# No costume for you, you are the wrong color, you little racist! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 22, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-costume-for-you-you-are-the-wrong-color-you-little-racist/766589 "2016-09-22T17:43:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-costume-for-you-you-are-the-wrong-color-you-little-racist/766589/241 "2017-10-24T11:59:53Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > On the other hand, one of my favorite movies of all time is Trading Places and it has a scene with Dan Aykroyd in blackface, and yet I never objected to that. I find it quite uncomfortable myself. It’s a very “them wacky black people” portrayal, based on what I see in [the video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCERfa8LcS4). But that’s just me. I don’t know how this is regarded on a broader social scale. I know that Speedy Gonzales seems way too stereotypical to be funny, but apparently Mexican people love him. And it’s not for me to tell them what they should find offensive. I just have to listen when they tell me it is, and not make excuses. Sure, any one person may be wrong, but if the majority of those who are the “target” are offended, then I can’t argue they are all wrong. In this case, what does “wrong” even mean other than “not accepted by the culture”? ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-costume-for-you-you-are-the-wrong-color-you-little-racist/766589/242 "2017-10-24T12:02:50Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > That’s an _ad hominem_ attack, and suggests you don’t have any real counterarguments, and thus have to resort to emotional appeals. > > And, no, that’s not me pretending to be “intellectually superior” either. I’m just pointing out that your argument is bad. Where is this fallacy busting when the post is one of thousands of conservative bashing ad hominem? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-costume-for-you-you-are-the-wrong-color-you-little-racist/766589/243 "2017-10-24T14:34:48Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Are they just dressing up in her outfit and wig, or are they painting their faces brown as well? No, it is just the outfit and wig. [Here](http://www.redbookmag.com/life/mom-kids/news/a52626/moana-halloween-costume-racist/) is the original editorial, where it is pretty explicit in the idea that white children are allowed to wear only the outfits of white characters. > [@RedBook moron](#): > > Recognize this: Moana is a really special character to young girls of Polynesian descent who have never seen a Disney Princess who looks like them, just like how Tiana from _The Princess and the Frog likely resonated with young Black women who had waited decades to see themselves represented. White girls have plenty of princesses to choose from — there’s Belle, Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty … you get the idea. If your Caucasian son or daughter doesn’t get to be exactly what they wanted for Halloween, encourage them to take a step back and realize that they’re awash in privileges that the real Moanas and Tianas of the world will likely never see, because the world is full of racist assholes. > And those assholes are becoming even more empowered. Our President is a [hate group apologist](http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a12015494/trump-charlottesville-press-conference/) who [tries to ban refugees](http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/a8652219/signs-muslim-ban-airport-protests/) from seeking asylum in our country, simply because of their faith. Meanwhile, Black Americans continue to be killed by police, and antisemitic voices feel louder and more powerful than they have in decades. > So what does this have to do with a seemingly innocent princess costume? Pretty much everything. It’s important to align with, and stand up for, people of color and minorities, and a key part of that is showing respect for their cultures. To pretend to be_ a racial, ethnic, or religious minority when you’re not makes light of their history — and reinforces a deeply problematic power dynamic, wherein white people use, then discard, pieces of cultures they’ve subjugated for centuries just because they can. To me, there is a huge difference between “dressing as a racial minority” and dressing as someone _who happens to be_ a racial minority. Those children would be dressed as “Polynesian Princess”, they would be dressed as _Moana_. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-costume-for-you-you-are-the-wrong-color-you-little-racist/766589/244 "2017-10-24T14:47:46Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Cultural imperialism would be McDonald’s trying to open a store in China. And, even then, it would have to be without any desire by the actual Chinese people to actually eat the food. No, McDonald’s opening a restaurant in China is just good business. McDonald’s creating giant racist puppet caricature named General Tzo who, along with his friend Chop Chop rides Chong the Happy Panda around town handing out the new Sesame McChicken Meal to industrious little boys and girl is cultural imperialism. ---
**Author:** ![greenmario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/97f17d/32.png) [@greenmario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenmario)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-costume-for-you-you-are-the-wrong-color-you-little-racist/766589/245 "2017-10-24T20:01:45Z")
I don’t want to get into literal black/brown face, but I think letting kids dress up as characters outside of their racial group would be hugely beneficial for relations going forward, and it would be best not to imprint our politics on them at a young age. We MIGHT expect a 10 year old to understand the nuances of privilege, a debate which is actually still ongoing, but I think more likely they will hear “don’t associate too closely with people who don’t look like you”. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-costume-for-you-you-are-the-wrong-color-you-little-racist/766589/246 "2017-10-24T22:02:21Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I find it quite uncomfortable myself. It’s a very “them wacky black people” portrayal, based on what I see in [the video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCERfa8LcS4). They’re intentionally trying to get on the nerves of Beeks, the white guy who you see briefly in the scene. In the context of the movie, no one is mistaking them as portraying actual Africans. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-costume-for-you-you-are-the-wrong-color-you-little-racist/766589/247 "2017-10-28T02:15:01Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Cultural appropriation (at least, the bad kind) is when you use a part of a culture that was not freely given to you. It is refusing to honor what is considered sacred in that culture. It is trivializing that which is considered important. It is done without permission, and the culture in question sees it as you making fun of them. Who exactly can give permission for each culture? How do they get permission from others who share the same culture to give that permission? How does a culture see something? Is there a mass meeting? Osmosis? You are pretending that cultural membership equals some sort of group mind. Guess what? It does not exist. Slee ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-costume-for-you-you-are-the-wrong-color-you-little-racist/766589/248 "2017-10-28T05:44:49Z")
Let’s hope **BigT** never watches _It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-costume-for-you-you-are-the-wrong-color-you-little-racist/766589.md?page=12)