# Would This Be Considered A Racist Halloween Costume? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 1, 2016, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634 "2016-09-01T05:20:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/21 "2016-09-01T13:19:59Z")
Easy to go as a witch doctor and not have to worry…just wear a long white coat, a stethescope a witch’s hat, paint your face green…big nose wart and a broom ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/22 "2016-09-01T14:24:55Z")
> [@DLuxN8R-13](#): > > The basis of the outfit would be one of those Lycra Spandex body suits – the one with a white skeleton on a black background. Why? In my view, that changes it from a costume to a cartoon, and is not an improvement. I get that the skeleton thing ties in to the mood of witchcraft/black\* arts/hobnobbing with death. It’s just that I think the rest of the outfit you described is pretty good for representing a witch doctor. You’ve done a good job of assembling the stereotypes and symbols. Most people will get it and you won’t be hearing “what are you supposed to be?” all night long. But adding the body suit takes it over the top to an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach and weakens the impact rather than strengthens it. Sometimes less is more. \*Akin to black magic, nothing to do with ethnicity. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/23 "2016-09-01T14:50:17Z")
Isn’t a costume a sometimes absurd caricature? Isn’t the whole idea to dress as a caricature for the evening? I went as a Blazing Saddles KKK member one year, complete with “Have a Nice Day” and smiley face. Being that I’m not a KKK member in real life, people recognized it as an absurd _costume_. If I was a KKK member, then it would have been the same thing I wore to work every day and not “stepping out” at all. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/24 "2016-09-01T16:41:32Z")
I don’t see the problem with it. Sounds like a good costume. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/25 "2016-09-01T16:53:00Z")
There are at least two race-neutral alternatives: 1. Spray your hair with deodorant and go as an armpit. 2. Procure dark glasses, sandals, and a volleyball and go as a nudist. A fanny pack with car keys and a bottle of Coppertone will add another nice nuance to the ensemble! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/26 "2016-09-01T16:56:16Z")
When I think of witch doctors, I always think of [Dr. Bombay](http://bewitched.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Bombay). Actually, I’d love to have as my PCP, someone who is an MD _and_ an actual ‘witch doctor’. That would be cool. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/27 "2016-09-01T17:15:24Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Jeez, why even have Halloween anymore if dressing up as _anything_ is bound to offend some oversensitive creature. The point of the costume - which sounds fabulous by the way- is to be scary and fun. Witch doctors have always been scary (though perhaps not to the practitioners of that particular religion)and as far as I know, are usually black,no? You didn’t say you were going to blacken your face but so what if you did? The whole point of dressing up is to temporarily become something / someone else. Why does that have to be considered offensive? The area for offense, in my opinion, is that Western society’s main view of a witch doctor, from B movies and everything else, is based on a grave misunderstanding of the religions of other people, and stubborn insistence on not correcting any misconceptions because the other religions are not that important. It’s a mish-mash of a bunch of different religions and spiritual traditions, and coincidentally (hmm), those traditions come from cultures that aren’t white. Almost as if it doesn’t even matter if we lump them all together. I get that most people having fun with a witch doctor stereotype are basing in on things like the 1958 pop song, and the Scooby Doo episode where a witch doctor crashes a luau (spoiler: he wasn’t really a witch doctor). The problem to me is that it’s one of the _only_ portrayals of these religions. Other kinds of stereotypical costumes aren’t troublesome in the same way – a Mad Scientist is also based on scary/creepy/funny images in movies and literature … but in our culture, we have tons of other representations of scientists, and we understand that most scientists are real, regular people who go to work every day. I think most – not all, but most – people in the US would be hard-pressed to provide a lot of factual information about the cultures and traditional spiritual beliefs of the people that the witch doctor stereotypes are based upon. It’s hard for me to separate the typical lack of knowledge about these cultures with the reality of how the people in these cultures were treated by the West for so long (as ignorant, as laughable, as less civilized than Western cultures). So while I wouldn’t call it the most racist thing I’ve ever encountered, a witch doctor costume with no context strikes me as a little basic and unaware. I’ve made a little flowchart: – Actual disregard for non-white people from other cultures that resulted in actual harm to those people leads to a general ignorance of their cultural traditions. – A general ignorance of their cultural traditions leads to the creation of scary/creepy/funny yet inaccurate stereotypes in books and movies. – Scary/creepy/funny yet inaccurate stereotypes in books and movies leads to Halloween costumes. So some people look at the Halloween costumes as only calling back to the books and movies. These people are probably not offended, that’s fine. I get the aesthetic, I do! Other people look at the Halloween costume as one of a series of outcomes that you can’t just break away from the chain. This is where some folks might question the costume choice. I don’t think they’re irrational, and I think even if you personally don’t have this view, it’s reasonable to expect that some people you encounter might feel this way. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/28 "2016-09-01T17:18:39Z")
