Poll: Students launch a poster campaign against racist costume

[Dominic Burchnall]

At secondary school (Translation for Americans; high school), I had a Half-Welsh friend, who was very proud of his Welsh heritage. We actually got him to respond to the nickname "Sheep-shagger", we used it that often in place of his real name. It was all taken in good humour, and we got our fair share back. These costumes aren't racially discriminatory, they are comic exaggurations of either common perceptions or famous historical groups, e.g. gieshas (sorry if I've spelt that wrong). I'm English, but if I saw someone walking around in a suit and a bowler hat, with a cup of tea and an umberella, or maybe a Union Jack vest, a pint and a football flag, why should I be offended by that? They are cultural stereotypes pertinent to historical and comtemporary images of me and my countrymen, but I don't find them offensive. If anyone else does, please explain to me why I should be.

If these people were perhaps pictured holding slogans overtly attacking the variously depicted ethnic groups, I would understand their viewpoint, as it is, there is no evidence that any of these people were wearing their outfits with any other intent than "for a laugh".
Look, the Scots are tight, the Irish are drunk, the English are uppity, the French are rude, the Italians are mobsters, the Aussies wrestle crocs, Mexicans wear sombreos and ponchos and Americans are fat. We know it's not true, but we do it anyway, because if you didn't laugh, you'd cry. And if you think thst the stereotypes I listed above are my real world views, that I would shape my views on people I didn't know based purely on the country or region they were born in, and that wearing a caracturistic Hallowe'en costume is racial discrimination, I;d advise you to make an appoinment with a doctor about getting that poker removed from your arse.

 

[Athol]

[A] white guy holding a picture of a successful business man with a briefcase full of a million dollars and a handbook on "How to oppress others for financial gain"

Best idea for a costume I've heard in awhile...I need to got get a suit and a breifcase.

 

[Savagezion]

Ah, society, the fucked up wretches. Shouldn't there be white guy holding a picture of a successful business man with a briefcase full of a million dollars and a handbook on "How to oppress others for financial gain"?

Thank you for an AWESOME costume idea.

[A] white guy holding a picture of a successful business man with a briefcase full of a million dollars and a handbook on "How to oppress others for financial gain"

Best idea for a costume I've heard in awhile...I need to got get a suit and a breifcase.

On behalf of white people everywhere, "That is who we are and it is OK." Haha.

 

[justnotcricket]

Oh dear. Well, I guess you didn't *have* to actually read my post before quoting me, but never mind, these things happen. If you have another try, you might see that that was the point I was trying to make; if you dress as a 'whore in a kimono' then, yes, you are in the wrong. If you wear a kimono in traditional and tasteful fashion, then I don't see that there should be a problem.

I did read your post, although I apologise if I took it out of context or didn't understand. I did leap to rage, so I may have made a mistake.

But my point was that you (and a lot of people on this thread) seem to be looking for quantifiable material justification for a very subtextual phenomenon. Cultural stereotyping doesn't work like that, it doesn't matter if you love Japan and find Geisha really awesome, to be honest it doesn't even really matter if you're familiar with the real historical and cultural role of Geisha in Japan and aren't just reading it as a sexualized 'submissive asian woman' trope, it matters that you're taking on an image which means something very specific in the cultural context you're using it and wearing it on Halloween, a time when people wear costumes for fun, partying and sex appeal, not as a gesture of cultural respect.

Saying 'it can't be offensive if you do it tastefully' is besides the point. To a large extent I agree, but the point doesn't come from the clothes but from the context, and unfortunately, in the context we are given (said American authors etc.) dressing like a Geisha in a typical Western street, however tasteful and authentic you think your particular performance is, is playing on a stereotype. To the perception of those around you, you're referencing an artificial and belittling trope about certain kinds of people.

Trying to extrapolate this into a logical blanket statement is useless. Dressing like a goth on Halloween is not belittling to goths, because there are few to no behavioural or cultural expectations behind dressing like a Goth. Dressing in kimono is meaningless because there are no behavioural or cultural expectations to dressing in kimono in our culture. Dressing like a Geisha, however well you cover yourself or authentically you do so, comes with very specific cultural expectations.

It's not that Geisha don't exist, it's that they've come to represent a particular racial class of people to a disproportionate degree in the same way the stereotypical plains indian with a poncho and a headband with feathers in has come to represent a particular racial class of people to a disproportionate degree, or the stereotypical gangbanger has come to represent a particular racial class of people to a disproportionate degree. These things symbolize race, in the sense that racial assumptions are a part of how they work, and that's ugly.

When you repeat these things, you give them meaning, and it's not like the people you're belittling have any room to hit back at you because there is no white person who can really be considered disproportionately representative of white people. There is no stereotypical image of 'what a white person is like'. As a white person you can never be referenced in this way, you might be referenced as a redneck, or a catholic, or as gay, and I'll agree that's not necessarily any better, but these things aren't belittling your race, your race (and mine, to clarify) is untouchable because it has no substance and no assumed attributes which can be formed into a comedic stereotype.

That's the problem. That's why we can't just live in a world where we all take the piss out of each other for anything and it's all cool. It would be nice if it were possible, but trying to do it in the world we actually live in is just sanctioned abuse of minorities, whatever axis they happen to be 'minor' in.

