Opposing Views: VIDEO:Uproar Over "Illegal Alien" Halloween Costume

Uproar Over "Illegal Alien" Halloween Costume

By Opposing Views Editorial Staff , To Protect and Serve Opposing Views - October 20, 2009

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Immigrant advocates are urging retailers to pull a Halloween costume depicting a space creature in orange prison garb emblazoned with the words "illegal alien." More from the Associated Press:

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VIDEO:Uproar Over "Illegal Alien" Halloween Costume

yes let us...

bow down to the illegals, why not just trade them the US for Messyco and get it over with!

- Timexx October 20, 2009 7:02PM

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Tasteless

Very tasteless costume "joke." I seem to recall, though, seeing this very same costume controversy a year or two ago at Halloween. You'd think they could come up with something unique, at least. I guess they had leftovers and decided to try to get rid of them, hoping the anti-immigrant hostility had grown sufficiently in the intervening months to cover their faux-pas.

- Babaroni October 20, 2009 7:16PM

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- Green card.
  
  I could give them a benefit of a doubt except for the green card. Illegal aliens don't have green cards. This is their way of saying forget anything we say this is about the Mexicans. The costume is raciest.
  
  - mike1948 October 20, 2009 9:57PM
  
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  - Very good point
    
    Excellent point, Mike. I didn't even notice that. You're absolutely correct. It's not really about illegal aliens. It's about legal immigrants.
    
    - Babaroni October 20, 2009 10:09PM
    
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    - Too far.
      
      While the green card suggests legal immigrant, the words on the jumpsuit suggest illegals.
      
      I would not include the green card in the costume.
      
      - SolarSanitizer October 20, 2009 11:58PM
      
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  - I agree, good point.
    
    Like Bab, I agree that the green card suggests immigrant.
    
    - SolarSanitizer October 20, 2009 11:57PM
    
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Let me get this straight....

The orange jumpsuit "Inmate" costume is acceptable. But the word " illegal alien" is unacceptable?

Are we so sensitive as a nation that we cannot make fun of lawbreakers if they are minorities?!

I think I know what my costume will be this year....

- SolarSanitizer October 20, 2009 8:01PM

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- Why am I
  
  Solar says: "I think I know what my costume will be this year...."
  
  Why am I not surprised? :lol:
  
  I find this costume really quite tasteless. While I recognize that there are legal procedures for entering this country, I also recognize that they are severely bogged down and inefficient. And I know that, if there was gainful employment to be had in Tijuana, which is really just a few miles south of my home, and I could not get work here, and my children were starving, there is nothing that would keep me from crossing that border and working, however illegal it might be, in order to not have to watch my children starve. I'm not big on drawing imaginary lines in the sand and standing by on my side watching others starve to death before my eyes.
  
  Do I think we can feed and house the entire world? Of course not. Must there be better solutions found? Absolutely. Are the illegal aliens themselves the villains? Uh-uh. Do they deserve the hatred and spite directed against them? Nope. Is our economy , particularly here in the Southwest, at least somewhat dependent upon them. Yes, it is.
  
  There do need to be solutions, but demonizing immigrants, legal or otherwise, is not a great solution. In fact, it's not a solution at all.
  
  - Babaroni October 20, 2009 9:37PM
  
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  - I find your choice of words very ironic.
    
    Demonizing immigrants, legal or illegal ...
    
    Since we are talking about Halloween costumes, the term demonizing is particularly ironic in compared to how it is usually used.
    
    I am not supporting the starvation of Mexican kids . I just think that it should be Mexico's problem, not mine. We do not ship the parents of our starving kids into other countries because they would not be welcome when they start eating up their resources. I do not feel that these "poor" illegal immigrants are welcome. Your opinion is your own on this issue.
    
    - SolarSanitizer October 20, 2009 10:00PM
    
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    - Not sure whereabouts
      
      Not sure whereabouts you live, Solar, but here in SoCal, talk radio is almost "all illegal aliens all the time." Every great ill of society is attributed to immigrants, and they are fair game as the butt of every joke. It gets really, really old.
      
      - Babaroni October 20, 2009 10:14PM
      
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      - I live in tuolumne county.
        
        Not much of an immigrant problem here. And the air is crisp and fresh.
        
        - SolarSanitizer October 20, 2009 10:34PM
        
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        I'm
        
        I'm jealous. :) I bet you guys got a lot more rain than we did last week, too.
        
        - Babaroni October 20, 2009 10:45PM
        
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        OMG
        
        A tree fell on my dad's roof, hit a powerline and broke a nearby pole. The broken tip of the pole, canister thing and all, fell into his neighbors bedroom through the roof.
        
        Fun for all!
        
        - SolarSanitizer October 20, 2009 11:01PM
        
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  - Mike just pointed out to me
    
    Mike just pointed out something to me, and you might not see his comment because of the weird way threads are handled on this site. The " illegal alien" has a conspicuous "green card." This would seem to indicate that it's not directed at ILlegal immigrants, at all, but rather at legal ones. That gives the hateful overtones even a bit more nasty spin.
    
    - Babaroni October 20, 2009 10:11PM
    
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    - I did see it.
      
      It is a contradiction, for sure.
      
      It would be wrong to assume that the green card (representing legal immigrants) completely invalidates the words "Illegal alien" (suggesting, well, illegal aliens.)
      