You could add a bone in your nose and go as Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. (One of my favourite musicians) ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/29 "2016-09-01T17:29:34Z")
Pretty much every Halloween costume these days is racist or cultural appropriation. There still are a few safe choices though. So maybe go as a ghost like this one here: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/elaNdRT0WZM/maxresdefault.jpg "South park kkk") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elaNdRT0WZM) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/30 "2016-09-01T17:31:05Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > You could add a bone in your nose and go as Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. (One of my favourite musicians) I can’t hear the word ‘constipation’ without thinking of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/31 "2016-09-01T18:28:06Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > The area for offense, in my opinion, is that Western society’s main view of a witch doctor, from B movies and everything else, is based on a grave misunderstanding of the religions of other people, and stubborn insistence on not correcting any misconceptions because the other religions are not that important. Costumes are based on exaggerated ideas. Modern nuns don’t really [look like this](http://www.thecostumeland.com/images/zoom/fn53223-nun-better-women-halloween-costumes.jpg) either. On the plus side, it’s hard to screw up “black clothes, white collar” when doing a priest. What if the OP was to go as a “Sexy Witch Doctor”? All bets are off then. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/32 "2016-09-01T22:59:21Z")
According to Wiki, there seems to be many types (and skin colors) of Witch Doctors. \*Witchcraft and magic Types African witchcraft (Vodun · Witch smeller) Asian witchcraft (Kulam · Onmyōdō) Australasian witchcraft (Makutu) European witchcraft (Akelarre · Benandanti · Brujería · Cunning folk · Seiðr · Völva · White witch · Witch-cult hypothesis) North American witchcraft (21 Divisiones · Granny woman · Hoodoo · Huna · Pow-wow · Santería · Vodou · Voodoo) South American witchcraft (Candomblé) Contemporary witchcraft (Feri Tradition · Kitchen witchcraft · Stregheria · Wicca)\* > **[Witch doctor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_doctor)** > > A witch doctor (also spelled witch-doctor) was originally a type of healer who treated ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. The term is now more commonly used to refer to healers, particularly in regions which use traditional healing rather than contemporary medicine. > In its original meaning, witch doctors were not exactly witches themselves, but rather people who had remedies to protect others against witchcraft. > Witchcraft-induced conditions were their area of expertise, as described... ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/33 "2016-09-01T23:06:41Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > You didn’t say you were going to blacken your face but so what if you did? Because it would be stupid, that’s why. It’s like if I wanted to dress as a nun, I would get one of those black and white habits, sensible shoes, and a rosary. But I wouldn’t lighten my skin to look like a white person. Skin color is irrelevant to the essence of a nun, even though most nuns are probably white. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/34 "2016-09-02T13:36:17Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > The area for offense, in my opinion, is that Western society’s main view of a witch doctor, from B movies and everything else, is based on a grave misunderstanding of the religions of other people, and stubborn insistence on not correcting any misconceptions because the other religions are not that important. It’s a mish-mash of a bunch of different religions and spiritual traditions, and coincidentally (hmm), those traditions come from cultures that aren’t white. Almost as if it doesn’t even matter if we lump them all together. > > I get that most people having fun with a witch doctor stereotype are basing in on things like the 1958 pop song, and the Scooby Doo episode where a witch doctor crashes a luau (spoiler: he wasn’t really a witch doctor). The problem to me is that it’s one of the _only_ portrayals of these religions. Other kinds of stereotypical costumes aren’t troublesome in the same way – a Mad Scientist is also based on scary/creepy/funny images in movies and literature … but in our culture, we have tons of other representations of scientists, and we