# Halloween Display Called "Racially Charged Symbol Of Hate" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 21, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392 "2004-10-21T12:57:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hamish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Hamish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamish)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/41 "2004-10-22T22:34:45Z")
> [@Brutus](#): > > Wasn’t the first interracial kiss on television between Captain James T. Kirk and Uhuru? “Uhuru” means freedom in Swahili. That’s what _Star Trek_ was going for, but they got it wrong by one letter ([cite](http://humanlanguages.com/swahilienglish/rlsu.htm)). Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/42 "2004-10-23T03:24:36Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Seriously, the folks whose display was torn down seemed pretty reasonable in what I read about this. I’d bet a dollar if the PDUM had just asked them they’d have removed the “offensive” item. They didn’t need to destroy someone else’s property. Although I’d also wager they wanted the media attention that they’re getting for tearing it down. I totaly agree. And it always seems to be the case in these misunderstandings. Wouldn’t it have been better for everyone if they let the property owner take it down? Why did the situation require the press? And this quote from the article bugs me: > [@](#): > > “My daughter told me this morning there was someone hanging out here and right away I said, I bet you it’s black,” Melnick said. “I think it’s horrendous, it’s a hate crime.” Maybe it is out of context, but it sounds like the woman decided Frankenwolfie was actually black person before seeing him. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/43 "2004-10-23T03:24:49Z")
The whole story is stupid. So someone hung up Frankenwolf. So what. It’s Halloween. If this guy has so many “problems” it should only be his “problem”. Why do people have to be so sensitive for the feelings of nut cases? That’s what is wrong with this world. “There is no history of hanging ghouls in this country but there is a history of hanging African people,” That sounds like they were looking for an excuse. Sorry Uhuru people but Da Man ain’t keepin you down, because you aren’t important enough; get over it and get a life. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/44 "2004-10-23T10:54:48Z")
At my Christian university, one of the art students cast his hands and feet in plaster and made pieces to attach to mannequins. He then wrapped them in loops of rope and hung them out of a tree on campus. It was supposed to be something like his tortured attempt to reach God or something. It was all just a weirdo thing from the freaks in the art department until he put up the one that was black instead of artificially white. Then it was a racial incident and it was torn down. One of the black students in my tv class did her opinion piece on it and _deeply_ offended. Everyone else was just staring at the floor, as it was obvious she hadn’t investigated the first thing about it. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/45 "2004-10-23T11:48:19Z")
A police officer on the scene witnessed trespassing and destruction of private property and didn’t intervene to prevent either crime because he had decided the trespassers were “rightfully upset.” This is PC stupidity carried to an extreme. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/46 "2004-10-23T15:03:25Z")
So before it was destroyed do you think the display looked something like [this?](http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/brute/lynched.jpg) Can you see where that might upset someone? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/47 "2004-10-23T15:04:47Z")
I should have put a DISTRUBING IMAGE WARNING on the above post. You should be able to guess what the picture is going to look like. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/48 "2004-10-23T15:44:04Z")
Moving this from IMHO to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![ForgottenLore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@ForgottenLore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForgottenLore)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/49 "2004-10-23T16:11:34Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I WAS going to set up a “Blunchblack Of Blotre Blame” display on my lawn this Halloween, but I guess that’s probably not such a great idea… That… is just too damn funny. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/50 "2004-10-23T17:09:53Z")
I must admit it’s a “Simpson’s” reference, I didn’t make it up myself. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/51 "2004-10-23T17:46:12Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > I’m saddened by the way so many people continue to use the term “ghoul” in casual conversation. They prefer to be called necrophages. Btw, Ed Gein died in prison and Al Fish was electrocuted (once, not twice, contrary to really cool legend). ---
**Author:** ![MC\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@MC\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_E)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/52 "2004-10-23T18:20:16Z")
So let me get this straight… they were so upset about what they interpreted to be a black man hanging in the middle of a yard decorated with other Halloween displays, that they ripped it down and dismembered it: “tearing apart the dummy’s head and limbs and leaving the newspaper stuffing strewn across the yard.” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/53 "2004-10-24T04:16:44Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > So before it was destroyed do you think the display looked something like this? > Can you see where that might upset someone? I think the display may just as easily looked like [this.](http://www.kimball.k12.sd.us/FIRE/noose.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392/54 "2004-10-24T05:25:51Z")
OK, maybe I’m missing something here, but how does someone think Frankenstein is a black man? You know, GREEN-faced Frankenstein?? :rolleyes: With the bolts in the neck and all? If it was just a human figure (that was black) then maybe I could understand, but why oh why would something think Frankenstein was black!? :wally [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/halloween-display-called-racially-charged-symbol-of-hate/270392.md?page=2)