Stores Bullied Into Banning ‘Racist’ Halloween Costumes

“Little Amigo” is Racist

Halloween is being accused of being racist.  This year, Walmart’s “Little Amigo,” noticed by Complex, is kicking things off. It’s everything you’d expect. For just $12.99, customers would get a package that includes a sombrero and a fake mustache so they can “dress like [their] favorite amigo!”  [16]  The description reads: “Let the Fiesta begin for your little one in our Little Amigo Costume!”  Liberal are outraged.  According to Vice, “Halloween is like Christmas for racists, because it’s an easy way to cloak bigotry in the guise of fun.” [20]  It is especially true when the costume involves face-paint. According to liberal media outlet Bustle, “That urge you feel to celebrate October 31 by slapping on a bindi (sigh — the forehead dot), painting your face brown, or talking in a fake accent? It’s not cute — it’s racist. […] Face paint is a weird thing on Halloween; sometimes it’s completely fine, and other times, it’s insanely offensive.” [9]  So, by selling this item depicting a stereotyped mexican, this not only prove that Wallmart is racist but in the process they have also commited the unforgivable crime of “cultural appropriation.” According to liberals, “although it’s done with the best of intentions, many fail to realize the weight of their costume and the cultural significance it holds.” [4] They think that “the misuse of cultural items essentially promotes intolerance to different culture’s religious and social practices.” [4] They argue that people are more than a pop culture symbol, a meaningless symbol, or a mere accessory and that by allowing cultural appropriation to seep into society, we are continuing the horrible atrocities of genocide, war and bigotry that we swore to prevent. [4]  The “culture” costumes “tend to refer to very one-dimensional caricatures that are not at all authentic,” says Leslie Picca Houts, associate professor at the University of Dayton. [18] The important question, Washington State University’s [David] Leonard says, is, “Why are ‘the other’ and ‘the exotic’ such sources of enjoyment and pleasure” that they’ve become Halloween staples? “What does it tell us,” he asks, “that amid all these scary things of ghosts and witches, we also have all these racialized costumes?” Plus, Leonard says, these choices “normalize whiteness” as the soccer mom or businessman in everyday clothes, thereby reinforcing inaccurate ideas about totally distinct racial and cultural communities. [18] Talk about a bunch of drama queens… Anyway! This is what the liberal media outlet Complex had to say about the costume:

Walmart apparently doesn’t understand that it is disrespectful to dress your child up as someone of another culture especially for parties, parades, family occasions and other holiday productions and festivities as the site recommends. [28]

So, as you might expect, Walmart has been bullied into shutting down a “little amigo” costume. The costume was taken off Walmart’s website promptly. However, Wal-Mart isn’t exactly taking responsibility for the blunder. [16] When reached out for comment, a PR representative for Walmart told us, “The item you mentioned was sold by a third-party marketplace seller, and it obviously had no business at all being on our site based on our Prohibited Products Policy (which includes Offensive costumes). We’ve removed the costume fast and will work with that seller to see how this made it onto our site. We never intend to offend anyone.” [12]

“Pashtoon Papa” is Racist

You may remember last year the same thing happened with Walmart’s “Pashtoon Papa” costume.

The outfit sold for $39.95 (£25) and featured the loose-fitting shalwar kameez of the sort favoured by Muslims living in South Asia, along with a waistcoat, cap and shaggy grey beard.  “Whether you’re making a serious political statement or staging a political parody,” said the online description, “this authentic-looking outfit is sure to fit the bill!”  “Nothing is sacred this Halloween. Shock your friends with this Islamic costume.”  [15] The Pashtun tribe live predominantly in north-west Pakistan and across Afghanistan, and make up the bulk of the Taliban.  The image sparked outrage – particularly in Muslim countries where thousands of people took to Twitter to condemn the outfit.  “This is offensive and discriminatory,” said one user. “Will you even think of having a KKK costume.”  [15]

Many Muslims said they were horrified at the idea that an “Islamic costume” would scare people at Halloween, and instead suggested sarcastically that people should go out trick or treating dressed as “moderate Muslims”. [15]  As the criticism mounted throughout the day, Walmart was forced on to the defensive.  A spokeswoman told Buzzfeed that the costume had been sold by a third-party vendor and that it would be removed from the company’s website immediately.  ‘We have strict policies with our third party vendors, and it’s very important to us that products on the site don’t offend groups of people, or minorities.’ she said.  A short time later Walmart announced via Twitter that the offending item was no longer available and apologised to customers. [15]

Strangely enough, in addition to its ‘Pashtun Papa’ costume, Walmart is still offering an Arab Sheik outfit, which is described as ‘impeccably close to the real Arab wardrobe they wear during everyday life’. [29]

The University of Chicago is Banning Racist Halloween Costumes

In light of recent racially charged events, two undergraduate students released a statement on Tuesday calling for the University to address the campus climate on racial issues. The statement quickly garnered support from student organizations and professors and may lead to a larger movement and a petition.  The statement was created to respond to the Halloween costumes of several students who dressed up as lower-class Mexican gangsters and address what the draftees perceive as a culture of racism on campus.  One of the students, third-year Vincente Perez, said he was also subjected to personal and racist attacks after criticizing the costumes on Facebook. The statement demands that the University issue a “public condemnation of these actions from the highest levels of administration within the University.” 23 RSOs and nine professors had endorsed the statement. He said that the goal was to generate a mass movement on campus against racism, and not to rely on the existing hierarchical models. [13] Their campaign has generated attention. The posters went viral after being uploaded to William’s Tumblrs page. The blog Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind followed up with a post about it two days ago, with more than 70,000 views. [6]