understand that most scientists are real, regular people who go to work every day. I think most – not all, but most – people in the US would be hard-pressed to provide a lot of factual information about the cultures and traditional spiritual beliefs of the people that the witch doctor stereotypes are based upon. It’s hard for me to separate the typical lack of knowledge about these cultures with the reality of how the people in these cultures were treated by the West for so long (as ignorant, as laughable, as less civilized than Western cultures). > > So while I wouldn’t call it the most racist thing I’ve ever encountered, a witch doctor costume with no context strikes me as a little basic and unaware. > > I’ve made a little flowchart: > > – Actual disregard for non-white people from other cultures that resulted in actual harm to those people leads to a general ignorance of their cultural traditions. > > – A general ignorance of their cultural traditions leads to the creation of scary/creepy/funny yet inaccurate stereotypes in books and movies. > > – Scary/creepy/funny yet inaccurate stereotypes in books and movies leads to Halloween costumes. > > So some people look at the Halloween costumes as only calling back to the books and movies. These people are probably not offended, that’s fine. I get the aesthetic, I do! > > Other people look at the Halloween costume as one of a series of outcomes that you can’t just break away from the chain. This is where some folks might question the costume choice. I don’t think they’re irrational, and I think even if you personally don’t have this view, it’s reasonable to expect that some people you encounter might feel this way. Thank you for your thoughtful response. I wasn’t totally ignorant of where the possible offense might lay but I appreciate you expressing your opinion without judgement 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/35 "2016-09-02T14:06:45Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Witch doctors have always been scary (though perhaps not to the practitioners of that particular religion)and as far as I know, are usually black,no? Around here they tend to come in all colors, both traditionally and the ones peddling their wares on late night TV, but maybe you guys wouldn’t call those a “witch doctor”. It’s one of those slang-y terms about which I’m never 100% sure. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/36 "2016-09-02T14:16:03Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Around here they tend to come in all colors, both traditionally and the ones peddling their wares on late night TV, but maybe you guys wouldn’t call those a “witch doctor”. It’s one of those slang-y terms about which I’m never 100% sure. I think the American term for those folks would be “huckster” or “snake-oil salesman.” ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/37 "2016-09-02T14:17:53Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Around here they tend to come in all colors, both traditionally and the ones peddling their wares on late night TV, but maybe you guys wouldn’t call those a “witch doctor”. It’s one of those slang-y terms about which I’m never 100% sure. Here, we, or at least I, have had my idea of a “witch doctor” informed by shows like [Gilligan’s Island](http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/gilligan5935/images/e/e2/Witchdoctor.png/revision/latest?cb=20140719033818) and [I Love Lucy](http://cdn.static.ovimg.com/episode/13527.jpg) among other goofy portrayals. My interest in the origins and facts about “them” whomevery “they” may be is about the same as my interest in any religion; well nigh nil. Not because they’re not white; it’s just not on my radar to take interest in that particular facet of life. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/38 "2016-09-02T14:27:29Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Go for it! Anybody complains, skewer them with your spear! 🆒 _Memories of cops with straps un-done on their holsters, hands on the butts of their guns, screaming at me to put my hands on top of my head… all because I thought it would be fun to walk to a “Halloween Party” dressed as ‘Jason’… in overalls and with a burlap sack mask._ Your call, your funeral. I wouldn’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/39 "2016-09-02T14:52:39Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Here, we, or at least I, have had my idea of a “witch doctor” informed by shows like [Gilligan’s Island](http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/gilligan5935/images/e/e2/Witchdoctor.png/revision/latest?cb=20140719033818) and [I Love Lucy](http://cdn.static.ovimg.com/episode/13527.jpg) among other goofy portrayals. My interest in the origins and facts about “them” whomevery “they” may be is about the same as my interest in any religion; well nigh nil. Not because they’re not white; it’s just not on my radar to take interest in that particular facet of life. Ace Ventura, The Three Stooges. Hell, Saturday morning cartoons IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634/40 "2016-09-02T15:50:08Z")
If anyone asks, just say you’re going as the witch doctor _from Gilligan’s Island_. Now you’re emulating a TV show character, not an actual cultural religious entity. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-this-be-considered-a-racist-halloween-costume/764634.md?page=3)