      I think the inclusion of the green card does paint an unfortunate picture of the minds of the people producing this costume. I would never mix the two messages, personally.
      
      - SolarSanitizer October 21, 2009 12:01AM
      
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Funny

I love the costume!!! We have got to get a life and stop being so sensitive about every little thing.

- pinkduck9420 October 20, 2009 8:24PM

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- Unless
  
  Unless you are, yourself, an illegal immigrant, accusing others of being overly sensitive when they are made the butt of jokes and harassment hardly seems reasonable. I wonder if you would be so much less sensitive if the joke was on you? Of course, maybe you're very good at laughing at yourself regarding the things which make you most vulnerable. Since I don't know you, I can't say.
  
  - Babaroni October 20, 2009 9:41PM
  
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  - Insensitive
    
    I agree Babaroni, I too belong to a group that has been consistently the butt of many jokes, mostly via costumes. As a French maid I am tired of people thinking of me in such away that makes me feel uncomfortable. It is sad because before I was French maid, I was a nurse and left the career because of the social persecution that occured via hateful costumes directed at my profession.
    
    Seriously, people need to lighten up, stop taking yourselves so seriously. Every immigrant group has had to deal with stereotypes and I'm assuming Barb that your equally upset by Notre Dames Fighting Irish mascot?
    
    Barb, I agree with your statement about jobs and drawing a line in the sand. I too would do anything possible for my family. I think the real criminal in this situation is the US gov't for not enforcing the laws, allowing these people who are in dire situations to be taken advantage of because they are not allowed the protection of many US laws because of their immigration status.
    
    If you want to pick a fight to help change the way things are be sure it's a worthwhile one.
    
    - bensjamin1986 October 21, 2009 9:44AM
    
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    - Who's Barb?
      
      In any case, yes, I agree with your third paragraph, but I also know that many immigrants, both illegal and legal , are victimized by individuals, not just the government , because of the very kind of hatefulness and anti-immigrant sentiment displayed by this costume. Giving countenance to this sort of thing as "humor" is very much like societal acceptance of "black face" as humor, and contributes to the societal victimization of the minority group in the same manner. Making fun of people because they are part of a hated group is not healthy for society as a whole.
      
      - Babaroni October 21, 2009 11:18AM
      
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      - Victims
        
        Wow victims, victims, victims. I guess I have a question is there anyone people group here in the U.S. that is not a victim?
        
        Yes some people will hate anyone who is not like them but I don't think that has anything to do with this costume. I liked that you tried to quietly change the discussion from illegal immigrant to legal immigrant, but that is not the discussion here.
        
        The costume is of an alien wearing an orange jumpsuit that clearly says illegal on it. Leading one to believe illegal alien, then he is holding what appears to be a fake green card.
        
        You know I wonder if there is a Cajun that is upset about the lousiana Lafeyette's mascot the Rajin' Cajun?
        
        - bensjamin1986 October 21, 2009 12:31PM
        
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        Actually, it is
        
        Actually, it IS part of the issue. If you will notice, the " illegal alien" in the costume is also carrying a "green card." This suit is aimed at general hatred of immigrants, not only illegal ones.
        
        - Babaroni October 21, 2009 1:15PM
        
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        Covered this
        
        I'm assuming green card don't have green card in giant almost carrot top sized lettering. Leading one to believe that it was supposed to be representative of a fake green card. Illegal.
        
        Is there any people group in the U.S. That are not victims?
        
        - bensjamin1986 October 21, 2009 1:29PM
        
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This is my hope.

I hope none of you will be dressing up in striped pajamas, because that would be tasteless. I hope none of you ladies will be wearing one of those sexy cop outfits, because that's demeaning to female police officers. I hope none of you will be wearing any kind of zombie outfits because it's demeaning to people who believe the dead do indeed rise again.

Or maybe we can just stop whining like a bunch of spoiled children over a stupid ass costume, let people dress however the hell they want for Halloween and stop playing this stupid political correctness game. It's gone way too far. I will be going as the illegal alien. If you don't like it, go to a different party and cry with like minded fools.

- LagerHead October 21, 2009 8:12AM

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- Political correctness.
  
  I never much liked the idea of political correctness. I have wondered how Lenny Bruce would have dealt with it. Go as the illegal alien and have fun, but leave the green card at home. It's an oxymoron. Illegal aliens don't have green cards.
  
  - mike1948 October 21, 2009 11:07AM
  
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My first impression....

is that's it's funny. But then my sense of humor tends to be warped, off the wall and often irreverant.

Back when I was a kid, a common catch phrase was, "Censor you if you can't take a joke.".

That sort of evolved into, "Don't take yourself too seriously.".

That's evolved into "politically correct", where humor is on the verge of being outlawed.

Heaven forbid someone might be offended by tasteless jokes. Censor 'em if they can't take a joke! If they don't like our humor, they can bloody well get back on their spaceships and get the hell out of our solar system.

As far as I know, my grandfather was an illegal alien. Sometime around the turn of the last century, he stowed away on a ship from England and entered the US illegally. He became a citizen, practiced medicine for many years and eventually opened a small antique store. I suppose I inherited my sense of humor from him. He thought everything was funny.

- Don Earl October 21, 2009 9:21AM

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green card

The costume includes a green card - that's not illegal - it's offensive but not illegal

- planetspinz October 21, 2009 11:34AM

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