To find this disturbing for a number of reasons....

[Tinlegs]

Photograph, posted on Facebook (and, therefore, in my eyes, endorsed) by a teacher of a group of people dressed up for Halloween. One person, "blacked up" (face mask, brownish make up on neck etc) one person "whitened up" (face mask, White make up) and a third person, also made up but in a brown colour. "Black man" wearing track suit, trainers and lots and lots of jewellery. "White woman" in curlers, Primark hoodie, track suit bottoms, heels. "Brown person" (an adult) in a child's buggy with a bottle, dummy and carrying what looks like a lunch box.

AIBU to think that this is racist and stereotyping of the worst kind. That they are dressed as a mixed race "chav" (not a word I would use but...) low income family who bottle feeds their baby, dresses badly and pushes a very old child around, who are all overweight etc.

Now I know these people. The area we live in is NOT at all multi cultural so there is unlikely to have been anyone offended at the party. But I am offended.

FWIW at least one of these people works with children on a daily basis.

Mumsnet, over to you.

I have grasped the point thank you.

I think it's in very poor taste. Racist, classist and totally unacceptable.

I don't however think it's worse because it has been posted by a teacher. No professional should behave like that but teachers should not be held to higher standards in their personal lives than anybody else.

It doesn't matter if it's outside work, plenty of people have been suspended and even sacked from work for Facebook stuff!
I think it sounds awful btw and yanbu.

I wouldn't be remotely offended by this.

Ah, mylovelyboy you're back, defending racism again I see. And still mentioning your 'friends'.

OP, pay no attention to her - we had a thread going about immigrants a few days ago and she posted some lovely stuff about her neighbours that you wouldn't believe!

Yes, it's obviously racist and meant to be offensive.

But the photos the OP were speaking about were not some silly fools dressed up singing mammy. I know exactly what you are speaking about. But in this instance it has nothing to do with the cotton picking slaves of yesteryear. (And yes that was bloody awful). That was in the past. Why cant people realise that people blacking up for a 'dress up party' are not taking the piss about what happened years ago.

No, you certainly haven't grasped the point about one's responsibilities regarding not bringing your company or workplace into disrepute.

ilovesooty missing the point. Re-read my post. What you do outside of work is your business. Not the company you work for. And dressing up in some silly costume is hardly breaking any company rules when you are partying in your own time. What planet you on

Yes, because no one has ever been sacked for bringing their company into disrepute outside work have they?

That's where you're wrong, if you are identifiable as working for a company and you bring them into disrepute (eg by dressing up offensively) then you can find yourself undergoing disciplinary action.
I got suspended from work due to someone complaining about something I wrote on social media (not racist), I ended up with a written warning.

Heartbroken what for dressing up as a black person. Does that constitute a sacking. Do me a favour. Talking bollocks rubbish as usual.

On the planet where you can be disciplined for actions contravening company policy, mylovelyboy

Do you go to work or have any knowledge of how companies function?

If I had seen this fancy dress, my 1st thought would not have been 'racist' to be honest - more that they were taking the piss out of the 'underclass' stereotype (Little Britain style).

I wouldn't have found it funny, but not through being offended etc but just because it's not funny.

This is just my view on it though, others obviously read more into it.

And I refer you to Moxiegirls post above yours for proof that it does happen.

But hey, I'll just carry on talking bollocks...

I think dressing as a character is less offensive than dressing as a "type" but I think blacking up is offensive. As for dressing as Victorian poor - there are none of those around to be offended. However, dressing as, for example, Somali refugees, would be deeply offensive.

It is to do with the context and also about emphasising your own feeling of superiority at being "better" by dressing up as a particular "type".

It's not the act it's the linking to your company or workplace. Have you got it now?

but the silly costume as you call it to many is offensive and the black and white minstrel show was still on tv in the late 1970's not so far back in history

What you do in your work time and how you dress up at a weekend party has nothing to do with your company. If its in work hours in the office or where ever then yes of course. Dread to think where some of you work. All public sector by the sounds of it. All reporting each other, writing logs for silly complaints and complaining of bullying if someone farts near you. Pathetic

I am very relieved that I am not alone in finding this really offensive.

What would people do?

Perhaps she thinks that dressing up as a Nazi and putting it on Facebook is ok as well if you're partying in your own time.

MrsD - there's a real sense of deja vu here, isn't there

Leaving aside the make up issue, I think dressing as a 'chav' black or white makes you a cunt. The stereotype that mixed race families are lower class is extremely racist.