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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]When will this PC nonsense end? SOO glad I'm not in college anymore. The American university has truly become a graveyard for critical thinking and tolerance in the truest sense of the word. As in tolerant of all speech, not just "approved" speech.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3297067/The-politically-correct-police-Colleges-post-flyers-advising-students-consult-faculty-Halloween-costumes-appropriate-not.html#comments[/quote]

Would you allow your ES child to dress as a geisha? Or an Indian? Or, say, a Hassidic Jew?

Serious question. Answer it and then we can have a conversation about "PC"[/quote]

I would allow my ES child to dress as a geisha or an Indian, yes of course. A Hassidic Jew? No.[/quote]
Whew, you are really very stupid. Your line drawing is arbitrary and makes no sense. If mocking Hassids by acting as if their garb is a costume is not acceptable, then how is doing the same to Indians and Asians all right? [/quote]

New poster here.  I agree with the lines the previous poster drew.

First of all, Hassidic Jews are a religious group.  While the Geisha and Indian (yes, as I understand it Indian culture is deeply spiritual) costumes draw on cultural stereotypes, they are not addressing somebody's faith.  The majority of Hassid Jews (according to Wikipedia) live in New York and New Jersey.  If somebody wanted to dress as a "typical" New Yorker (stockbroker, Rockette, taxi driver?), I would see that as more analagous to dressing up like a Geisha.  I suspect when you're referring to the Indian costume, you mean a stereotype of a traditional Native American.  If somebody wanted to dress up like a character from Braveheart, or a Gypsy, or a Gladiator (who were mostly slaves), would you be as offended?

Secondly, your post seems to say that picking a  costume is done to mock the subject of the costume.  While this may sometimes be the case (and is obvious when it is), it seems to me that it more frequently is the opposite.  Most people pick a costume because there's some aspect about it that they admire/enjoy and want to experience for a night.  As a child I dressed as a Geisha (or as I thought of it at the time a Japanese Princess).  My thoughts were not to mock the Japanese and I had certainly never heard of cultural appropriation.  Rather, because I was born in Japan (Air Force father), I had always felt a connection to that country.   I'd been fascinated by their culture which I thought was amazing.  Dressing up, however inauthentically, was my way of paying homage.

I think letting people celebrate other cultures is a way of reducing racism and intolerance.  On St. Patrick's day it's said that everybody is Irish. 
Nobody checks genealogies before wearing green.

[/quote]

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