A word on Hallowe’en
Oct. 31st, 2009 02:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sparkindarknessI’ve been following a few blogs and something has hit me in the face with sheer obviousness which really really really should be a no brainer for all - but every year it happens.
Racist costumes. Really really offensive, insensitive and down right ridiculous costumes. Every shop has them this time of year - you can be a Mexican bandito! A Japanese Geisha (or Ninja or Samurai)! A Native American brave/squaw/princess. Never mind that they’re grossly inaccurate stereotypes. Never mind that their portrayals are ridiculously offensive. It’s Hallowe’en, why shouldn’t you appropriate the culture and identity of often marginalised people?
Frankly, it reeks of white privilege. To take someone’s identity, someone’s culture and turn it into a hollow, fake costume for shits and giggles is so self absorbed that it should be stunning if it weren’t so typical.Really, would people blackface for Hallowe’en (actually, don’t answer that, because I’m pretty sure some ignorant, self-centred fools would and those “Tighty Whitey” costumes come damned close)? Scrap that, apparent;y people WOULD blackface for Hallowe’en. *headdesk*
Get a clue. Go dress up as an elf or superhero or playboy bunny (though, again, there’s another rant about how 90% of every costume for women out there can be summed up as “stripper-dressed-as” which is fine if they want to dress so - but where’s the choice?), go dress up as Nixon or Blair or your favourite cartoon character. But don’t appropriate, diminish and assume the identity of a culture or people for a night of lols. Really.
Some other people talking about the same thing. Clicky and see, some of these costumes boggle me in their vileness. (ETA: Oh look a blackface costume. Ye gods.)
http://whebrhotub.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-identity-is-not-costume-for-you-to.html
http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/10/29/racist-halloween-costumes/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114199552&sc=emaf
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/politically-incorrect-halloween-costumes/
(Oh dear gods. Hitler, KKK, blackface, Illegal Alien, 9/11, Wigger, Gaylien? WHAT THE HELL WORLD?)
http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2007/11/18/us-immigration-enforcement-finally-preaches-what-it-practices/
http://stuffwhitepeopledo.blogspot.com/2009/10/suddenly-get-interested-in-non-white.html
http://www.racewire.org/archives/2008/10/before_you_wear_that_racist_ha_1.html
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/sexist/2009/10/28/how-to-inform-a-friend-their-halloween-costume-is-racist/
http://www.parentdish.com/2006/10/23/outrageous-halloween-costumes-arab-suicide-bomber/
Racist costumes. Really really offensive, insensitive and down right ridiculous costumes. Every shop has them this time of year - you can be a Mexican bandito! A Japanese Geisha (or Ninja or Samurai)! A Native American brave/squaw/princess. Never mind that they’re grossly inaccurate stereotypes. Never mind that their portrayals are ridiculously offensive. It’s Hallowe’en, why shouldn’t you appropriate the culture and identity of often marginalised people?
Frankly, it reeks of white privilege. To take someone’s identity, someone’s culture and turn it into a hollow, fake costume for shits and giggles is so self absorbed that it should be stunning if it weren’t so typical.
Get a clue. Go dress up as an elf or superhero or playboy bunny (though, again, there’s another rant about how 90% of every costume for women out there can be summed up as “stripper-dressed-as” which is fine if they want to dress so - but where’s the choice?), go dress up as Nixon or Blair or your favourite cartoon character. But don’t appropriate, diminish and assume the identity of a culture or people for a night of lols. Really.
Some other people talking about the same thing. Clicky and see, some of these costumes boggle me in their vileness. (ETA: Oh look a blackface costume. Ye gods.)
http://whebrhotub.blogspot.com/2009/10/my-identity-is-not-costume-for-you-to.html
http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/10/29/racist-halloween-costumes/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114199552&sc=emaf
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/politically-incorrect-halloween-costumes/
(Oh dear gods. Hitler, KKK, blackface, Illegal Alien, 9/11, Wigger, Gaylien? WHAT THE HELL WORLD?)
http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2007/11/18/us-immigration-enforcement-finally-preaches-what-it-practices/
http://stuffwhitepeopledo.blogspot.com/2009/10/suddenly-get-interested-in-non-white.html
http://www.racewire.org/archives/2008/10/before_you_wear_that_racist_ha_1.html
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/sexist/2009/10/28/how-to-inform-a-friend-their-halloween-costume-is-racist/
http://www.parentdish.com/2006/10/23/outrageous-halloween-costumes-arab-suicide-bomber/