It's my understanding that we are not supposed to demean ethnic groups by dressing up in ethnic costumes on Halloween. Those of us who are aware of our ethnic heritage could take issue with that concept.
I can claim Dutch, Irish, German, English, Scottish, Welsh, Swiss, Swedish, Scots-Irish, Huguenot, Flemish and a sprinkling of a couple of other ethnicities. Does that mean that if I don lederhosen, wooden shoes or a kilt, I am insulting my ancestors? If I choose to dress as a Quaker am I casting aspersions on my Society of Friends ancestors? If I want to dress as a Leprechaun to honor my McHugh, O'Neil and other Irish families, am I a bad person?
I have never been big on political correctness, so if you have Japanese ancestry and want to wear a kimono on Halloween, that's okay with me. Same goes with being a Viking if you have Nordic roots or putting on buckskins and a feathered head-dress if you have Plains Indian heritage.
If you are of German ancestry and want to dress as a Nazi officer, that's pushing the envelope a bit. Likewise, honoring your Italian ancestors dressed as a gangster is bordering on bad taste.
I guess it's all a matter of using common sense in judging how you dress up and in allowing others to choose how they dress up.
[note on the Hempstead Diary: The Turner connection led to the Mayflower connection.]
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