Campaign against 'racist' Halloween costumes sparks debate

Toronto Sun ^ | October 27, 2011 | Sherry Noik

[Keltik]

Is it OK to dress as an Arab terrorist on Halloween? How about sporting blackface and going as a Jamaican?

A student group in Ohio says no and their campaign has re-ignited the discussion about racism and cultural stereotyping that seems to surface every year when people don costumes for the holiday.

The "We're a culture, not a costume" campaign, by Ohio University's Students Teaching About Racism in Society (STARS), features posters showing students of various ethnicities holding up photos of people dressed as corresponding stereotypical characters like a Geisha girl and a donkey-riding Mexican. The posters read: "This is not who I am, and this is not OK."

"During Halloween, we see offensive costumes. We don't like it, we don't appreciate it. We wanted to do a campaign about it saying, 'Hey, think about this. It's offensive,'" Sarah Williams, president of STARS, told CNN.

[SoCal SoCon]

What happened to “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”?

[ThunderSleeps]

"During Halloween, we see offensive costumes. We don't like it, we don't appreciate it. We wanted to do a campaign about it saying, 'Hey, think about this. It's offensive,'" Sarah Williams, president of STARS, told CNN.

Well then dear Sarah, perhaps you ought to keep your delicate self at home and not answer the door on Halloween. How about this, Sarah? I find your rampant and irrational PC-ness offensive? What do you make of that?

Who ever promised these wimps a life free of being offended? It goes with having common sense and a sense of common decency that some things in this world are going to offend you. Get over it Sarah, and get over yourself.

[Allegra]

is it ‘okay’ ? What we need permission to dress up for Halloween, now?

I, for one, would love to see an uptick in ethnic costumes just to stick it to these lefty little college pukes.

Let's make this the most politically incorrect Halloween ever! :-D

[Trillian]

LOL those are hilarious!

[Shadowstrike]

Oh, she’s just offended because mommy, and daddy didn’t get her the pretty pink Princess costume she wanted as a child.

Get a life.

Or as Charlie Brown would say...”Good grief.”

[wolficatZ]

Red Neck Kit

Funny Halloween Costumes

Description:

Red Neck Kit - Aw, shucks. Looks like yer gonna need our Red Neck Kit! Kit includes the yellow hat with attached auburn mullet and the teeth. Hat says "Rednecks Rule"

Includes:

• hat
• mullet
• teeth

 

[gunsequalfreedom]

Where did thost posters come from? Really good. ROFL

[Husker]

Notice how there are no complaints of the pregnant nun costume?

[gunsequalfreedom]

That’s not a redneck, he’s got long hair.

[FDNYRHEROES]

Are Guy Fawkes costumes allowed?

[MagnoliaB]

What could be more racist than a vanilla ice cream cone?

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/09/man-in-an-ice-cream-cone-costume-mistaken-for-kkk-/1

[left that other site]

OMG, that is HILARIOUS!

[Caipirabob]

Dang! So much for the "White Chicks" idea...

[Caipirabob]

Oh Lord, I do love this forum. I hope I didn’t wake up the entire house laughing again...

[momtothree]

Keltik... well done. That is absolutely hysterical!

[BlueLancer]

In high school, on Halloween costume day, my friend and I won the best costume contest by coming as an organ grinder and his monkey. My friend wore a big "Mario" style mustache, a little "Northern Italian-alpine" style hat with a small feather, big orange suspenders, and "lederhosen" style shorts. We built a little "organ" out of one of those old "Pop-goes-the-weasel" pop up toys that played the song while cranking the handle around, expoxying it to a black-painted 3/4" wooden dowel. I was dressed all in brown .. brown pants, brown turtleneck sweater, brown shoes .. had a little pillbox hat with an elastic strap, and I carried a little tin cup. I had a dog collar around my neck and my friend held the dog lead to which I was attached.

We walked around the hallways during class breaks and he "played" the organ while I rolled around on the floor and danced, holding out the tin cup and raising my little pillbox cap from my head whenever somebody gave us a coin, and then I let let the elastic strap slap it back on my head and we continued on our way.

It was a great time, but I can just see the howls of protest these days ...

[Beowulf9]

"They are currently creating a government costume panel that requires approval of your costume before going out in public ;)" The new Halloween Czar!

[Trillian]

That has to be the worst costume yet. They never follow their own rules.

[redhead]

Bump and ping. Where’s your costume, P_Y? :o)

[W.C.S.]

MOAR

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