How not to be a racist douchebag for Halloween

[wshaffer]

A rather good series of posters featuring Halloween costumes that people really should have thought twice about wearing, under the slogan "We're a culture, not a costume":
Blackface? Seriously?
Suicide bombers, geishas, and sombrero-wearing dude (burro included)
Native Americans

I do find it interesting that my reaction to the geisha costume was more muted than my reaction to the others. I mean, if somebody suggested to me that I dress up as a geisha for Halloween, I'd probably say, "Nah, that wouldn't feel right, and anyway, I'd rather be a pirate or a steampunk gothic cowboy or Joan of Arc." (Nevermind that my usual Halloween costume these days is "person who couldn't be bothered with a costume") Whereas a suggestion of any of the other costumes depicted would be met with a "Wow, that's so offensive, I can't believe your head didn't catch on fire the moment you thought that." This may be a cultural blind spot on my part.

Comments

[wshaffer.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was thinking about that in the context of cross-racial cosplay in science fiction and anime fandom - I don't think I've ever seen an instance where a white fan dressed as a non-white character came across as offensive. (Though possibly I lead a sheltered life. And, I'll admit, I think I'd wince if I saw a white fan put on blackface to play Martha Jones from Doctor Who, but that has to do with the cultural implications of blackface specifically.)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Mostly when I see people doing cosplay in anime fandom, they are using the accoutrements of costume and possibly hair but not attempting to replicate the racial markers of the characters--so someone playing Momiji from Fruits Basket, for example, would not be attempting to appear half-German and half-Japanese--they'd just be replicating Momiji's clothes and possibly hair.