Thursday, November 12, 2009

A halloween idea gone very wrong

Four university students donned blackface makeup and tracksuits for their costume idea this Halloween to become the Jamaican bobsled team from the 1993 film "Cool Runnings." Their satire was found humorous by some, but others were offended by it. So much that the University of Toronto's Black Students Committee demanded an apology from the students who organized the party. These students' costumes weren't the only ones that sparked awareness. An Illegal Alien costume was pulled off the auctions on eBay after an immigrants rights group demanded it taken down.

While it is a sad story that racism is still an issue, it is stupid that people would take such offense to a simple Halloween costume. Now, the Illegal Alien costume I can understand, but five guys dressing up like Jamaican bobsledders is something else. The way the students portray Jamaicans, and even black people in general is not offensive and even funny to say the least. There was never any intention to offend, these guys just wanted to have a costume that would be remembered. Not to say that people should be allowed to wear anything they want just because its Halloween, I'm just saying that people should try to chill out a little and learn to laugh about these kind of things.
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Article courtesy of the Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/724659--how-a-halloween-getup-went-badly-wrong?bn=1

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