My Culture Is Not Your Costume

There is a disconnect between some culturally insensitive costumes. Each year, there are many examples of Halloween Costumes that portray different ethnicities and cultures with a very negative connotation. This issue has been brought up in the past and definitely needs to be fixed.

All of these costumes portray negative stereotypes and are extremely offensive to many people. People may not realize why it is ethically wrong to wear these costumes, or they may not even care about it. This is an issue that needs to be properly addressed and given the proper attention.

Ohio University first launched this campaign back four years ago. It received a good amount of attention and went national. Its purpose was to bring awareness to a bigger issue. This is an example of modern day racism and prejudice, in a society that seems to be getting more and more discriminatory.

My Culture Is Not A Costumecampaign is just one of the several issues that involve blatant racism and stereotypes in today’s society. Stereotypes are used throughout comedy, within media, and as sources of jokes for television shows, films, internet videos, etc. It is a problem that continues to grow and does not seem to stop.

People are hurt by this discrimination and the essence of their cultures being put down and shamed by those who wear these costumes. They are hurtful and untrue examples of who or what any ethnic group truly is--- no matter if they are Muslims portrayed as suicide bombers, southerners as drunk hicks, Italians as mobsters, or anything else.

These stereotypes are completely untrue for the most part, as only a fraction of an extremely small percentage of people in these groups express these images. A few people should not represent a whole culture. It is unfair, unjust, and morally wrong to believe.

It is really wonderful to see a campaign like this addressed in the media. It is an issue people are slowly starting to care about and are putting more effort into sharing its effects. Even though stereotypes and racism will never completely go away, this definitely will make it less engrained. Think twice before you pick a costume that may be the source of controversy, someone's pain, or a problematic stigma.