Racist Halloween Costumes...For Pets

I'd say that the "Pup Shalom" dog costume could be considered offensive by some, and that the Indian one is lame, cheesy, and (worst of all) Disney-esque. The pimp costume is probably my favorite, though, because it is undeniably awesome looking, and I don't necessarily consider pimping to be a black-only occupation. The reason it is a black dog probably has less to do with racism then a combination of "purple velvet looks good with black" and the enduring cultural meme of black pimps in similar attire from 70's films.



The fundamental issue with all of these is intent and perception: the illegal alien can represent anything from a protest of the dehumanization of illegal economic and political migrants to the demonization of the same people. The description on the geisha costume is more ignorant than bigoted, to my mind, and it is hard to condemn a cute little dog in a chinese themed floral dress (until it barks too much or pees on you, of course). I'd avoid the Shalom Pup on general principle, but I can also think of some Jews I know who would probably dress their dogs up in it...



Bottom Line: if you want to be offended by any of these costumes, have fun, otherwise, just enjoy Halloween!
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