tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862170131521435894.post8879807408694946019..comments2023-11-02T07:39:02.009-07:00Comments on Post-Modern Enlightenment: Cultures and CostumesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862170131521435894.post-47312443543064585302011-10-30T21:14:25.995-07:002011-10-30T21:14:25.995-07:00Costumes are often caricatures, and it's in ra...Costumes are often caricatures, and it's in rather poor taste to caricatures a (real) race or an (existing) culture.<br /><br />OTOH, I'm a little confused with the assumption that _all_ costumes are caricatures, or that _any_ depiction of something in a culture is supposed to somehow represent the entire culture.<br /><br />Mariachi bands _actually exist_, for an example in the article. If someone is going as a 'Mexican' and dressed in a mariachi outfit, sure, they're an idiot...but if they're going as a mariachi band member, uh, that's what those guys wear. (Although it's kinda stupid to be a single one of those, and they'd better have an instrument.)<br /><br />There's a difference between say 'Don't be a stereotyping ass deliberately mocking a culture' and 'You can never dress as an actual human being at all, in case you're trying to reduce the entire culture they come from to that thing'.<br /><br />I don't know, maybe I'm looking at this with too much a theatre background or something. In theatre, dealing with other cultures, you have to be sensitive and not perpetuate stereotypes.<br /><br />And I freely admit that something like 75% of the 'dress as another race or culture' costumes are perpetuating stereotypes, and something like 95% of the people _in_ those costumes manage to perpetuating stereotypes even more. And I have no problem with a campaign to point that out.<br /><br />OTOH, I have a problem with the idea that dressing as actually existing people, and portraying those people in a non-mocking manner, is somehow bigoted just because they're from a different culture. (While admitting that almost no one _does_ portray them in such a manner. Hint: Talking in an fake accent? Almost certainly bigoted.)DavidTChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11260887463189733361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2862170131521435894.post-67455589409511587622011-10-28T18:26:09.500-07:002011-10-28T18:26:09.500-07:00More than a few of your jokes making fun of rednec...<i>More than a few of your jokes making fun of rednecks are jokes that make fun of poor people, with a few exceptions (those making poking fun at people who watch NASCAR and the like). </i><br /><br />I used to think the "trailer park trash" jokes were funny and I've found them more and more disturbing over the years. Some of the tropes of that culture are ridiculous, but many of them are just hallmarks for being poor - which is so wrong to make fun of. In Britain, you see a similar phenomena with "chavs," who are typically lower-class urban folks. This is a good article from the Guardian on the chav phenomena and how socially destructive it is: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/31/chav-vile-word-fractured-britainAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com