, Gary Hume and Sarah Lucas to Sam Taylor Johnson, all taught by the grand master of British contemporary art, Michael Craig Martin.

The college has never had any problem “blending in” with the locals. Some students today are so determined to be “inclusive” that they forget the point of being young is to challenge stereotypes, not create more rules and boundaries.

At a National Union of Students conference recently, whooping with joy or approval was condemned because it might “exclude” some people (presumably the ones with hearing difficulties) and might “trigger anxiety” in others. FOR GOD’S SAKE!

At Oxford, some students were advised earlier this year that avoiding eye contact might be construed as “racist”. You could laugh or you could weep.

As a hard-up student in central London, I ate in greasy spoons and survived on takeaways, feasting on cheap meat like stuffed heart and liver and chips. I grew up in a working-class area, but I don’t recall any fish and chip shop or pie and mash cafe owners complaining when middle-class people placed their money on the counter.

At my college, there were a lot of boys who had been to public school, a few black and brown people, a few women and a few (like me) who had been through the state system. There were ex-army officers’ and diplomats’ offspring. Amazingly, we all managed to study without a class war, or anyone getting offended.

South London is enriched by the presence of Goldsmiths University and I am sure that the students draw inspiration from their surroundings. This pseudo-row reminds me of another debacle a few years ago, when some students in California complained that white women should not wear their hair braided because it was “appropriating” black culture.

Chicken shop rows are totally spurious – most of the inhabitants of south London go about their business, doing the best they can to make ends meet. They don’t have the time or the inclination to worry about whether white people eating fried chicken is good or bad for the community.

We live in a blended world, and that’s a very good thing. Next I’ll be asked to apologise for spending five years of my life living with someone of Jamaican heritage. It seems like Che Scott-Heron Newton just wants a new kind of ghetto, where only the right kind of people can gain admission. It’s called Hell.