o, what’s a coastie?
Chances are until this fall, most folks, even in Madison where the term appears to have originated, would have told you it’s one of two things:
Anyone not from around here.
Or, a privileged East or West Coast transplant, often a woman of a certain look: black tights, Ugg boots, oversize sunglasses and sporting a Starbucks cup.
Now a song and music video out of Madison suggest she’s all of that, and Jewish, provoking debates in and out of the classroom over stereotyping, anti-Semitism and the boundaries of humor.
Most of the Jewish students interviewed for this story said they find the tune and video “What’s a Coastie” by UW-Madison undergrads Cliff Grefe and Quincy Harrison – who are not Jewish – harmless and funny.
But some are offended.
“The song went too far,” said Nicole Halpern, a 19-year-old sophomore from New Jersey who describes herself as “technically a coastie.”