Offensive Halloween Costume

[SunnBass]

Offensive.
Cultural appropriation is a no-no for sure.

 

[30yobass]

 

[Sixgunn]

You should really take a cultural sensitivity class.

With all due respect, that just sounds ridiculous.

 

[Ratbut]

Social Justice? I'm an "Old White Guy" so I pretty much get blamed for anything bad these days. The last time I dressed up for Halloween it was in the 80s, I went as a giant bong. The costume was a huge hit, but when the cops showed up I had a hell of a time trying to run away.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Humorous, joking and stereotypical costumes are as expected a part of Halloween as "offensive jokes" are at a comedy club. You seem very eager to excuse those offensive jokes and parodies you enjoy, but quick to condemn those that you don't. Why are you putting the comedian in a privileged position over the party-goer in this case?

Why are you trying to make this about me? This has nothing to do with me or what I perceive to be offensive. We as a society have said cultural and racial stereotyping is inappropriate, I did not make this call. The costume in question would most definitely be deemed stereotyping. As I said earlier, if you don't believe me go find a Mexican or Latino cultural or heritage society and ask them. The fake mustache and pinata are way over the top.

If you do not see how a comedian is on a different platform than the average person I am not going to be the one to enlighten you.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

With all due respect, that just sounds ridiculous.

Spoken like a person thoroughly enjoying their white privilege.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Social Justice? I'm an "Old White Guy" so I pretty much get blamed for anything bad these days. The last time I dressed up for Halloween it was in the 80s, I went as a giant bong. The costume was a huge hit, but when the cops showed up I had a hell of a time trying to run away.

A pun worth repeating!

 

[Rob22315]

As a social justice scholar who studies gender, sexuality, race, and class I can say in no uncertain terms that dressing up as a mariachi band is racist. There are a million other ways you can go to put together a band costume without resorting to essentializing an entire culture to one stereotype. Someone mentioned in a post that context is important, but I have to disagree. There is no time when it is okay to indiscriminately appropriate aspects of another culture in a disrespectful manner because you think its funny: a lesson that was learned a little too late for certain college fraternities who have been excoriated nationally for throwing Bloods and Crips, USA vs Mexico, and Colonial Bros and Nava-Hos parties. Whenever people don cherry picked signifiers of other cultures, all it ends up doing is illustrating white privilege and dominance by turning other cultures into caricatures.

Regardless of any of what I said above, I think the fact that you are uncomfortable with the idea is a pretty good indicator that you should do something else.

As a sane member of society, I say in no uncertain terms that PC is out of control. In no way is the act of dressing up in clothing representative of another culture disrespectful or essentializing an entire culture to one stereotype nor is it intrinsically disrespectful by itself. You've decided to add the other assumptions and characterizations to what could be a completely reasonable or explicitly respectful set of circumstances.

Asking the question isn't an indication of discomfort either.

 

[cfsporn]

Social Justice? I'm an "Old White Guy" so I pretty much get blamed for anything bad these days. The last time I dressed up for Halloween it was in the 80s, I went as a giant bong. The costume was a huge hit, but when the cops showed up I had a hell of a time trying to run away.

Your bong costume was a hit

Thank you for bringing some levity to this heady discussion.

 

[GBassNorth]

Offensive.
Cultural appropriation is a no-no for sure.

So, in fact, you're saying I can't own or play one of these???
Guitarron

Because its directly associated with specific cultures of which I'm not a member.
Come on, "Cultural Appropriation" - loose the feel good PC lingo and say what you really mean. Chances are I'd probably agree with you but I'm so sick of this PC phrase creation game that attempts to categorize people into evil little groups.

 

[Sixgunn]

Spoken like a person thoroughly enjoying their white privilege.

Bad assumption, my friend. I get along with people from all walks of life and I didn't need a class to know how to.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

I seriously laugh out loud at the ridiculous "social justice" whiners when it comes to things like this...

Is a pinata or a mustache something degrading or insulting to their culture? It's not like they are giving themselves dirty, crooked teeth or making themselves smell bad or something else universally seen as bad or insulting...so it's nothing degrading, but it HAS TO DO WITH THE CULTURE WHICH IS WHAT THEY ARE CELEBRATING.

