As college students prepare to enjoy Halloween festivities throughout the country, liberal universities across the US are releasing new guidelines restricting costumes that some may find “offensive.”
The “Inclusion” policy released by Northern Arizona University warns students of the dangers of “cultural appropriation,” telling them to avoid dressing as caricatures of a “culture that is not one’s own.”
“Cultural appropriation means adopting a cultural product in terms of local meanings and practices. In its broadest sense the term means taking an existing cultural form from one social group and replaying it in another with different meanings or practices,” said the school’s website.
The University of St. Thomas also released policies regarding “acceptable student costumes” in an article titled, “Costume or Cultural Appropriation?”
“The leaves are falling, the temperature is dropping, and Halloween is just around the corner. Many would argue that Halloween is the day of the year where you can be whoever, or whatever you want. However, it’s important to know the distinction between what is funny and what is cultural appropriation,” writes the author.
“Does my costume represent a culture that is not my own?” it urges students to ask before leaving their dormitories.
Read the liberal memo below:
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