Halloween Racism? by AnthonyT

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Halloween Racism?

POSTED BY: ANTHONYT
UPDATED: Wednesday, November 2, 2011 13:35
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VIEWED: 2243
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Friday, October 28, 2011 3:35 PM

Freedom is Important because People are Important

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/28/living/halloween-costume-memes/index.htm
l

Hello,

I am not sure how I feel about this. I want to be able to dress as a Ninja without Japanese people thinking that I am mocking them.

I would like to be able to dress as a Sultan without Arabs feeling offended.

If I dress as Dracula, I do not want the Romanians or Transylvanians to become enraged at my mockery of Vlad Tepes.

These are not the reasons I wear a costume.

But people are saying that they are offended.

And while I do not mean to offend, I also do not want to offend.

Am I to be limited in my choice of costume by these considerations? I fret for a duller world.

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

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Friday, October 28, 2011 3:39 PM

M52NICKERSON

DALEK!

Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/28/living/halloween-costume-memes/index.htm
l

Hello,

I am not sure how I feel about this. I want to be able to dress as a Ninja without Japanese people thinking that I am mocking them.

I would like to be able to dress as a Sultan without Arabs feeling offended.

If I dress as Dracula, I do not want the Romanians or Transylvanians to become enraged at my mockery of Vlad Tepes.

These are not the reasons I wear a costume.

But people are saying that they are offended.

And while I do not mean to offend, I also do not want to offend.

Am I to be limited in my choice of costume by these considerations? I fret for a duller world.

It is Halloween. Fuck them if they can't just see the fun in it!

I do not fear God, I fear the ignorance of man.

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Friday, October 28, 2011 3:41 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by m52nickerson:

It is Halloween. Fuck them if they can't just see the fun in it!

Fuckin' A!!

The laughing Chrisisall

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Friday, October 28, 2011 4:16 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

If I dress like a Nazgul, who'll I piss off then?

" I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend. "

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Friday, October 28, 2011 4:20 PM

CHRISISALL

Only the lovers of power & profit from other's misery.....

The laughing Chrisisall

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Friday, October 28, 2011 4:25 PM

WISHIMAY

You know a Transylvanian?? Are they plebotamists??

I say do whatEVER it is you wanna do...Just have the weaponry handy to back up whatever it is you wanna do.

Here. I have extras

PS. Hubby went as Roy from Seigfried and co a few years ago(he had a people mauling running theme for a few years).

I'm pretty sure he pissed a few people off and yet he's still breathing.

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Friday, October 28, 2011 5:23 PM

FREMDFIRMA

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
If I dress like a Nazgul, who'll I piss off then?

Dick Cheney and Henry Kissinger ?

-F

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Friday, October 28, 2011 6:49 PM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

I was thinking of going as Zombie Jesus. Rose from the dead, came back to life, feeds on brains, etc.

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Saturday, October 29, 2011 2:18 AM

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:

And while I do not mean to offend, I also do not want to offend.

You shouldn't worry about offending a particular ethnic or national group. Ya gotta worry about offending the Christan fundamentalists.

I saw a piece the other day about how we shouldn't celebrate Halloween at all, because it's pagan and it celebrates Satan, witchcraft, and evil spirits. It was deadly serious and articles like that pop up every year at this time. An otherwise sane and charming lady I once knew felt that way about the Harry Potter books-- they were leading the children down the pathway to demonology.

Fundies (or maybe they should be called "no-FUN-dees") have taken to organizing alternative Haloween celebrations based around their churches, parties which celebrate dressing up in costumes, games, prizes, and candy, but no costumes with supernatural themes. No ghosts, goblins, ghouls, witches, or zombie Jesus. Probably no serial killers in hockey masks either.

EDIT-- here's a link:

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/28/the-christian-debate-over-hal
loween-counter-co-opt-or-just-let-it-be/?iref=allsearch

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Saturday, October 29, 2011 2:41 AM

DMAANLILEILTT

I think people who claim that Hallowe'en is Satanic don't actually know what the name All Hallow's Eve means. Or they are unaware that it's linked to All Saint's Day.

I think it's getting to the point that you have to just give up being inoffensive. I realise I probably just offended someone but...fuck it.

"I really am ruggedly handsome, aren't I?"

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Saturday, October 29, 2011 4:14 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Now THAT is carrying PC waaaay too far! Ridiculous.

As are the fundies...Pat Robertson is (at least publicly) quite convinced of Halloween being the Devil's Day, and I think it's just another sign of how assinine these people are. Ignorance can be deadly, and certainly spoils a lot of fun.

I think this is absurd in the extreme.

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Monday, October 31, 2011 7:55 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

I think the only thing that would be going too far is to paint one's skin, one could get in trouble for that sort of thing, but everything else is fair game, ninjas sultans, whatever. I've got quite a fetching harem girl costume. When we did our Middle East theme two years ago I worried that someone might not like it, but I didn't care because it was totally cool.

As a child I wasn't interested in supernatural costumes, I liked being a black cat, I did that for several years because it was easy and fun. Now adays when we do classic scary as our theme I dress as your classic witch, in black with the hat. No biggie. There are a few things that I wouldn't want to dress up as, but I'm fairly flexible.

