Halloween costume - offensive ?

[Anonymous]

So is this offensive? It's cultural appropriation. It's a "sexy" take on the traditional dress of the native people of another country. A culture that still exists, and a people that still wear it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"But dressing up as a "Chinese person" or a "Native American" still, to me, isn't ok."

We've heard your objections, and since you have no further arguments than it "isn't ok" to you, we disagree with you.

Veterans have traditionally been a marginalized group, and they are a protected class. Is it offensive to dress up as a soldier or sailor?

NP here. The bolded is absurd.

How do you figure?

Veterans have traditionally been one of the most honored groups in the US. They are applauded, celebrated, and honored in any number of ways, and rightfully so IMO.

LOL. You clearly don't know any history prior to 1991.

I have records from my far-back American ancestors showing their pensions from serving in the US military, back to the Revolutionary War. We also have the GI Bill (fun fact - they were structured in a way to be all but unusable for Black veterans), the VA, and veteran's preference for federal jobs began in 1952.

So if there are direct government payments, that means the group is no longer marginalized? Interesting.

No, but when a group makes up a disproportionate percentage of our ruling class, as veterans do, I'm going to say they fundamentally do not fit under the umbrella of "marginalized."

Now, due to intersectionality, some veterans are certainly marginalized, but in those cases, they are primarily marginalized for being poor, Black, gay, or whatever, with the veteran's status being only a small part of the marginalization.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
So is this offensive? It's cultural appropriation. It's a "sexy" take on the traditional dress of the native people of another country. A culture that still exists, and a people that still wear it.

It's certainly tacky and I'd side-eye if she let her 7 year old wear it, but in this case it doesn't have the "punching down" element of dressing up as a generic Indian girl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So is this offensive? It's cultural appropriation. It's a "sexy" take on the traditional dress of the native people of another country. A culture that still exists, and a people that still wear it.

It's certainly tacky and I'd side-eye if she let her 7 year old wear it, but in this case it doesn't have the "punching down" element of dressing up as a generic Indian girl.

LOL at the 7 year old comment. I'd defer to what a member of that group says, but I don't think Germans are historically marginalized in this country, at least not to the extent that Native Americans have been!

[Anonymous]

"No, but when a group makes up a disproportionate percentage of our ruling class, as veterans do"

Citation, please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So is this offensive? It's cultural appropriation. It's a "sexy" take on the traditional dress of the native people of another country. A culture that still exists, and a people that still wear it.

It's certainly tacky and I'd side-eye if she let her 7 year old wear it, but in this case it doesn't have the "punching down" element of dressing up as a generic Indian girl.

LOL at the 7 year old comment. I'd defer to what a member of that group says, but I don't think Germans are historically marginalized in this country, at least not to the extent that Native Americans have been!

Why would you defer that question and not the one about the American Indian?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So is this offensive? It's cultural appropriation. It's a "sexy" take on the traditional dress of the native people of another country. A culture that still exists, and a people that still wear it.

It's certainly tacky and I'd side-eye if she let her 7 year old wear it, but in this case it doesn't have the "punching down" element of dressing up as a generic Indian girl.

LOL at the 7 year old comment. I'd defer to what a member of that group says, but I don't think Germans are historically marginalized in this country, at least not to the extent that Native Americans have been!

You don't have to be historically marginalized for something to be cultural appropriation, no? I don't know that Indians are marginalized, but I don't think wearing a sari as a costume is a good idea.

[Anonymous]

If you have to ask...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So is this offensive? It's cultural appropriation. It's a "sexy" take on the traditional dress of the native people of another country. A culture that still exists, and a people that still wear it.

It's certainly tacky and I'd side-eye if she let her 7 year old wear it, but in this case it doesn't have the "punching down" element of dressing up as a generic Indian girl.

LOL at the 7 year old comment. I'd defer to what a member of that group says, but I don't think Germans are historically marginalized in this country, at least not to the extent that Native Americans have been!

Why would you defer that question and not the one about the American Indian?

I didn't say I wouldn't? But there are lots of Native Americans who have issues with those kinds of costumes (including the one person commenting ON THIS THREAD who said they generally make him and his family uncomfortable).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So is this offensive? It's cultural appropriation. It's a "sexy" take on the traditional dress of the native people of another country. A culture that still exists, and a people that still wear it.

It's certainly tacky and I'd side-eye if she let her 7 year old wear it, but in this case it doesn't have the "punching down" element of dressing up as a generic Indian girl.

It is absolutely punching down if you know anything at all about traditional German dress. First of all, it's a bastardization of the actual outfit, which isn't remotely sexy. Then it's based on something from a very specific region of Germany, and there are dozens of forms of traditional dress, most of which have to do with religious celebrations like weddings and funerals.

It's ignorant to think otherwise. Just because Germans really don't care what Americans do with it doesn't make it any less tacky.

"Was stoert es die Deutsche Eiche wenn die Sau sich daran schuppert?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"No, but when a group makes up a disproportionate percentage of our ruling class, as veterans do"

Citation, please.

Up until Clinton 1 every President served in the military. Bush 1 after.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"No, but when a group makes up a disproportionate percentage of our ruling class, as veterans do"

Citation, please.

Certainly. Veterans make up about 7 percent of the US population (that's folks who have ever served) but 18 percent of the US Congress (both houses). That is, as noted, disproportionate. Whcih is fine! But it makes it unlikely that they are an oppressed minority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"No, but when a group makes up a disproportionate percentage of our ruling class, as veterans do"

Citation, please.

Up until Clinton 1 every President served in the military. Bush 1 after.

Huh?

John Adams, Martin Van Buren, Cleveland, Harding, Wilson, Taft, Coolidge, Hoover, Roosevelt, Clinton, and Obama. (and now Clinton II).

And we're talking about now, not the history from 25 years ago. But you can't even get that right.

Forgive me for not respecting your judgment on the costume issue, but you're clearly an idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
So is this offensive? It's cultural appropriation. It's a "sexy" take on the traditional dress of the native people of another country. A culture that still exists, and a people that still wear it.

It's certainly tacky and I'd side-eye if she let her 7 year old wear it, but in this case it doesn't have the "punching down" element of dressing up as a generic Indian girl.

It is absolutely punching down if you know anything at all about traditional German dress. First of all, it's a bastardization of the actual outfit, which isn't remotely sexy. Then it's based on something from a very specific region of Germany, and there are dozens of forms of traditional dress, most of which have to do with religious celebrations like weddings and funerals.

It's ignorant to think otherwise. Just because Germans really don't care what Americans do with it doesn't make it any less tacky.

"Was stoert es die Deutsche Eiche wenn die Sau sich daran schuppert?"

Then, based on input from someone who seems to know better than I, I'll amend my comment: Yes, this is offensive and I would not allow my child to wear it even if it weren't tacky.

Hopefully OP does the same with the input from more than one person of Native descent in this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"No, but when a group makes up a disproportionate percentage of our ruling class, as veterans do"

Citation, please.

Certainly. Veterans make up about 7 percent of the US population (that's folks who have ever served) but 18 percent of the US Congress (both houses). That is, as noted, disproportionate. Whcih is fine! But it makes it unlikely that they are an oppressed minority.

African Americans make up about 13% of the population, and 100% of the President. This is disproportionate.