(In fact, this pinata was not smashed.) MIT graduate students Julia Steinberger and Brice Smith

According to a flyer handed out at the bake sale,

"Most people wouldn't care if someone were smashing a pinata shaped as an intestine-- they'd only think it odd or absurd. But smashing a representation of a dick incites outrage. Why? Could it be that this representation is intimately connected to the patriarchal power structure of our society...?"

Perhaps. However, several Mexican students objected partly on other grounds: that making such a pinata was a misappropriation of Mexican culture. This claim particularly concerned Aimee Smith, one of the organizers, who wanted to insure that no one felt "marginalized or excluded" by it.

After a discussion with the objecting students, the organizing group tried to reach a collaborative decision on the pinata's fate. Meanwhile, the day had gotten late, and the Student Center was nearly empty. In the end, it was decided that the small audience really didn't justify smashing such a difficult-to-construct object.