5 Hill Street
Ms. Ana Mari Cauce
President
Jones, Jones & Jones
123 International Lane
Boston, Massachusetts 01234
Dear Ms. Jones:
I believe that Halloween should be a holiday which promotes diversity and does not offend members of the minorities. Therefore, cultural appropriation is not acceptable because it diminishes the values of a certain group of people. The misrepresentation fosters stereotypes that are related to one particular culture and people are entitled to have diversity within that culture at the same time. It is best not to dress up as a member of a different cultural group than one’s own because it might offend the members of that group.
Halloween and dressing up is also about self-expression and students should be able to express themselves freely. However, they should be aware that they could hurt someone’s feelings if they dress as a member of a community which would misrepresent that community. The committee which deals with intercultural affairs at Yale mention that “some poor decisions can be made including wearing feathered headdresses, turbans, wearing ‘war paint’ or modifying skin tone or wearing blackface or redface” (Fire). It is crucial not to offend anybody because people are supposed to have fun during this holiday and to share great moments together. Everybody should feel welcome to make a contribution to the community and not to feel excluded from it because they feel mocked by other students because of their costumes.
The identity of certain groups of people, like Asian, Latinos, African or Native are at stake because of students who dress in a way which diminishes the cultural significance of these groups. It is not advisable to play with a person’s identity because every culture should be respected the same. People should not be mocked on the basis of the stereotypes that follow their culture. Everybody has to feel comfortable in their skin and welcome as a member of the community. People need to learn to live together in a way which does not make fun of serious matters. Sometimes students may dress as members of other cultures, for example Asian, provided that they know what their costume means. They might wear a black belt if they are proficient in martial arts. However, there are certain rules that students should follow so that they do not offend other students.
Sincerely,
John Doe
Works Cited
What is Cultural Appropriation? ." YouTube. ASUW Seattle, n.d. Web. 3 July 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uveb8-L3YHY>.
Christakis, Erika. "Email From Erika Christakis: “Dressing Yourselves,” email to Silliman College (Yale) Students on Halloween Costumes ." Fire. N.p., 30 Oct. 2015. Web. 3 July 2016. <https://www.thefire.org/email-from-erika-christakis-dressing-yourselves-email-to-silliman-college-yale-students-on-halloween-costumes/>.
"Email From The Intercultural Affairs Committee ." Fire. N.p., 27 Oct. 2015. Web. 3 July 2016. <https://www.thefire.org/email-from-intercultural-affairs/>.
