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HORIST: The left adds Halloween to the holiday hate list

HORIST: The left adds Halloween to the holiday hate list

Around the old neighborhood it was a rather typical Halloween. I was visited by groups of greedy goblins who threatened tricks if I did not fork over the protection money in the form of mini chocolate bars and a variety of gummy things.

Law enforcement was apparently off duty since among the shakedown artists was a policeman, a sheriff and an FBI agent. There were a few members of royalty in the form of princesses, a witch or two, one zombie (I think), a bloody-toothed Dracula, a couple cartoon characters and some dreadful monsters I could not identify. More ominously, there was an American Indian and pint-sized Poncho Villa.

While everything was quite normal in the neighborhood, the cyber world and news feeds were awash with stories of the real horrors of Halloween as expressed by the humorless identity-crazed political-correct left-wing merchants of division and hate – you know, the really scary folks. As is their practice, they have conjured up new reasons for tribal animosity – reasons that did not exist in times of greater costume tranquility.

According to the politically correct Gestapo, it is racist for a white person to dress up to be President Barack Obama if it includes blackening the face. It appears to be acceptable, however, if that same little white boy or girl dons an Obama mask. Does the same apply to a black child whitening his or her face and wearing a garish orange wig to be President Trump? That seems less clear.

I guess dressing up like Al Jolson as a minstrel singer for Halloween would be totally out of bounds in today’s overly-sensitive restrictive and judgmental world. On the other hand, what kid would even know who Al Jolson was. I should have considered a better example.

For kids to dress up across racial lines is harmless fantasy. It is play. It can actually be quite funny. But to the left, it rises to the edge of criminality and deserving of social retribution. The defense of both blackface and whiteface as Halloween costumes actually got Megan Kelly canned from her job at CNN – one of those institutions monitoring the boundaries of tribal divisiveness. Imagine that. She merely believes that Halloween pretending by kids should not be the political issue of our times — and she actually loses her job in a case of a punishment NOT fitting the “crime.”

This is not a black and white issue. School Superintendent Josh Middleton took to Facebook to issue a formal public apology because some teachers dressed up as Mexicans – which has been one of the standard traditional costumes of every Halloween. In liberal-think, it seems only Mexicans can dress up as Mexicans – in which case they are not dressing up at all.

Proving that our college campuses have become the bastions of intolerance in the name of tolerance, Kevin Nadal, professor of psychology at John Jay College, posted this response to the Halloween sombrero-wearing amigos. “The fact that these elementary school teachers thought this would be okay [to dress as Mexicans] demonstrates how much more cultural competence training is needed in education.” “Cultural competence training?” Now THAT is really scary.

Isn’t that the sort of “education” that we hear about in those authoritarian countries like China and Russia? The answer is, “yes.” If Professor Nadal needs a costume for next year’s Halloween party, he might consider Mao Zedong or Joseph Stalin to reflect his inner psyche.

I well recall the Spanish flamenco dancer costume my mother made for me – with sequined vest, flared pant cuffs with red inserts and a bolero hat with dangling balls. (Don’t go there). By today’s standards, would I be insulting Spaniards and flamenco dancers? I fear so.

Much of the costume-killing snowflake movement operates under the banner “my culture is not a costume.” Under this rubric, it is not acceptable to wear any historical costumes that are iconic to a culture. No be-feathered, tomahawk bearing, war paint-wearing Native Americans – not even Elizabeth Warren. No Cleopatras or pharoahs. No sheiks of Araby. No Roman emperors. No geisha girls, No Cisco Kid – and definitely no Pancho. Ironically, the aforementioned are among the most popular costumes in the catalogs and are seen all over America on Halloween.

The left is very good at making up new terms to label their otherwise unknown social maladies. In this case, it is “cultural appropriation” – taking up the appearance, customs and even the cuisine of other ethnic groups. In terms of Halloween, it is pretending you are someone of a different ethnicity than what you are. Hmmmm. I thought that was the entire idea of Halloween – to dress up like what you are not.

I once attended a Halloween party as a Chinese emperor. According to left-wing orthodoxy, I was guilty of “cultural appropriation” and Professor Nadal would have me committed to “cultural competence training.” I actually showed the picture to a number of my friends in China, and not one of them seemed offended. It elicited hearty and friendly laughs. Perhaps the good professor needs to explain to them why they should be as offended as him since they apparently not smart enough to see the evil insult in my costume.

