[tarheeljks]

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racism isn't dead btw

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Its also not the black population that is solely targeted. There are substantial subsections of the population that are racist against any race you can name.

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did i (or anyone else) say black people were the only people affected by racism?

edit: and what does your post have to do with anything? please tell me it's not more of the "so what other people are racist too" arguments is it?

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No its not at all, but your post is implying that it is more important than the other forms.

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lol @ 200+ years of overt racism/discrimination disappearing in 50 years

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This is a direct reference to racism against black people in America is it not? The KKK is a radical group that is not solely targeting the black population either (which is where I feel this discussion ended up even if it didn't start their due to ignorance of the kkk's beliefs). In fact they really only support white, christian, males. Yes, I realize what I said is an ample reason to despise the costume (and many others that represent ideals you don't believe in), but I think that one should be able to separate a disgusting symbol from an act of malice. I would be surprised if the outfit was worn out of contempt and hatred rather than simple bad taste. There is a huge difference imo. On halloween I would view practically every costume as simply bad judgment and give it a pass. I saw many costumes on halloween (and I'm sure others did too) where my natural reaction was "wow, thats [censored] up," but I really don't see the need to overreact, much less make it a huge news story (not saying that you think it should have made the news).

Obviously racism is a big problem in our society and across the world. However, bitching and moaning about "racist" costumes is one of the least effective ways to counter racism. Furthermore, racial cleansing around the world, specifically African genocide, is a much bigger problem than KKK costumes in North America. Its just a [censored] symbol. While I understand that it can be offensive (I'm not trying to say that people aren't offended by it or any number of other costumes) I don't see what good being offended does. Nothing productive comes out of being offended by any costume. To take that idea farther, it does no good to get your panties in a bunch about a swastika, red flags, or a grassroots revolutionary symbol although they are all in bad taste and portray awful ideals and are symbolic for many things that are wrong with the world.

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of course it's referencing racism specifically against black people-- they were the targets of nearly all of the actions of the kkk. me citing racism against blacks when talking about the kkk is inevitable; however, it does not imply that they are the only group to experience racism. you made that jump in logic, not me. the racism against black people is not more important than racism against others, but it is clearly more pertinent in this discussion. i'm not offering a pass just b/c it's halloween, but i'm not going to form a picket line and take to the streets either. me, or anyone else, being offended is hardly overreacting.

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This is a direct reference to racism against black people in America is it not? The KKK is a radical group that is not solely targeting the black population either

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again black people have felt the bulk of the wrath of the kkk. it's like saying the nazis hated more than just jews-- obv true, but they still killed ~6 million jews.

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Obviously racism is a big problem in our society and across the world. However, bitching and moaning about "racist" costumes is one of the least effective ways to counter racism.

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and saying that someone wearing this isn't a big deal is a slap in the face to the victims of kkk endorsed violence-- black or otherwise. that's why a lot of people are upset about this. in the scope of eliminating racism sending this kid home will have little impact, but that is not the point. it's an issue of decency and respect.

regarding your comments about bigger problems (genocide etc), i will just say that they are not part of this discussion. do not interpret in this as me saying they are not as important, but they are of secondary significance in this context.

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Nothing productive comes out of being offended by any costume. To take that idea farther, it does no good to get your panties in a bunch about a swastika, red flags, or a grassroots revolutionary symbol although they are all in bad taste and portray awful ideals and are symbolic for many things that are wrong with the world.

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i completely disagree. when someone does something wrong you don't turn a blind eye so as not to draw more attention to it. something productive does come out of people recognizing that whether this kid sympathizes w/the kkk or not, that the kkk is very real and is not just a ghost of the mid 20th century. there are many people who read about things like this w/o truly comprehending their significance.