Do You Agree That These Halloween Costumes Are In Poor Taste?

[sp1814]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/asda-apologises-for-selling-mental-patient-fancy-dress-halloween-costume-online-8839942.html

[ludwig]

I'm not sure. The 'mental patient' one is distinctly dodgy, but the psycho ward one is basically a Hannibal Lecter costume and as such being based on a specific fictional character it doesn't seem as bad.
They obviously couldn't call it a Hannibal Lecter costume though for copyright reasons.

[sp1814]

I find myself surprisingly 'fence-sitterish' on this.

One part of me thinks that this makes it more difficult for people to deal with mental health issues, and that it reinforces existing stigmas...

And then another part of me thinks that the exaggeration is so far away from what we think of as mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, all the way up to more serious conditions - that people would not associate these 'cartoon' costumes with real life...in the same way that we don't associate someone dressed up as Harry Potter with devil worship (a branch of witchcraft).

I dunno.

[ck1]

Aren't all fancy dress costumes based on a stereotype? What about offending pumpkins at holloween, they are probably sitting there thinking 'well personally I've never seen a pumpkin with sharp teeth and slanty eyes), skeleton costumes are generally male, doesn't imply all men are skeletons any more than the mental patient costume implies all mental patients are killers - although a percentage of them will be, I think the stereotype of a mental patient doesn't involve killing. Another case of ridiculous oversensitivity

[andy-hughes]

ck1 - people who tend to regard the sensitivitiy of others as 'ridiculous' or 'over the top', or even the good old 'political correctness gone mad' are invariably those who are utterly untouched by the affects that such issues have on some people.

I speak as someone who does suffer from mental illness, and although I do not find myself feeling abused or in any way connected with the images perpetuated by these costumes, i do feel the need to step up for my fellow sufferers whose sensitivities are invaded by this sort of blanket 'humourous' sterotyping.

I try hard to empathise with anyone who feels themselves put out by the thoughtless actions of others - be those issues large or small - and i think that to simply dismiss such feelings as of no consequence simply because you are not involved, shows a a degree of insensitivity which I am sure you do not possess - but then, we are all seen as others see us - including the mentally ill.

[sp1814]

ck1

How do you know that skeletons are male???!

[cazzz1975]

I will admit, when I saw the costume I did not liken it to real life mental health patients, I viewed it as the patient in a creepy film or cartoon

[ummmm]

They look male and act male...

[Just-Jude]

Just a bit of fun, you can also buy fake dribble to go with them.

[McMouse]

Where my son lives in USA the households 'dress' the entire neighbourhood for Halloween with complete illuminated tableaux in their front yards. Realistic looking corpses as well as monster spiders are hung from the trees. They know how to do bad taste in Texas.

[ck1]

sp1814, I can't remember, I read it somewhere (apologies in advance for any offended female skeletons who may be reading)

[ClaryS]

ASDA will have imported them from Wal-Mart along with all the rest of the tacky North American 'holiday' rubbish. To be honest I doubt if your average person is going to compare the mental patient costume with aunty dot who suffers from clinical depression, people aren't really that daft are they? The yoof of today see this sort of thing on a daily basis playing their X box games and accept its a caricature and not real. Its just another 'outrage' that really is only in the mind of journalists who have nothing else to report.

[boxtops]

It's not so much the costume as the fact that ASDA labelled them as "mental health patient" - which is insensitive, to say the least.

[baza]

just turned to page 2 and the ad next to the best answer bit has 4 bad taste pictures and something about escapade, whatever that is.
As for halloween its for kids, imported from abroad, and an excuse to go begging from your neighbours, imo. Bah humbug.

[andy-hughes]

Exactly boxtops!

That is where you have to question the common sense of people in the buying departments of the supermarkets involved - at no point does anyone semm to have said, hang on, are we OK with this?

[B00]

I liked em, infact I REALLY like the orange boiler suit one, tempted to get it, and yes, im serious :-)

[ClaryS]

Has ASDA labelled them this way or are they named that on the package?

Baza I'm totally with you on this one , Halloween used to be a hollowed out turnip ( we never saw a pumpkin where we lived) and a quick run up and down the street.

Maybe for another thread but are Pagans offended by Halloween. Does it not take the P out of their beliefs?

[Baldric]

The only excuse for the Orange Boiler Suit is having a job in B & Q!

[Old_Geezer]

It's just the ill conceived description that is the problem. Axemen are fairly scarey types.