Is this hat racist?

POSTED BY: Succatash
UPDATED: Friday, July 7, 2006 22:02
VIEWED: 3681
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AURAPTOR

Friday, July 7, 2006 2:52 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Succatash:
Is this hat racist?

http://www.costumecraze.com/HAT10.html

.

"Gott kann dich nicht vor mir beschuetzen, weil ich nicht boese bin."

Nope. Poor taste ? Maybe. But not racist.

People love a happy ending. So every episode, I will explain once again that I don't like people. And then Mal will shoot someone. Someone we like. And their puppy. - Joss

" They don't like it when you shoot at 'em. I worked that out myself. "

SOUPCATCHER

Friday, July 7, 2006 6:15 AM

Not sure what to do with that question since the hat is inanimate. I think of racism as a human trait.

So something more like this:

Is the designer of this hat a racist?
Are those who purchase this hat racist?

And my answer to those questions are: not enough information. Alternatively, it depends on the motivation of the person who made the hat - which we can't know - or the motivation of the person buying the hat - which we also can't know.

Let's try this on for size. If I buy this hat to give to a black friend because, "Hey. He's black. They all like watermelon. It's a good joke, see. They like watermelon so much they wear watermelon clothing." That's not cool. Likelihood of this example occurring, however, is pretty low, IMO.

So, like many real world questions, the answer is: it depends.

SHADOWFLY

Friday, July 7, 2006 6:18 AM

Pathetic

HKCAVALIER

Friday, July 7, 2006 7:18 AM

As the grandchild of Irish immigrants I have a strange relationship to racism. Far as I can see, Irish people are among the most self-racist people on earth. Take a good look at the next cute li'l leprechaun you see--it's a cute li'l ethnic stereotype of an Irishman. The way we Irish people decorate our homes on St. Pat's day is kinda like it would be if black people put Picannini's on their walls and dressed up like watermellons during Black History Month. I have relatives who dress up in potato costumes, fer Pete's sake! It's all a li'l disgusting.

So, is the hat racist? I'm gonna say, heck yeah, on account of because it would not exist if not for the ethnic stereotype it references. Surely, someone could make a watermellon hat in Kazakhstan, having never even seen a black American, but then Tash would not be posting about it.

And for those literalists in the audience, I'll adjust my statement to say that the context in which the watermellon hat has any special significance is racist.

HKCavalier

Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

SOUPCATCHER

Friday, July 7, 2006 8:31 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by HKCavalier:
So, is the hat racist? I'm gonna say, heck yeah, on account of because it would not exist if not for the ethnic stereotype it references. Surely, someone could make a watermellon hat in Kazakhstan, having never even seen a black American, but then Tash would not be posting about it.

After reading your post and Rue's, I'm convinced.

Oh, and am I the literalist? Am I? Am I? It gets the engineer in me all happy.

GEEZER

Friday, July 7, 2006 12:06 PM

Anything can be racist (or otherwise discriminatory), if either the user or the subject want it to be.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

GEEKMAFIA

Friday, July 7, 2006 8:01 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by HKCavalier:
As the grandchild of Irish immigrants I have a strange relationship to racism. Far as I can see, Irish people are among the most self-racist people on earth. Take a good look at the next cute li'l leprechaun you see--it's a cute li'l ethnic stereotype of an Irishman. The way we Irish people decorate our homes on St. Pat's day is kinda like it would be if black people put Picannini's on their walls and dressed up like watermellons during Black History Month. I have relatives who dress up in potato costumes, fer Pete's sake! It's all a li'l disgusting.

Self... racist? more like national pride, man. i'm not sure about your potato costume relatives but the majority of irish people don't go out on paddy's day to say "look we're wee little leprechaun people" it's a celebration of Ireland as an individual nation different from all others.It would be different if st. patricks day was only celebrated outside of ireland by foreigners caricaturing irish people but this is where irish people in ireland and abroad celebrate what it means to be irish and the idea of how we really like that we are irish, since when has that been racist?
St patricks day is no-more self racism than the 4th of july or bastille day.

apologies for the threadjack and no, i don't think the hat is racist in itself but i could understand how in certain circumstances people could take offence.

MILGRAM

Friday, July 7, 2006 10:02 PM

So... you're saying Watermelons themselves are racist?
I can see how someone could interpret it as racist; or if someone bought it for the reasons Soupcatcher said, that would be racist. But the chances that this hat was created as a racist object? Pretty damn low. On the same page, you have advertisements for hats made to look like chickens, beer mugs, dice, soccer balls, everything. This is just another silly hat.

I have another question. Is this hat racist: http://www.costumecraze.com/HAT11.html?addonfrom=HAT10&PHPSESSID=f0fa7
cc07e4a7bdace2a475d48af29e3 ? Why or why not?

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