“The outrage is so bad that one Twitter user even threatened to punch anyone who wore Party City’s wall costume.”
Halloween is upon us again, which means time for the annual social media activism and policing of costumes. Each year, we see scores of social justice warriors and “woke” individuals taking time out of their daily plight of saving the world to complain about someone’s Halloween costume.
They’ve even resorted to going after children for dressing up as favorite cartoon characters, accusing them of cultural appropriation. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s right for anyone to imitate another culture for any reason. This doesn’t only apply to Halloween. That being said, sometimes a costume is just a costume.
The latest outrage seems to be over Party City’s “The Wall” costume, which is literally a costume of a wall with the words “The Wall” written across it. Social media users are furious because they feel the costume is a nod to President Donald Trump’s policies on building a wall between the United States and Mexico. Thus, anyone who decides to wear the costume for Halloween is a white supremacist.
Even if you aren’t white, you’ll most likely be referred to as “problematic” for not agreeing with the hordes of champions for Halloween change. Opponents of the fake outrage insist that the costume is a nod to Pink Floyd’s song “The Wall.” Since Party City’s wall is made out of bricks, this claim is not out of left field.
The outrage is so bad that one Twitter user even threatened to punch anyone who wore Party City’s wall costume. That account has since been suspended by Twitter.
Adult costumes are a totally different ballgame when it comes to Halloween because celebrations differ from trick-or-treating. Adult things happen at adult Halloween parties and events. Pop culture references always manifest themselves as Halloween costumes. This includes political figures and viral events that have taken place online.
For the overly sensitive, it’s going to be a long night.
You can’t tell me that adults don’t joke about “the wall” with one another. With all the divisiveness in the United States, Halloween should be the last place folks are looking to be offended. For the overly sensitive, it’s going to be a long night.
I’m sure there will be a slew of people dressed up as President Trump, and I highly doubt they’ll be on their best behavior while portraying the president. I’m sure those on social media will be more than happy to post pictures of such costumes that won’t illicit threats of violence.
There are always costumes and decorations that push the boundaries of propriety. I’ve seen viral posts discussing whether or not a creepy Halloween scene featuring a fake person hanging is racist. Discussions have also occurred in recent years over displays private citizens have erected on their property that may traumatize children. Our society seems to be evolving into one that can’t stomach Halloween anymore, let alone every other day.
I’m not sure how “The Wall” can even be argued as offensive. It’s my understanding that barriers already do stand between the United States and Mexico in certain locations. Personally, I would never want to offend someone who identifies as a wall. I would just ask what pronoun they prefer.
