As it is Halloween, we thought it would be fitting to find a blog on Halloween costumes. Halloween is about dressing up and acting like something you aren't. People can be sexy, scary, and funny while they can also change their gender and ethnicities. However, some students form a group called STARS (Students Teaching About Racism in Society) at Ohio University think Halloween costumes are beginning to cross the line.
Link to the blog: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/10/ohio-university-students-hit-racist-halloween-costumes/.
The students made a series of posters that depict people from different ethnic backgrounds holding pictures of what appears to be examples of racist costumes. An example of one is of what appears to be "A Mexican boy [holding] a photo of someone in a sombrero, colorful poncho and exaggerated mustache riding a stuffed donkey." The tagline for the posters is "We're a culture, not a costume", there is also a sentence below that reads, "This is who I am, and this not okay." The blog got a lot of attention on the day that it was released and there were a lot of mixed reactions. Some said their campaign was ridiculous and others agreed 100%. Something to consider is that Ohio University is ranked as America's #1 Party School.
So some questions:
- Let’s be honest, for Halloween if you celebrated, did you or a close friend dress as something STARS would consider racist?
- If so, do you still feel that it was okay to wear a “racist” costume? or would you now agree with the blog? Other?
- What about sexist costumes?
- What’s your reaction about how this was started by such a small group of people, and is now a nationwide conversation?
- What kind on line should be drawn when it comes to costumes?
- Do you find it ironic that OU posted this even though they are #1 Party School in America?
- If you were the Dean of Students for OU (Ryan Lombardi), do you think that #1 Party School is a good reputation to have? Would agree or disagree on his immediate actions to these posters?
- How does this affect popular culture?
I definitely agree with the campaign that Ohio University's Students Teaching About Racism in Society created with these posters. Costumes that are created to mock a person’s culture are extremely offensive, and to be honest it’s an embarrassment that people are okay with offending an entire culture or ethnicity just for a laugh on Halloween. Racism is a serious topic of discussion that will continue to be discussed for years to come, I’m sure. It is impressive that a small student organization at Ohio University could spread their message across the nation. I don’t think that it is at all ironic that OU posted these thoughts, seeing as how they are the number one party school in America. The posters were created precisely because of the fact that they are a huge party school. Those students knew that many of their fellow students would be dressing up for Halloween and they wanted to take a stab at possibly preventing racist and offensive costumes from being part of the usual party scene. It makes a lot of sense that students would try to raise awareness about racist costumes at a place were so many masses of people would be going out in full costume all “halloweekend” long. Just as the blog states “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.” I also agree with the Dean of Students (Ryan Lombardi) in his statement that the posters were highly professional and well done. Although, I don’t think that these posters could really relate to “sexist” costumes. “Sexist” costumes are not as large of an issue as racist costumes because “sexist” costumes aren’t as offensive. There isn’t a huge connection between “sexist” costumes and the popular racist costumes that OU’s STARS addressed.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I do see how it can be offensive to dress up as a culture, but it's Halloween. The point of Halloween is that you can dress up as something that you not. Now having said that, if you were making fun of the Culture by doing something that stereotypes that culture, that it offensive. One of my friends actually dressed up as a Mexican this Halloween. Only one person actually said something to him though. I really don't think it was necessarily being racist, he wasn't doing anything racist besides dressing up. Sexist costumes i don't really care for, it's wrong but again, if its offensive, don't do it. I feel like it became so popular worldwide is because people probably have the same opinion about it like these students do. It doesn't matter that if OU is the #1 party school (which is BS), its still going to piss people off if they are disrespected. I don't think it is a good to have your rep as number one because for people who actually want to learn something besides how to chug a beer probably wont come to your school.
ReplyDeleteI think Halloween is a chance to dress up as someone else for a night and have fun. It is the time of year where you can get creative and be whoever you want. When people are picking out their Halloween costumes I doubt they are thinking “How can I offend someone this year?” People shouldn’t be so offended by Halloween costumes that represent their culture; they should be excited that someone wanted to be like them whether dressed the right way or not. If they aren’t dressed exactly the way the culture does, they probably based it on what they knew about it. It is a good chance to talk to someone and explain to them your culture. I feel like based off this article, every costume would be offensive to someone/something. For example, can someone not dress up like a doctor if they don’t have the real tools a doctor would use? I will admit that there are some costumes that are racist, and those should just be avoided.
