It’s that special time of year again: Halloween! While there are many fun, festive traditions of this spooky season, there are some components that are just a little too scary. I’m talking about culturally and socially insensitive costumes that mock people’s lived experiences. All too often we see people dressing up in costumes that stigmatize…
What’s the big deal with being culturally sensitive at Halloween? For years, people have donned sombreros, headdresses, and tribal getup. Why not? Regardless of Halloween hi-jinks, the world kept spinning in November. However, wearing culturally insensitive costumes reinforces ideologies that as a community, especially here at Dickinson, we are working to correct. No matter how…
As Halloween draws near and students begin to select their costumes, it is important to remember that identities should not be treated as costumes. If a Halloween costume is trying to imitate another person’s identity or mock that identity, chances are it’s probably offensive. Some examples of this are more common than others, such as…