Halloween costume PC rules: Good idea or[expletive removed]?

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meh, applying pc rules to Halloween costumes would just make it harder to pick out the spoiled eggs. wear your insensitivities on your sleeve lol. plus if Halloween costumes were regulated that would be super boring. I don't want to live in a fake happy rainbow land where no one is allowed to admit they are an a**hole.

although personally I avoid humanly suggestive costumes and stick to offending animals and plants with my subpar costume making skills

Are children going trick or treating out dressed as Caitlyn Jenner? Not without their parents say so.

To me this holiday seems to have started out for children, and then the adults thought "Why are my kids having all the fun?, I have get into this." The they decided one day was not enough so stretched it out over two weeks or more.

Personally I think they also get out of having to give out candy, because they are too busy out partying. Having your house TPd is a small price to pay.

I'm pretty sure then in the 80s it was still mostly dressing up as ghosts or pumpkins or witches maybe the odd zombie or vampire.

It no longer seem to have the Brothers Grimm flavour to it.

Regarding Cultural Appropriation.

Tex-Mex food was more appropriation than absorption, at least initially. It was about as Mexican as Anglo-Indian food like Kedgeree, Mulligatawny, Coronation Chicken, as in not very. However British Indian like Chicken Tikka Masala and Balti are both unique British and clearly derived from Indian Cuisine.

Regarding People. I would argue that Native American plight was more to do with subjugation than cultural appropriation, including the mockery. Those that appropriated their culture were actually hippies and new-age people. Both of these things caused anger. Now it more a case of chronic neglect. They need something to draw attention.

Now you could argue that cultural appropriation has made them more invisible. But Mexicans also have this cultural appropriation you talk of and they are not invisible. Therefore it is more down to small numbers and that that they are dispersed so they are easy to forget about.

There are some very good reserves I'm sure, but many of them are just horrible. You can argue that in terms of quality of life and life expectancy they are much better out of these reserves than in them. Many of the reserves are no where near their cultural heartland. They have a atmosphere of Grand Apathied "Homelands" especially as they are a federal concern. Often very little if any traditional culture is practiced in these places.

Economically speaking you can do a lot with a small populations, so long as you have a resource to set up viable industries. However been stuck in a places with nothing there only breeds unemployment, alcoholism and misery.

The more isolated they are the more problems you would expect. Canada which has a better reputation with it Home Nations still has issues it the remote areas.

So some, ravers wearing a headdress isn't really what is making them invisible. I can understand it being offensive to some, but the awareness of Native American is much less than when those bad Western movies were about. Not that that was always welcome attention, however it lead to some awareness of civil right issues particularly by the 70s.

As for cultural appropriation, what is wrong with wearing or eating something from another ethnic group? Now, along with most other Alabamians I'm part Indian. I have 1/4 Cherokee. I'm even a member of a tribe as are my kids. I don't participate or do anything with them but the kids may when they get the time. We are very proud of being part Indian down here and there is a lot of stuff that reflects that. I don't see anything wrong with me or anyone else wearing the jewelry or the feathered accessories.

I see a lot of clothing from other cultures that is beautiful and I don't see the problem with wearing it simply because its pretty. I have some things from India and I have a very pretty Chinese dress. They are obviously from those cultures but I don't see anything wrong with wearing it.

I also see a lot of you white guys dressing all gangsta because of rap music. Most folks call them wiggers but I like the term ghettotucky. Lots of them even talk with the accent for it as well. They usually grow out of this. If it is so offensive to black people then why aren't their black friends who BTW dress and talk the exact same way, say something to them? Could it possibly be that its because its based on rap and not on a particular race so its actually a fashion style rather than stealing a culture?

I'm half Italian and my youngest son is very much a Guido. You know the stereotype. That's him. All he needs is an IROC Z. Neither he nor I get upset when people who have no Italian blood adopt the same style. As a matter of fact his gf who is Irish and Cherokee calls herself a Guidette and dresses the part and nobody here is upset with her.

When does it become a crime to the PC squad? What does a person have to do to steal a culture? Why is wearing a style that you enjoy such an insult? I'd love to wear a sari but I don't. Not because I think it would offend anyone - I don't see how it would - but because I think it would look out of place on me. However I did wear a hijab and more for a week in the late 90s when I did an article about the experience of Muslim women in Bham. I dressed like them and lived by certain rules for a week to write about it. I felt out of place and with the all black and the veil I felt oddly like a ninja. It was certainly eye opening though, and that's what the story was about. But I don't see anything offensive in ordinary fashion choices. How is that now offensive?

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some disorganized thoughts here- how many people here are in favor of eliminating Halloween? if so many folks find it to be an offensive public spectacle, why not ban it? eventually it will be driven underground in any case, based on current trends. too many offended folks will take to violence to redress their grievances with other non-PC folk so law enforcement will probably weigh in favor of a ban. already many public schools have banned it. just a matter of time. I thought Halloween was supposed to be a brief vacation from seriousness, a short silly season, all fun. not anymore. why can't people just get along?

I think OOM has a point. In fact, supposing someone dresses as a character such as Mickey Mouse, Darth Vader or one of the Nazgul it's because they like that character and have an interest in them. Why should dressing up as any particular person, thing or type be necessarily seen as "mocking" that thing because in my experience (I have never celebrated Halloween as it's not big in our country: talking about fancy dress parties as a kid) you dress up as something / someone you like and can be seen as an honour rather than some BS about political correctness. Even so-called cultural appropriation should generally be seen as honouring that culture. Ever heard the phrase "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"? We tend to take the good things from various cultures, such as their dress or food, but it is because we like it, not in order to "steal" their culture!

There are most likely some things that remain tabu and insensitive to dress up as. Dressing as Donald Trump would be funny, but not as Hitler or Pol Pot.

Like the OP I would defend LGBT, transgender or any other "minority" rights with all of my being and have absolutely no time for bigots. Even my own family doesn't understand the issue of being transgender, among other things.

It seems ironic that the people complaining about the "whining PC" people are whining just as much.

If my daughter wanted to dress up as a little stripper or a hooker or a woman's p*ussy, I would say no because she is too young for that. If my son wanted to be a penis or a cigarette or an alcoholic beverage, I would say no to that too because it's inappropriate for a child.

But I am fine with the other costumes. I have let my son be Spiderman for three years straight and now he wants to be Mario this year. As a five year old, I went out as a Native American (Indian) for Halloween. When I was eight and nine and eleven, I went as a princess. When I was in 6th grade I went as cat woman. When I was 13 I went as a Hawaiian.

People who react to innocent costumes can get over it.