Originally Posted By DDMAN26 <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/campaign-against-racially-insensitive-halloween-costumes-filmmaker-funds-154939433.html" target="_blank">http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/tr...433.html</a> Sorry folks but the "old me" is going to come out out on this one. But are you bleeping kidding me? It's Halloween. Insensitive costumes are part of the deal. Seriously all the crap going on and this is what concerns people. This is political correctness gone too far.
Originally Posted By ecdc The problem I have is the story isn't clear on what "limit" means when they talk about limiting insensitive costumes. If we're talking about educating people, fine. More power to them. But banning them at institutions like schools or something - not my thing. Let it happen and let the discussion proceed organically. And what qualifies as insensitive? Are nurses and school girls gonna get mad that women dress up as sexy nurses and sexy schoolgirls now?
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 Zombies are offensive to dead people. Might as well ban them. And if you're going to ban sexy costumes, well that basically means no female is dressing up for Halloween.
Originally Posted By gadzuux How about having your twelve year old girls dressing up as sluts, with fishnets, bustiers, and jezabel red lipstick? I see a lot of that.
Originally Posted By mele Yeah, I'm not sure why women all want to be skanky for Halloween. I've got a 13 year old daughter and some of the costumes out there for young girls do go to far. We saw a 10 year (approx) old boy at Disneyland dressed as a pimp. He was there with his mother who was pushing a female toddler in a stroller. I really wanted to ask her if she thought it would be cool if her daughter had a pimp in a few years but decided against it. I also considered telling her to get the hell off of my lawn.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA It's all subjective isn't it? The Geisha girl doesn't bother me, but I think the 'terrorist' is a bit over the top. I guess it depends where you're wearing the costume. Racial stuff is interesting anyway. Like in the Tiki Room, they still have Jose with his thick, 'Frito Bandito' accent, Fritz and his German 'Burgermeister Meister Burger' dialect, and Pierre who does a terrific 'Pepe LePew' accent (and whistles at the girls, because, you know, he's French, and the French like girls. And yet in the newer musical 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' they have some Chinese stereotypes that are downright embarrassing. Sort of like Mickey Rooney in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" So, there you are...
Originally Posted By markymouse It has always bugged me when people equate any reference to anything non-Western as racially insensitive. I don't see how the two automatically follow. Arab terrorist is racially insensitive. But how is a pancho and sombrero insensitive? If you go to websites that supply authentic folklorico costumes to Mexican-American dancers etc. you'll find that costume among the choices. I forget the name of the tradition that features that costume, but I've looked it up on youtube, and you can find authentic performers dressed that way. Are we telling people that their traditions are out the window because the only way some PC college student knows that look is from some Speedy Gonzales cartoon? It would be interesting to see the members of this group having to explain to a Japanese American mom and her daughter why she can dress up like a princess, a Euro-centric vision of female beauty, but not a geisha, a Japanese vision of female beauty. Or are princess costumes racially insensitive? After all, Europe still has some princesses, and that kind of costume implies that all they do is stand around looking pretty. Princesses have lobbied for landmine removal, visited patients in hospitals, helped with Habitat for Humanity type work projects. And having them look like all they do is attend fancy balls is insensitive to all the real important work princesses do! And then, yes, there is the further issue of the value of making jokes that reflect hot button social issues. Sometimes racial insensitivity is an important tool for discussion. There are going to be some costumes, especially in a setting like a college, that are going to offend some people. You can dress in a "third world dictator military costume" and put fake blood all over yourself, and be Kaddafi, at least in an adult context. But you can't dress up in robes and blood and be Bin Laden because that would be racially insensitive. Because there are certain sacred cows. Dictators, ok. Arabs, not ok. Oh, no, I'm being racially insensitive by saying sacred cow!
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 And isn't the point of adults dressing up at Halloween to be a little non-PC.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper This advocacy group needs to stay as far away from Key West during Fantasy Fest as possible. I'm not all about kids dressing like whores but, you know what, I'm only the parent of two kids. If you want your daughter to look like a slut, who am I to argue?
Originally Posted By FaMulan <a href="http://takebackhalloween.org/about/" target="_blank">http://takebackhalloween.org/about/</a> There are plenty of costumes out there for women and girls that are not slutty. See above link. But, there's always been a non-PC aspect of Halloween that will be impossible to suppress.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>But, there's always been a non-PC aspect of Halloween that will be impossible to suppress.<< Yep. I don't think people ought to go out of their way to wear things that are clearly racist, even on Halloween. But there is such a thing as trying to over-sanitize Halloween to the point that you kill it. In a lot of schools, costumes can't be gory or feature weapons of any kind. They can't be "too scary" or violent. This is why you see nothing but princesses and Spider-Men. : p
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 Kids can't wear costumes at all to my kids' schools. They have "harvest parties," and they used to wear costumes, but the teachers said they were too distracting. Seeing some of the costumes that young kids are wearing, I am fine with that. We just had a major battle over my stepdaughter wanting to wear fishnet stockings with her costume and us saying that she is either wearing leggings with it or she is finding another costume. As far as insensitive costumes go, I think people have gotten waayyy too extreme in the whole political correctness thing. People need to calm down, take a deep breath, and realize that if I let my son dress up like a cowboy for Halloween, I am in no way meaning any offense to Native Americans.
Originally Posted By mele <<if I let my son dress up like a cowboy for Halloween, I am in no way meaning any offense to Native Americans. >> Likely story, Jenn. ;-)
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 Ummm *thinking hard* Because I think 15th century Spanish sailors were really cool?
Originally Posted By DDMAN26 I was going to go as a vampire but I didn't want to offend Hungarian people. Or sparkly pretentious teenagers.