Alright, I think you're actually preaching to the choir here - all I've ever been saying is that I take exception to being (potentially) singled out as a racist if I (hypothetically) wear a kimono. I've never questioned the statement that dressing up for the purpose of playing on cultural stereotypes is a bad thing. I would sort of like to know when 'kimono' became synonymous with 'geisha' but that's another story? Perhaps my view is overly simplistic, but I don't think that kimono have ever been restricted to geisha - of course, in older times a gorgeous kimono was out of financial reach for most women, and nowadays I assume they are probably reserved for special occasions or certain roles, but I don't think they've ever been solely the province of hostesses or geisha. It's possible we've started talking past each other because we're saying more or less the same thing! =P

I should probably mention, in reply to your comment about he purpose of Halloween, that I live in New Zealand, where Halloween doesn't really exist. I've never been trick or treating and I've never dressed in a costume. Sure, kids come round begging for candy occasionally, but it's not really a 'holiday' here yet. So it's possible I haven't really even seen a lot of the kind of costumes you in question here. Most of the costumes you see are on kids, so they're fairy princesses and ninja turtles and pirates and things like that - not going to cause much offense! Because of this, I may have leapt from 'wearing Halloween costume' to 'wearing any item of dress that does not traditionally belong to your culture' which may have caused confusion, for which I apologise!

The problem I have with these sorts of issues is that, even if my 'race' doesn't have any easily mocked attributes these days - mostly because other cultures have often adopted western dress anyway - my skin colour does. I'm white, so I must be privileged, racist and in favour of the oppression and exploitation of minorities. I find that offensive. Racist, unpleasant people exist everywhere. It's not unique to white skin, and I dislike the idea that seems to have formed that it's 'OK' to stereotype me, based on the colour of my skin.

In actual fact, even being 'white' and culturally homogenous of dress doesn't necessarily save you from stereotyping - what about dressing as an Autralian convict, or a NZ sheep shagger, or an obese American redneck, or a baguette wielding French mime, or a German Nazi or...the list goes on of potentially offensive costumes. Is it OK for a person who is part of a cultural minority to wear such a costume, mocking the culture in the majority where they live?

 

[Savagezion]

Ah, society, the fucked up wretches. Shouldn't there be white guy holding a picture of a successful business man with a briefcase full of a million dollars and a handbook on "How to oppress others for financial gain"?

Thank you for an AWESOME costume idea.

[A] white guy holding a picture of a successful business man with a briefcase full of a million dollars and a handbook on "How to oppress others for financial gain"

Best idea for a costume I've heard in awhile...I need to got get a suit and a breifcase.

My favorite costume so far is go commando only wearing a pair of jeans and call yourself "Premature Ejaculation".

When asked how that makes since just reply "I just came in my pants". XD

 

[Sandernista]

Yea Escapist.

Black face is totally okay, and continuing stereotypes of people, and condoning casual racism is a good thing.

This forum is so white, it hurts.

(Hurr hurr, there I go being casually racist)

 

[Vuljatar]

Wow. That's just pathetic.

There isn't a single thing about any of those costumes--even the suicide bomber one--that should be offensive to a sane human being (unless you had a family member or close friend who was a suicide bomber).

Utterly asinine and childish... what a waste of time and effort.

 

[EeveeElectro]

I did feel a sort of "You're racist if you're white" from that article. By this logic, the movie White Chicks is racist, but no one bitched about that, did they? I'm a Caucasian female, maybe I should join in with this! Get me a picture from that movie, I'm doing it. ;_;

 

[ms_sunlight]

Maybe you can explain to us just how the few remaining racist movements gain momentum by people not having a crazy witch hunt at people in Halloween costumes?

Because I for one don't see the connection.

Are you seriously trying to claim that the only racism in society is concentrated in racist groups like neo-nazis and the klan? That it's not a more widespread problem? That's just willfully ignorant.

I am telling you now: you know people who genuinely hold bigoted opinions about people who don't look like them. We all do. By laughing at and condoning racist stereotypes you are showing approval of those bigoted opinions.

That's quite without getting into how insulting and upsetting things like racist costumes or blackface are to the people they "depict". I'm not talking some straw man political correctness or "offense" - genuinely insulting, genuinely upsetting, genuinely sending the message that they are lesser people and do not belong.

 

[Legit101]

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[The_Vigilant]

That costume is awesome.

 

[ms_sunlight]

Somebody needs to learn to take a joke really...

Yeah, because it's really funny when people use the word "joke" to excuse their attempts to bully, insult and demean.

You can tell any joke you like, but freedom of speech is not freedom from criticism.

 

[Legit101]

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[Charli]

I am offended because this campaign assumes we are all stupid enough to consider some jackass in a halloween costume represents an entire race of people.

Oh this is not you? WELL NO SHIT SON.

Honestly. I am so offended.

The world will still spin tomorrow despite me being offended.
Baaaaw.

 

[ms_sunlight]

It seems to me that he is using it in satire not in "HURR DURR ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS".

How is anyone supposed to know what a person was thinking when they put on a racist costume? You don't see the intent when the person is walking down the street. Intent is irrelevant. What you see is, well, "HURR DURR ALL MUSLIMS ARE TERRORISTS".

What's more important is, people who really are bigoted see that and see it as acceptance of their bigoted views. You might be laughing "satirically" or "ironically" but they are not.

Just saying, intent does not absolve you from criticism. Out of interest, do you think the people in the photographs in this article are racist?

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/09/23/individual-racism-alive-and-well/

 

[Puzzlenaut]

The suicide bomber is a little out of order. The rest I have no problem with -- especially the one with the black girl -- I can't quite see why she is upset by a white guy dressed as a vampire :/

 

[Legit101]

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[Mate397]

seriously? that's what they're doing a campaign for? wasting money on something that is just a once in a year thing, and it is meant to be fun and NOT insulting, i really wonder how were these people were raised. i mean if some is THIS thick headed, then probably lives under a rock and still thinks we live in the soviet times or something.
seriously, did they at all take the time to take a deep breath and think over what they are doing...
but i like how when these kind of people do something racist it's fine, nothing wrong with it.

they should really, and i mean it really take a look in the mirror and try to actually see what they are and the others.