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.

thants Sterotyping into what category exactly ???

Garlicbutter Its people like you who scrutinise everything that cause trouble in workplaces and everywhere else for that matter. To much emphasis on everything.

Mylovelyboy here is a quote from and article in the guardian that is very apt:

'Basically, the desire to avoid hurt caused by an act of racial symbolism should outweigh someone's desire to make sure everybody gets that you're dressed as Barack Obama for Halloween. By continuing — every year without fail — to don blackface, brownface or slanted eyes, offenders are standing firm in their belief that they don't care: they don't care that they're hurting people, and they don't care that they're calling on centuries of hatred for a simple prop.'

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/30/blackface-halloween-costumes-obviously-offensive

"People like you who scrutinise everything..." FFS. What, the kind of people who want to see genuine equality. Who don't want people to feel marginalised and hurt. Who abhor this kind of "joke". Really...

Timidviper there is NEVER a situation where blacking up is appropriate or justified.

Good Lord. Of course that costume is racist. And I for one would find it deeply offensive.

Mylovely you really are vile. That is all I can be bothered to say to you.

Thants I have an avid dislike of the Guardian. Most of its readers that I have come across are not my cup of tea (dont ffs start on that because i cannot be bothered) anyway, how on earth can you be hurting someone by dressing up in their culture. ie dress/colour. They must be over fucking sensitive. As i have said before. Its not taking the piss. My ds dressed as a skeleton for halloween. Its like saying he was taking the piss out of the dead.

Yes, dressing up in a kimono as a costume for a party would be racist. It is cultural appropriation, which means taking things from another culture which have traditional significance in that culture and using them as a costume/fashion/something nice to dress up as and ignoring the content of the garment. It reduces someone's cultural traditions and heritage to just being a "funny costume". There is a massive difference between this and wearing a kimono because you are going to a Japanese cultural event with Japanese friends.

As a colonialist nation, ideally we should try and avoid doing things like this, as people from all races do find it offensive. There is an American poster campaign against it. www.ohio.edu/orgs/stars/Poster_Campaign.html

A lot of people seem to see their right to dress up as something fun as more important than the right of other people not to see their culture reduced to a stereotype.

In general, it's not the class (and by this I mean the group of people) who has historically been doing the opression who gets to decide what is ok, over the voices of those who have been historically marginalised.

mylovelyboy the thing is, it's not down to you to decide what other people find offensive, can't you understand that?

Well if being respectful of different ethnicities and cultures and taking responsibility for ensuring that others do to is causing trouble in the workplace I have no problem with being a troublemaker quite frankly. And that includes playing my part in eradicating prejudice and stereotyping as well as workplace bullying - the last being something else mylovelyboy sneers about.

Ham I have said nothing offensive or racist. How can you consider me vile. Another over sensitive soul

Well, you must have said something offensive because you've had a deletion up thread - the only one here. Interesting...

That's the sad thing Mylovely, you really have no idea how offensive you are. Unless, of course, you are winding everyone up.

I find your views and the way you express yourself utterly vile and repulsive as well, mylovelyboy. If, in 2013, you can't understand that blacking up is offensive and unacceptable, you really need to fucking educate yourself into the 21st century.

Great post by Slowlor above.

Ham - I think she's on a windup too. I can't believe anyone can possibly be that ignorant.

Calling people over sensitive is the trademark of a bully in my experience. As is suggesting they are taking offence where there is no offence.

sooty - I don't think she believes that bullying exists anymore than racism does...

She doesn't. She says so.

Let's hope Heartbroken. Otherwise, that level of ignorance is petrifying.

Great post, slowlor.

It's irrelevant that you don't like the guardian. Please look into the history of slavery and colonialism to understand why oppressed groups of people probably don't need white people taking the piss out of them.

I have said absolutely nothing whatsoever offensive on this post. This country has become a nation of 'to scared to breath in case anyone is offended by the most ridiculous thing'. And as for dressing in Japanese costume and putting eyeliner on offensive. Well that is taking 'being offended' too far in my opinion. Will will have to change how we express ourselves in describing the colours of things soon. Or it MIGHT OFFEND. Really Pathetic.
ilovesooty to call someone over sensitive is bullying? You need to get a thicker skin and toughen up. You wouldn't last five seconds in my office.

Thants Its NOT taking the piss. If for example someone dresses as Michael Jackson and blacks up. How is that taking the piss. Alot of people loved him. Its who he was. A black man.

So why was your post deleted up the page?

Or are MNHQ being over sensitive too?