Cultural Misrepresentation

This is my little girl (well one of them).  And this post really has nothing to do with reading or books per se...but it has to do with a lot more than her too.  The past couple of years Ohio University has sponsored a campaign to educate people about racism through poster images relating to wearing culturally insensitive Halloween costumes.  I'm interested in posting about this on this blog because I'd like to know what other people think about this campaign.  I'm really interested in a respectful and honest conversation about people's feelings about the campaign, and about wearing cultural costumes that aren't of your own background.

Here is a sample of one of the 2012 campaign posters.

http://www.ohio.edu/orgs/stars/Home.html

Here is my own

"This is not who I am, and this is not okay."

Now, I completely support the fight against racism.  I truly believe that all people are created equally, and that no one race or culture stands above any other.  I firmly believe that if we made cultural education a more integrated part of our worldwide curriculum it would foster much greater understanding of other people and would minimize international tensions.

But I think I approach this in a way that is different from other people sometimes.  First, I don't think we should separate out the history of any one particular cultural group within our history when teaching it to young students.  I don't feel there is a need for a black history month, and a women's history month.  We should just have history, and integrate all of those things into one curriculum.  But separating these groups out for special attention we are bringing attention to difference.  We're telling children, "Look, this person and their history and achievements are special because they are..."  We should be focusing on the achievements, not those differences. 

Second, as a cultural anthropology student, I believe that one of the best ways to understand and learn about a people is through participant observation.  This is one of the most important tools that cultural anthropologists have!  I have always enjoyed becoming part of my research.  When I was younger I did this for reports and presentations in school, and now I integrate it into the home schooling I do with my kids, as well as for myself as a hobby of sorts.  I use this to teach my children about their own heritage, but to learn about history and other cultures as well.

Learning about our own heritage.

Learning about history.

Learning about other culture.

I think the key thing is how we approach this.  When I do these activities, I try and make them as authentic as possible.  When I did a report on the Mohave Indians in 5th grade I hand tied grass skirts for my entire group for our project presentation   I try to be as authentic as possible in all of the things that we do so that we honor those whose customs they are and so that we really are learning about and appreciating them.  This year we made a dia de los Muertos ofrenda and learned about all of the things that should go into it.  We made it for a deceased relative of ours, and did it with respect.  We looked up information to make it as authentic as we could and baked our own Pan de Muerto.  My daughter also did a project for United Nations day at school for which she had to to a cultural project on Ghana.  We did traditional braiding of her hair and did our best to reflect traditional dress.  She was to wear this for school, but insisted on wearing it while having her hair braided and while making a traditional Ghanan dish fufu, so that she could have the most authentic experience possible.  I was so proud of her.

I am glad that the Ohio University is doing their program, because I feel like there are a lot of culturally insensitive costumes.  Some are completely inexcusable to me. 

This poster form the STARS 2011 campaign illustrates one of the ones I find most problematic.

This is not funny

And this is not cute.

But I'm not without a sense of humor on the matter either.  And neither is the Internet community.

This was a poster in the 2011 campaign, and a spoof poster  designed from it.

Now there are plenty of spoof returns on an image search for "Ohio University costume campaign."

This is one of my favorites:

It is cute, and good for people to be able to poke some fun at themselves from time to time.  But the truth is that the campaign is necessary.  Not only are Halloween costumes reflective of cultural biases, but over the past year and a half mainstream fashion has gone severely in this direction as well with the so-called Neo-Navajo fashion trend.  

Culminating recently in this embarrassing fashion show put on by Victoria's Secret

These are the kinds of things that demand that we be proactive about this.  These are the types of costumes toward which the campaign is geared.  It is one thing to learn about and honor a group, but it is something completely different to use symbols of which you don't understand the meaning, and items of immense cultural significance out of context to the detriment of the cultural group for your own amusement or financial gain.  and stereotyped costumes like the middle eastern bomber are so far beyond poor taste it's criminal.

But I welcome your thoughts on this!  Maybe you don't agree with me.  maybe you do.  I didn't write this blog post just to complain about the situation, but to educate and to get people talking.  I'd like to know what you think about the use of cultural costumes for Halloween, and for fashion.  Has your culture been misrepresented in this way?  How do you feel about it?  Do you think cultural costumes are ever okay?  Where do you draw the line?  I'd like to know.  So please, be respectful, but comment and share your point of view!