We go hog wild for Halloween at my house, my dad does up the porch and we have a theme each year (the themes are on a rotation to make things easier). This year was pirate year and we had a great time as we always do, Mary and her friend Jason came over to be pirates with us on the porch and help us scare the kids and hand out candy, we give them the big candy bars at first and then use the smaller ones after the big ones are gone. Its lots of fun and I get a treat at the local Mexican resturant afterwords. I like Halloween because its an excuse to dress up in costumes and talk to strangers, lots of fun all 'round.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Monday, October 31, 2011 8:28 PM

THEHAPPYTRADER

I've gone to a few Holloween parties this year and there have often been costumes meant to be offensive, for the lol's. I've lost some weight, gained some muscle and was confident enough to go as a chippendale this year. I'm hoping pictures are not available, but it was well received and I had a good time. I also appear to have made 13 dollars at some point in the night, not entirely sure how...

But yeah, I wouldn't over think being PC. Anyone who works that hard to be offended will find some way to be offended no matter what you do or dress as.

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011 3:22 AM

BYTEMITE

The mormons here organize what they call a "trunk or treat" where they take all the kids to a church parking lot, and the neighbors give candy out of their car trunks, parents are always within sight of the children, and "cross-dressing" costumes are strictly forbidden.

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011 5:28 AM

PIZMOBEACH

... fully loaded, safety off...

Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/28/living/halloween-costume-memes/index.htm
l

Hello,

I am not sure how I feel about this. I want to be able to dress as a Ninja without Japanese people thinking that I am mocking them.

I would like to be able to dress as a Sultan without Arabs feeling offended.

If I dress as Dracula, I do not want the Romanians or Transylvanians to become enraged at my mockery of Vlad Tepes.

These are not the reasons I wear a costume.

But people are saying that they are offended.

And while I do not mean to offend, I also do not want to offend.

Am I to be limited in my choice of costume by these considerations? I fret for a duller world.

--Anthony

Would you be offended by someone dressed as a person/icon from your culture?

My ownself - I can't even think of what a "white person" costume would be, certainly not one that would offend me.

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.com

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011 5:39 AM

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

Quote:
Originally posted by pizmobeach:

My ownself - I can't even think of what a "white person" costume would be, certainly not one that would offend me.

How 'bout a KKK robe, with a whip, gun and hangman's noose as accessories?

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011 5:56 AM

PIZMOBEACH

... fully loaded, safety off...

Quote:
Originally posted by NewOldBrownCoat:
Quote:
Originally posted by pizmobeach:

My ownself - I can't even think of what a "white person" costume would be, certainly not one that would offend me.

How 'bout a KKK robe, with a whip, gun and hangman's noose as accessories?

This could be fun... how about a very large (fat) woman in a American Flag mini skirt with bleach blonde hair and dark eye brows carrying a rocket launcher.

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.com

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011 6:00 AM

FREMDFIRMA

Quote:
Originally posted by pizmobeach:
My ownself - I can't even think of what a "white person" costume would be, certainly not one that would offend me.

Bib overalls and a pitchfork, hyuk, hyuk ?
*snicker*

Of course, I could totally get away with that given one side of my ancestry, and if I wanted to dress as a goddamn Thugee, that fer one too - especially since I *do* wear the yellow scarf/sash on occasion when I have to deal with people who have more understanding of what it means than westerners.
(it practically sends Jains into apoplexy)

Halloween was weird for me anyway, besides the local wildlife being all out-of-character friendly, which was kinda woo-woo weird, there was the goon who fell afoul of my august personage...

Mind you, I was wearing a nazgul outfit, and caught this guy out in an area of the complex in which at 2am he could not POSSIBLY have a legit explaination for being in - and so I popped up behind him and whispered "One does not simply walk into Mordor..." he freezes with this aww shit look on his face, then tries a sickly grin that looks more like a wince and offers "Uhh, trick or treat ?"

Okay, yeah, I coulda nailed him for trespassing given he WAS casing the place, and the local PD would have been glad to wind him up on wants and warrants if he had any, plus possession even if they had to plant it and everybloodything else they could think of all the way down to spitting on the sidewalk but for cryin out loud why waste the time and resources when the situation is pretty much OVER at that point anyways - besides which the local PD wouldn't know subtle if you fired it up their ass with a missle launcher and all that hullabaloo would annoy, irritate or freak out the residents, disturb the peaceful silent order of my little world and result in a fuckton of paperwork I ain't never in no mood for, right ?
Soooooo....

I reach into my pocket and pull out a small handful of starlight mints, slap them into his hand and say "Fine, here's your candy, now beat it." - he takes a couple steps looking like he's gonna bolt, and then checks himself, stops, and tells me "You allright, man." and goes on his merry, with me discretely following him to ensure he does so.

Besides, there's no way he's not gonna tell that story, complete with embellishments, to his friends - which is worth far, far more in the protection of this place than a stupid trespassing bust would be.

-Frem

I do not serve the Blind God.

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Wednesday, November 2, 2011 1:35 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

That's a funny story Frem.

"white people" costumes: A Viking? Regency era fancy dress? I don't like labeling costumes as skin color oriented, that is kind of creepy.

Byte, I saw on the news on the EastCoast where they had that Halloween snow storm and trunk-or-treat was a wonderful alternative for them because they were all in one plowed parking lot, the kids could run around and play together and the parents didn't have to worry about them getting tired in the snow etc. I think its a cute idea.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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