My latino friend and coworker dressed as a Scotsman last Halloween, it was a great costume (very authentic!) and it looked fantastic. Why in the world would I be offended by him in a kilt wearing a funny hat? He wasn't going out making degrading remarks in a Scottish accent, and even if he did I'd still think it was funny.

My question is: if we need a line, where do we draw that line? Does somebody have to be a certain percentage of an ethnicity to dress up as it? Am I forbidden from dressing as a German since I'm French, Scottish, and Native? Am I Native enough to wear Choctaw clothing and not be considered offensive?

People these days get offended by everything, seriously just chill the F out and learn to live with free speech and expression.

 

[ajschnitzelbank]

Social justice and feminism are two very misguided (and ironically selfish) movements. They should largely be ignored.

This is really upsetting to me. Not only are people who devote their lives to social justice, like Martin Luther King Jr, César Chávez, Betty Freidan, personal heroes of mine, they are true American heroes.

Who the heck is this guy to say such a thing? Is this pure trolling? Are you trying to get the goat of someone like me? Didn't you realize how offensive such a remark would be? Or do you not know what social justice and modern feminism are?

 

[cfsporn]

Spoken like a person thoroughly enjoying their white privilege.

Hey, just because I enjoy my white privilege doesn't mean I am oppressing anyone. I really like wearing hoodies and am glad I can continue to wear them without being murdered by a trigger happy screw up.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Bad assumption, my friend. I get along with people from all walks of life and I didn't need a class to know how to.

I don't think you understand what white privilege entails.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I seriously laugh out loud at the ridiculous "social justice" whiners when it comes to things like this...

Is a pinata or a mustache something degrading or insulting to their culture? It's not like they are giving themselves dirty, crooked teeth or making themselves smell bad or something else universally seen as bad or insulting...so it's nothing degrading, but it HAS TO DO WITH THE CULTURE WHICH IS WHAT THEY ARE CELEBRATING.

My latino friend and coworker dressed as a Scotsman last Halloween, it was a great costume (very authentic!) and it looked fantastic. Why in the world would I be offended by him in a kilt wearing a funny hat? He wasn't going out making degrading remarks in a Scottish accent, and even if he did I'd still think it was funny.

My question is: if we need a line, where do we draw that line? Does somebody have to be a certain percentage of an ethnicity to dress up as it? Am I forbidden from dressing as a German since I'm French, Scottish, and Native? Am I Native enough to wear Choctaw clothing and not be considered offensive?

People these days get offended by everything, seriously just chill the F out and learn to live with free speech and expression.

So you want us to blame the victims? It's their fault they're offended?

How is it possibly celebrating Mexican culture to show you really don't understand it. Mariachi bands do not carry around pinatas. That is reducing the image to a stereotype, which you are doing so for a laugh.

 

[Sixgunn]

I don't think you understand what white privilege entails.

It's not something that I devote even the tiniest thought to. I'm busy living life, working, interacting with people and making music.

 

[JimmyM]

The mustaches and pinatas are bad form, but I don't think it's too offensive otherwise as long as nobody goes around calling themselves the Frito Bandito or speaking with an overdone Mexican accent.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

It's not something that I devote even the tiniest though to. I'm busy living life, working, interacting with people and making music.

It is something worth looking into for all white people. It would probably help increase your tolerance and understanding when it comes to culturally sensitive issues such as this.

 

[Anachronism]

Why are you trying to make this about me? This has nothing to do with me or what I perceive to be offensive. We as a society have said cultural and racial stereotyping is inappropriate, I did not make this call. The costume in question would most definitely be deemed stereotyping. As I said earlier, if you don't believe me go find a Mexican or Latino cultural or heritage society and ask them. The fake mustache and pinata are way over the top.

If you do not see how a comedian is on a different platform than the average person I am not going to be the one to enlighten you.

Because you're the moralistic hypocrite presuming to speak on behalf of society in order to tell the rest of us what to do.