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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Those of you who are so quick to say that OP is "over-thinking" this, or that those of us who are explaining why we think her daughter should have a different costume are "tedious' or "haven't smiled in a year" should do some actual research on this topic.

Here's a place to start
http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/12/what-exactly-is-cultural-appropriation-and-how-is-it-harmful/

[/quote]

I've read a ton on this topic. I teach in "area studies" (women's studies), and I totally disagree. Halloween especially is about playacting, embodying something you want to try out. You should never exploit others for your own gain, and you should not make fun of other people or hurt them. However, this movement is making it very, very difficult to introduce people to other cultures through play: clothes, food, dance, art ... That's how most people come to appreciate other cultures first, before they delve into the history.[/quote]

I partially disagree, but I respect your disagreement!  I, too, have issues with the idea that you can only "respect" the culture you were born into and I agree that hyper-protectiveness in many cases is self-defeating.

But dressing up as a "Chinese person" or a "Native American" still, to me, isn't ok.  You can't really "try out" what it means to be Native American, and even though Halloween is supposed to be fun, I can totally understand why people would take issue with their culture -- particularly one marginalized in the US -- being something to dress up in for your own amusement.[/quote]

What what about a Chinese person who wants to wear "Western" clothing, say a plaid shirt and demin jeans. Is she a victim of false-consciousness, wanting to adopt the culture of a colonizing nation? Or can she, simply because you assume that all persons of color are "victims" have the right to dress however they want?

I agree with the previous PP. I've also done a ton of research on this topic (and career is in the field of ethnic studies/conflict resolution), and I think that it perfectly OK for children with innocent intent to dress up as persons in other cultures.[/quote]

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