ReplyDeleteI think it is surprising that one small group made this topic nationwide. Knowing that it went nationwide we can assume that this is a well debated topic from both sides. Since the group wanted to make an impact it was probably a good idea to post them around OU’s campus considering the amount of people that go out there for Halloween. Some people are bound to see the posters and might think about if they are offending someone by their costume.
I agree with a lot of the commenters who say that these 10 kids are being way too sensitive. It’s Halloween, it’s a fun holiday. I noticed that there are multiple comments of ethnic kids saying the same thing. They don’t believe that other people are poking fun at their culture or that it is such a grave and terrible thing to dress like someone else. One woman definitely makes a good point that this topic shouldn’t even be the one on the table. She believes that people should be getting mad at the woman’s costume market, which is true with all the skanky costumes out there. I also thought that one person’s comment about what the world is coming to was funny, too. They said that pretty soon there would be no Christmas or Thanksgiving either. Well, schools are already getting rid of anything Christmas because it might offend other religions. Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the blog to a point because I can see how these costumes may be taken as racist. Although I also see the point where it is Halloween and people are just dressing up. I don't think that every person that puts on a costume of a different ethnic background has the intent to be racist. However, I do not approve of people dressing up in costumes like the ones pictured with the intent of making fun of that ethnicity. I like the fact that this group of students is taking a stand on something they believe in and making an effort to educate people on this issue. I think that people should be able to dress up in whatever they choose as long as they are doing with the right intent. Halloween costumes can be analyzed to various extents but in the end, it is Halloween so as long as people are not intentionally wearing costumes to make fun at other people, they should be allowed to dress in whatever costume they want.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the group fails to address the idea of a racist costume. Of course, you can used common sense and easily identify with the type of costume they are alluding to. We’ve all seen them, that costume that stretches the limit of condescending notions upon a specific group of people. The easiest to be seen is a Mexican costume. The Mexican cultural is known for its colorful outfits and festive events, so naturally a costume can celebrate these traditions and many people take a liking to this culture because of its festive holidays and emphasis on colors in its culture. I am not Mexican nor do I have any relation to anyone who is, but I am a fan of the culture and traditions of its people. So why can’t I wear a poncho? Is it because I’m not Mexican? Sounds like “Reverse racism” to me. I can understand when it becomes a mockery of a culture it’s a little upsetting, and that needs to be handled correctly. I think it’s wrong to say someone can’t wear a culture’s clothes just because it “isn’t who they are”.
ReplyDeleteI fully support these students for starting a conversation on racist stereotypes. I don’t believe its okay to characterize and define a race by offensive and deprecating labels. In defense of some, a lot of costumes are trying to be a specific thing, like the Geisha or Cowboy, not a race. They may be tasteless but they’re expressing a historic time or persona. On the other hand, the image held by the Hispanic man is the trying to express ‘Mexican’ through derogatory stereotypes. There is a line that many cross, when it comes to expressing a character through costume. I don’t believe that all costumes of ethnicity are racist even if they are trite. When, though, the costume is aiming to portray a race through stereotypical images, it is racism. These are the costumes that continue the notion that all those of that race act, look, or speak in a specific way.
