Yeah, the few I’ve seen have had a more Hillary Clinton-esque fashion aesthetic than anything so old-school as wearing a habit.
I’m willing to bet no one will have to ask what the the costume is supposed to be and I find it really hard to believe that anyone will be truly offended. There might be some silently passing judgement on behalf of those they *think *would be offended, but if you’re going to worry about every time someone might take offense at something you might as well never leave the house.
Good rule of thumb: any time you have to ASK, “Is it okay to do this or is it racist,” you probably shouldn’t do it.
Anyone that would be offended by it deserves to be offended.
Eh, the majority opinion here seems to be “Nope, not racist” so asking was the right thing.
Hmmm, maybe I should just spring for the cheap gorilla suit and a really big top hat. Or spring for the gorilla suit and substitute a globey diving helmet with rabbit-ears for the ape mask, like Ro-Man in Robot Monster.
That doesn’t really matter, though. What matters is whether the people who see it will think it’s being racist.
Personally, I would not do it, and would feel racist for doing so. In my mind, the witch doctor is just a caricature of certain African religions. It feels as racist as yellow face.
My general rule is, if I don’t see that character on TV anymore, and it even indirectly involves race, I assume that at least some significant portion of the population finds it racist.
“The majority,” has historically been blind to or comfortable with racism, though. That’s how it perpetuates.
So, if it’s a thing that stands out enough for you to ask yourself, then “yes,” is your safest bet.
Are you suggesting that everything is racist until proven otherwise?
Or that if one person is offended, then everyone must be offended?
I think it’s an awesome idea. . . and maybe a “politically-correct witch doctor” could be cool too, but I’m not sure what would look like.
But, I don’t think you should go into this half-hearted. I think the kinda witch doctor you’re talking about need to be OVER THE TOP.
Or, you could play a guy who just thinks he’s a witch doctor. Like from a psych ward.
Unfortunately, I think I agree with this. I mean, I don’t think it’s racist and if I saw you in this costume I’d think nothing of it. Cool witch doctor costume. Then someone would whisper, “isn’t that kind of racist?” and I’d have to think about it. “Is that racist?” I’d ask myself. And I’d think it’s not, but I’d recognize that someone asked the question so someone apparently saw the costume and the word “racist” entered their mind. So, now that the question has been asked, I’d just avoid it.
Politically correct witch doctor? Dress up in a lab coat and have an assortment of homeopathic medicines, anti-gmo pamphlets, and other psusdo-science. Don’t forget a cash bag. 
I wouldn’t do it. and I actually went to work one year dressed as a witch doctor (OK, so I wore my usual work clothes and lab coat and threw on a witch’s hat but I’m not really good at costumes).
I’m thinking of scrapping my idea to go out as ‘Zombie Harambe’ this year.