Even in China, they do not get it. Just inside the Forbidden City, they had a concession stand in which we westerners dress up in traditional Chinese garb for photographs. Rather than being offended, they seemed to be proud of sharing their culture.

This cultural appropriation is not limited to costumes at Halloween. The most devout advocates of identity politics allege that it is improper for Caucasians to prepare foods associated with non-Caucasian countries. No … I am not making this up. According to the hypersensitive left, if you are white, you should not be allowed to open a restaurant that serves anything but white food. I don’t know what that is, but it sounds rather bland.

It seems that if you are a white restaurant owner and you serve Asian, Latin, Indian or African cuisine, you are “a tool of white supremacist culture.” According to a website that targets whites serving up ethnic foods in Oregon, “it’s about profit, ownership, and wealth in a white supremacist culture.” In other words, the white owners are making money off the culture and traditions of a different – usually minority – culture. Geeez! I thought it was just about enjoying a good dinner.

If you are a Swede running a German restaurant, that appears to be okay. But if you have tacos or egg foo young on the menu, you are a fraud – stealing money from that other culture. Not sure how Taco Bell figures into all that.

And what if it is a non-white minority that is cross cooking. Here in Boca, we have a fine Chinese restaurant that is run by Hispanics – including the cooks. And as a guy who likes to cook, I spend a fair amount of time in the kitchen appropriating virtually every culture on earth. My stir fries could be served in Shanghai.

I really have a very simple solution to all this Halloween nonsense. Since Halloween started as a Celtic (Irish) tradition, it should be celebrated only by white people – maybe only by the Irish. After all, we do not want to have the Emerald Isle’s culture appropriated by all those sweet Asian, Hispanic, Indian and African kids on Halloween. The next thing you know, they will be dressing up like leprechauns.

There is also a second solution – an even better one. LIGHTEN UP!!!

So, there ‘tis.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

12 Comments

  1. Cliffhob

    Joe Bonamassa is a famous country singer, so don’t miss the possibility to visit Joe Bonamassa tour tickets

  2. jw

    Ah , but it fine for a guy ,or a female to think and dress the opposite of their gender jus because they think they themselves to be that opposite !

  3. Philip Simon

    Sharpton, Callipso Louie, Jessie Louis and all the Washed up liberal Whites and Liberal jews, they are like used up dirty rags that stay in the past with no future. Just themselves.

  4. Philip Simon

    Halloween is fun. For one day a year, children dress for fun. Candies make them call on you always. Cheer and be cheerful.

  5. Bruce Clay

    Being of Irish decent, I have no problem with others cerebrating our tradition, when I was young, I dressed as many different things, I probably pissed off some naturalist when I dressed as a swamp monster. My father, God rest his soul, dressed up as a American Indian for a costume party in the late 60’s or early 70’s. No one was offended, in fact, the buckskins and and headdress were loaned to dad by Trainer Halftown, AKA, Chief Halftown, a real Native American Chief, a neighbor, and close personal friend! It’s about time the loony leftist stop screwing around with our freedoms. If you are offended by what we do in America, MOVE THE HELL OUT!

  6. SLG

    Does that mean as a whit adult, I can’t eat at a Mexican or Italian, etc. restaurant?

  7. Toni taub

    It’s SO ridiculous!. Everyone is just too sensitive. Maybe we should just ban haloween altogether.

  8. Gloria

    It pisses me off that we are losing everything that makes America, America!! All these people that believe we should change what we are, should move to another country and try tearing down everything they believe in. What really surprises me, is there is a lot more people that believes like I do yet, we fold every time these leftists morons open their mouths and spews their stupidity!

  9. G syck

    More republican elephant crap.

    • K2l0UpnEUh

      Very eloquent comments…

  10. Brian

    I am so tired of groups who have appointed themselves keepers of whatever they think is important to others. They want everyone to look and act the same no matter where they are and no matter the situation. The fact is they are NOT speaking for everyone. They are just a group of similar minded people who want control over another, or all, groups for financial or political manipulation. What is next on their agenda? You can’t eat food that is not of your own ethnic background? It would be nice if they would just shut up and go back to where they came from and leave everyone else alone.

  11. Grail Pendarvis

    As a black man I absolutely find people in black face offensive.

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