A vote to avoid applause sparked ridicule, but the practice is not new and helps those with sensory issues

Such was the furore this week over the story of Manchester University students voting to replace clapping with silent “jazz hands” that it caught the attention of Jeb Bush, the brother of the former US president George W Bush.

In among the near universal derision, was an unexpected tweet from Bush: “Not cool, University of Manchester. Not cool.”

It was a reminder of an excruciating moment in his doomed campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 when he had to ask his silent audience to “please clap!”. However, the fact that Bush was even aware of the situation in Manchester reflects the extraordinary level of global interest in the story.

Cary Cooper, a professor of organisational psychology and health at Manchester University, said the story fed into the popular media narrative of “snowflake students” – young people who are privileged, politically correct, and desperate to “kowtow to every tiny minority”.

Cooper made clear he did not agree with the stereotype but admitted he was baffled by the move. After talking to the students, he said: “It’s about being sensitive to others, and trying to get good political debate rather than the raucous, aggressive behaviour we tend to see in debates.”

The story erupted on Tuesday after a motion was passed at the students’ union to encourage the use of British Sign Language (BSL) clapping rather than audible clapping at a limited number of democratic union events, in the interests of students with autism, sensory issues or deafness.

“We are not banning audible clapping,” said Sara Khan, the union’s access and liberation officer. “We understand that some people may be more comfortable to continue using it – but we are keen to make our events more accessible and inclusive for all.”

Piers Morgan led the charge against the move. “Britain’s losing its mind”, the TV presenter tweeted, prompting a deluge of calls and emails to the students’ union from, among others, the Sydney Morning Herald, Fox News, the New York Times and LADbible.

Khan and her colleagues are far from the first to encourage BSL clapping. Apart from its use in deaf and autistic communities, since 2015 it has been policy at the National Union of Students, where it has repeatedly been the subject of ridicule, especially when linked with feminists.

It was adopted by the Occupy movement as part of its sign language to try to communicate effectively with large crowds of protesters (they called it twinkles); it’s also used by some Buddhist monks and in many classrooms to keep children calm. Elanora Heights public school in Sydney, Australia, attracted ridicule when it introduced silent cheers to better accommodate pupils who are sensitive to noise.

In contrast, Morrisons was generally lauded when it introduced quiet shopping from 9-10am on Saturdays.

Daniel Cadey, from the National Autistic Society, said: “Around 700,000 people are on the autism spectrum in the UK. Morrisons’ Quieter Hour is a step in the right direction for autistic people who find supermarket shopping a real struggle.”

Some US universities favour “snapping” (clicking your fingers), as pointed out in a New York Post article headlined “Prissy college students declare war on ‘triggering’ applause”.

It quoted the Brown University student Cara Dorris, writing in 2013 in the Brown Daily Herald, who claimed the practice began during Beatnik poetry readings, then spread to the occasional jazz club and improvisational performance. “Now it even occurs during academic discussions … When people hear an idea they agree with, they will start to snap.”

Vivian Hill, the course director for educational psychology training at the Institute of Education, University College London, said she was unimpressed by the coverage of the Manchester story. “The response in the media was to adopt the position of exasperation at ‘whatever will the politically correct sector ban next’.

“They certainly didn’t cover the inclusive position of the student union particularly well as it would expose their ill-considered response, that reflects the intolerance of the dominant culture.”



Manchester students seemed bemused by the fuss. “There has been a lot of misreporting in the media,” said Harveen, a 19-year-old biotechnology student. “They didn’t want to ban clapping, they just wanted to make [events] inclusive and friendly, so everybody can take part. It’s a nice initiative.”



Nico, 23, who is learning BSL, was also supportive. “Obviously, my general opinion is I feel like there are bigger issues and it’s not worth all this controversy,” she said. “If it makes life easier for some people to change it, then change it.”



Others were not so positive. “It’s a bit OTT, isn’t it?” said one 18-year-old. “It’s only clapping. Maybe if it was shouting and screaming or really rowdy behaviour then I’d understand it more.”

His friend (they both asked not to be named) said: “The world has gone mad. What about blind people? I’ve never heard of anyone having an issue with clapping.”

Piers Wilkinson, who is the NUS disabled students’ representative, is on the autism spectrum and has an auditory processing disorder. He said loud clapping was “like having a shell going off right next to your head – it’s incredibly painful”.

He said of the Manchester decision: “It’s not a huge thing – to just not clap. It’s the most reasonable action that can be taken to include disabled people. It’s disheartening to see the general lack of awareness of it.”