The University of Colorado is Banning Racist Halloween Costumes

The Telegraph reports the latest fun initiative from the University of Colorado at Boulder: University students in America have been told not to wear “offensive” halloween costumes . . . Fair enough. Such as? . . . including cowboys, indians and anything involving a sombrero.  [21] Students at the University of Colorado Boulder have also been told to avoid “white trash” costumes and anything that portrays a particular culture as “over-sexualised” – which the university says includes dressing up as a geisha or a “squaw” (indigenous woman). They are also asked not to host parties with offensive themes including those with “ghetto” or “hillbilly” themes or those associated with “crime or sex work.” [21] [37] A university spokesman called cowboy costumes a “crude stereotype.” Such a crude stereotype, it turns out, that the University of Colorado uses it for their football mascot. From their website:

The University of Colorado has one of the more unique mascots in all of intercollegiate athletics, a real buffalo named Ralphie. CU has two live buffalo mascots, Ralphie IV and Ralphie V. Ralphie leads the football team out on the field both at the start of the game and second half. It is truly one of the special sights that exist anywhere in college or professional sports, especially for opposing teams, who often stop in their tracks watching the massive buffalo round the end zone and head directly at their sideline. [21][37]

Ohio University is Banning Racist Halloween Costumes Too!

When you think about it, it’s almost like the religious fervor of evangelical Christianity has been directly transformed into a religious fervor of Political Correctness.  It’s probably exactly like that.  [1] You may remember that there was an entire PSA campaign a couple years ago – run by Ohio University from 2011-2013 – trying to shame people for their Halloween costumes.  It was literally called the “We’re a Culture, Not a Costume” campaign.  It had the catchphrase “this is not who I am and this is not okay.” They then changed the catchphrase to “You wear the costume for one night. I wear the stigma for LIFE.”  Not sure which is funnier.  [1] “We wanted to highlight these offensive costumes because we’ve all seen them,” STARS president Sarah Williams told ABC News. “We just wanted to say, ‘Hey, this is not cool. This is offensive and this shouldn’t be taken lightly.’ It’s offending a culture and people should be aware.”  [31]  Ohio University is well-known among universities and colleges for its famously wild Halloween parties so Williams said it seemed to be the perfect place to spread an important message. [31] STARS seeks “to educate and facilitate discussion about racism and to promote racial harmony and to create a safe, non-threatening environment to allow participants to feel comfortable to express their feelings” as stated in the Ohio University Student Organization website. [6]

Not everyone, however, has been sympathetic. In an article on the subject in HuffPost High School , many comments argued that the issues STARS is calling attention to should be taken lightly. A comment post under the name of ‘karenrmm’ said: “Oh come on! Can we stop being so smurfing sensitive? Halloween is supposed to be fun. Get over yourselves and learn to recognize real racism!” Another person under the pseudonym of ckinsobe wrote, “Let’s eradicate playfulness, satire, and everybody’­s sense of humor while we are at it shall we? I think these kids are going to grow up to be very uptight.”[6]

 

The Insanity of the Left Marches On!

Liberals are dumb enough to think that “by focusing on the little things like a simple Halloween costume, we can work together to change the culture of the next generation.” [4] They want to change people in the future so much that they forgot the fact that they are themselves nothing but a buch of degenerates standing on a fake moral highground and that they are closer to dellusion than they are to utopia.  They are not about morality, equality nor justice. They are just manipulating your emotions in order to bully you into their scheme of thinking. The truth is that they are not worthy to set any standard in any domain of endeavor let alone to become the model for the future generation.  Julia Shemmer, writer for The Huffington Post, naively proposed 3 ways people can promote “inclusiveness” on Halloween.  Quite frankly, you need a lobotomy in order not to see the sheer stupidiy of this whole “cultural appropriation” thing.  Anyway, this is what she proposes:

1. Refuse to consciously participate in cultural appropriations. People take a stand when you do. By choosing a Halloween costume that promotes diversity and tolerance, you can make a difference in the cultural awareness movement! You can still have a good time on your Halloween — you don’t have to dress up like a stereotypical cultural group to enjoy your holiday.
2. Do your own research. If you look at Halloween costume ideas on a Pinterest board or a random article, you’ll be amazed at how many promote cultural appropriation. This Halloween, take a mental note of how many Native Americans, Mexican mariachi bands and Arab costumes you see; and you’ll notice that it’s a realistic and active problem in our society. By educating yourself on the topic, you’ll be better prepared to speak out against culturally insensitive costumes.
3. Speak out. You have a voice, and it’s time for you to use it! I challenge each and every one of you to use your #selfiesunday for a good cause. Take a picture of yourself in your culturally aware costume, complete with a sign that says, “I promote cultures, NOT costumes.” This seemingly small act can open the door to conversation, and can pave the way for our society to speak out about other cultural problems within America. When people get talking, solutions begin forming and change is birthed. [4]

College Humor has created a ridiculous flowchart — they claim will be useful every Halloween! — to help trick-or-treaters everywhere determine if they are, in fact, being racist.

Fortunately no everyone agree with this idiotic view of the world.  I personally find racialized costume humoristic and sometimes even hilarious. Who could forget the 25-year-old white Florida man dressed as Trayvon Martin a couple years ago? Or what about the Ray Rice costume?  If that was not hilarious I wonder what is?  Liberals just don’t have a sense of humor anymore.  That’s the problem.