It has been said imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I saw a thing in the news today that really messed with my mind. It was about a nurse who ALLEGEDLY dressed in black face as part of a Halloween costume, and some people took offense at it. I am old enough to remember AL Jolson so I know where this black face thing came from and why people would be mad at THAT, but I saw the costume this girl had on. I did not see anything offensive about it. She did not have the boot black stage paint the old minstrel shows would use. Her costume was a very tasteful costume of a pretty African American woman. I do not understand why anyone would take offense at her wearing a costume that matched her man. They are a biracial couple and if her man was not offended what gives anyone else the right to take offense to the point of firing her. I do not think she meant any offense by the costume. The reason I am writing this is because I really think people are missing the point of Halloween. It is a time you are free to be someone you are not. Like that woman about a week ago who dressed as Diana Ross one of the best singers of her time. How stupid would she have looked if she had not dawned a darker makeup to go with the costume.
Sense people are wanting to make a federal issue over someones choice of a Halloween costume, why not take it one step more. You have people running around with severed limbs in nearly every haunted house and costume store in the country. By the standard that make up to fit a costume is not politically correct then costumes with severed limbs are not either, because it could be argued it demeans amputees. Also what about the ugly green witch costumes do they not also demean practices of the Wicca faith?
Another thing that gets me is the one sided politically correctness. Lets take a look at all the movies that are casting the roles of white characters with actors of other colors. The real tragedy is when they do not keep the characters trademarks. Ok they cast all the white roles with African Americans and no one took offense at that. I did however hate the fact the actress playing Annie in that rendition did not have the trademark red hair. Seriously if you are going to do something do it right. Which brings me back to people who want to dress up as their favorite performers of a different race and so they dawn the appropriate make up to make it happen. Instead of being flattered people wanted to be like them, people are taking offense at the color of the make up used to make the costume authentic.
I would like to point out IF it had been the black face with the embellished features like in the old minstrel show. I really think people need to stop being afraid they may say or do something that will offend someone else and everyone just live their own lives. We need to stop trying to live other peoples lives. This is still America. And last I looked there was no law against wearing a costume so I do not see how they could fire that nurse for something she did on her own time that had nothing to do with her job.