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ReplyDeleteIf there is a Halloween party, I might dress up like a geisha which STARS would consider racist. However I think dressing like a geisha is OK because the costume is strange and funny for the party and most importantly, I won’t wear them in common days. So from this point of view, sexist costumes are fine for me because they are weird and special as well. The topic was started by such a small group of people, and is now a nationwide conversation just because people care about it, especially because it related to a big nationwide festival. I don’t think it is ironic that OU posted this even though they are No.1 Party School in America. Actually, OU is the most possible place to have problems generated from parties because they host a lot of parties. And what I really want to mention is that parties are no ground for blame. It is up to people to make their decisions. Everyone has his or her own choice to do what they like. And people’s culture and educational background definitely influence their decision, thus raised the real problem that we should concern about.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were little Halloween was that time of year when we dressed up in cute little costumes, just for the sweet reward of candy. Now in college Halloween has a different meaning. It is always that time of year when we can dress up as anything we want and nobody thinks twice about it. I do find it quite ironic that OU is the one place that is trying to make a statement about keeping Halloween classy and not racist when it is the number one party school in America. If I was the Dean of the school I would not be proud to have this reputation. In my personal opinion when I hear the words Ohio University the first thing that comes to my mind is the fact that it is the number one party school in the country. This reputation over shadows the many great things about Ohio University such as their journalism program and many other great programs. Although I do agree that the costumes that are seen during Halloween are out of line I don't think that this should be regulated at all. When we start taking away little freedoms such as dressing the way that we want, then little by little other freedoms will be taken away. People should have good moral sense of what is right and what is wrong.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned in the blog, we wear costumes in Halloween to pretend to be someone we are not. It is funny because the one we pretend is someone we adore or some kind of persons we want to be. This is fulfilled with best wishes and happiness because we could feel we are the ones we want to be. And when it comes to the racist costumes, the element that making fun of others is added, and it is not good to bring such a serious topic like this to a festival in which we are celebrating for being another one whom we adore. I won’t wear the costume with the element of racist because it will make some of others uncomfortable and hurt the delightful atmosphere in Halloween, which is opposite to the goal of a festival. How a person dress like and looks like is their culture, we could be interested in it and investigate in it, but we shouldn’t make fun of it, just like the blog said, they are what they are, no one wants to be laughed at what they can’t change.
ReplyDeleteI personally do not think dressing up with a poncho and sombrero is racist. I don't think people should be offended if people dress up as someone they aren't because that's kind of the purpose of Halloween. Someone may or may not be offended that I was dressed as Pocahontas, but it's not like when people dress this way they're making fun of the culture. I know I wasn't. I think people need to relax a little bit, because nobody is really trying to offend anyone on Halloween it's all just about having a good time and being someone you're not. I understand getting upset if someone was saying racist comments the whole night while dressed as someone from your culture, but other than that there's no need to be upset. And yes, there will always be sexist costumes, most girls typically use Halloween to dress very scandalously, it's their choice though.
ReplyDeleteIn halloween, people wear costumes as a way having fun. The basic idea is trying to be cool. Thus people would like to try something that impresses others, especially something different and out of people’s expectation. Basically halloween is a western festival, so people now tend to dress up and act some characters outside the US or even outside the Occident. It is surely a good way to be cool since it is unlikely to meet somebody dresses as you do. I have to admit that I have met a few people that dressed like some cultural figures in modern China, and one of my friends carved a image of Chairman Mao of China on his pumpkin last year. I talked with him about this, he didn’t know much about Mao, he just thought it was cool. I think this kind of ideas is really representative. It is hard to say doing this is racial or not. Today people are doing this for fun, they might distort the original ideas of the figures they choose, but for most of the time they don’t mean to be offensive. When we talk about pop culture, there is a common sense that difference prevails. People’s pursuit of being different will never be ceased. What should be led is just the way they pursue. America is a super diverse nation and diversity is a significant part of students’ life. It is too arbitrary to say that you cannot do this because you don’t know my culture and you cannot get pleasure through it, however, when someone is acting this kind of sensitive characters, they might not be supposed to do stupid on purpose. Because you really don’t know a lot about it and it will be easy to offend others. Before this blog mentions, I knew that OU is famous for its party life. I will say it is at least not a good thing. It’s ironic people know a university because of not its academic reputation but its party life.
ReplyDeleteI could not open the blog, it sent me to my email. However, I don’t believe being labeled as a party school, has anything to do with how people dress for Halloween. Halloween is one day out of the year in which students, children and even adults can pretend to be whatever they choose, however they choose, whether some find it offensive or not. I do believe that this is offensive to some people and I have never dressed up depicting another’s culture and ethnicity in a offensive way. However, for those that do see this and are offended I think that they need to realize that this is a joke, nothing to take seriously and if they are around them they need to distance themselves from them and find a different atmosphere. A majority of the people on this planet are not racist, those that are make up a small minority. I think that they are just emphasizing the stereotypes of other ethnicities. This doesn’t just pertain to the minorities in this country, I have seen, more often than not people dressing up depicting what they believe is a typical white male, or as they describe as white trash. I don’t take offense to this and I don’t think anyone should. When it comes to women, I believe it gives them an excuse to wear as little clothing on a cold night as they can, and me being a male I naturally don’t mind. However when I do look at girls at Halloween I feel bad for them, I feel bad that the quality of their costume is based on the lack of quantity of material.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I was not able to open the link by clicking it or copying and pasting into my browser. Yes there were people I knew who dressed up as different ethnicities, however i do not believe that that is racist. Halloween is a time to dress up as something your not for fun, no one doing such is necessarily making fun of that particular ethnicity. Of course you can run into stereotypes but every race has stereotypes that are not true for everyone of that race. Halloween is meant to be taken lightly not with absolute seriousness. The fact that the number one party school in america posted something like this is not ironic at all. It has nothing to do with how much the school parties, and not every person from OU parties and it could have been posted by someone that does not party or participate in Halloween.
ReplyDeleteNoooo i think racism is dead for most people. It doesn't bother me and i think it's usually really funny. There are some situations when racism is not ok, these are usually with the people who racism was a reality. for example, my grandpa is racist to black people, it's unfortunate but it's how he lived most of his life. I can't imagine what a sexist costume would be like, maybe a stereotypical cheerleader or something. I think sexy costume are for more innapropriate than racist costumes. Please Halloween isn't about being sexy.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very impressive that this small group at OU has gotten this nationwide coverage of their posters. It also makes me realize more that there are still some people who uncomfortable with thing that are a little racist and we need to treat them with respect.
I have never gone trick or treating or celebrated Halloween so no for the first main discussion topic and second. There are of course sexist costumes out there and I agree they are offensive. But, I believe in this case that STARS was actually being sensitive. Also if they are playing by number than how many that visit her tumblr page disagree with her or how many people in general disagree with her, numbers are numbers that doesn’t answer anything unless it is in statistic. In this case it is just one day a year where you can dress up as something else since when is a geisha costume consider as racist. So are we saying now that we dress as something that resembles a different culture it is consider racist. I find it somewhat ironic but at the same time it is good to focus on issue all around even if it ironic or hypocritical. The line should be drawn when it is used for blatant discrimination in my opinion. As for the dean question I would say yes and no being that it show that we are more than just purely focus on academic while at the same time not so good since it appear as all we do is just party. Finally this affects popular culture as this question and judge if Halloween is really a new way to express sexism
ReplyDeleteNo matter how much we deny it, there is a racist in us all. There can be different reasons to why that is the case. Growing up in a specific culture, we always tend to find people with different ways of living funny. Indians are made fun of a lot as well, but did you know Indians make fun of American dialect as well? That being said, i don't not think it is ok for people to publicize it and degrade others. what we think should be kept amongst ourselves in cases in which race comes along. The meaning of Halloween has changed completely; what was before cute, is now sexy. i dont get what point are people trying to make. The costumes should be restricted to characters from games and movies; or also like famous celebrities which DO NOT involve any racial background meanings to the whole concept.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that any of the example the STARS program gave were racist at all. Halloween is a time to dress up and act like someone we are not. For example the Geisha costume represents a dress worn regularly by that culture, by wearing it, people are not mocking the culture, they just want to transform themselves into something they are not. And by wearing geisha costume, the message is not intended to be that every Japanese person wears that. Yes anybody can say that wearing a certain costume is racist, but unless a costume is blatantly racist, such as wearing a KKK outfit, then any costume is wearable and shouldn't be viewed as being racist.
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