A top immigration official has apologized after awarding “most original costume” to a Homeland Security Department employee who dressed in prison stripes, dreadlocks and dark makeup for a Halloween gathering at the agency.
Julie Myers, assistant secretary overseeing Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, was part of a three-judge panel that lauded the costume, worn by a white employee, last Wednesday. She also posed for a photo with him.
Flap Over Halloween Costume at DHS party (ABC News, via MeFi)
Anyone still confused about the appropriate use of blackface should consult this handy flowchart.
Update: DHS employee put on leave after wearing ‘offensive’ costume (CNN, via Reappropriate)
But did they take back the prize they gave him for it?
Update 2: Think Progress has footage from Chertoff’s appearance on MSNBC, in which he says, “I’ve made it very clear that we have zero tolerance for intentional or unintentional acts that appear to be racist or discriminatory” (emphasis mine). But of course he’s let Myers (the wife of his former chief of staff) off the hook, so in this case, “zero tolerance” seems to mean “quite a lot of tolerance indeed.”
Update 3: Costume leads to ‘hold’ on Myers’ Senate confirmation (CNN)
What a joke! Sure we can have a chocolate Jesus or a desacrated Mary, mother of Jesus, God forbid we say anything against the prophet
Mohammed or will have our heads cut off! How terrible to have a costume of a person who is not caucasion or does not have the picture of a political correct figure! I am a roman catholic forty two years old, married male with three young children who does not give a shit what religion you believe in. But to give in to this bullshit pressure of not offending some other religion or race for PC’S sake is absolutely a cowards way out! Sure it’s OK to make fun of christianity or a evangelical’s way of faith, but to criticize anybody else is a slap in the face of their religion! Let me tell all you genuises of the world who think Jesus is a threat to your way of life, you have no idea how much He loves all of us including you morons who think He’s not real. He doesn’t force His way on anybody or call on Jihad to spread His love.He let’s us use our common sense to judge! What a shame common sense is a thing of the past. It sucks to bring children into this pathetic world we live in now, but to bring them up in believing in Jesus in some respect is all I have!!!!!
Good luck to all!!!!!
AJA
Aja, calm down! There’s nothing courageous to be found in bigotry, moral relativism and wildly inflated victimology. They are severe character flaws.
No, no, please continue! The spluttering amuses me.
I think there ought to be some sort of thingummy for the oppressed Christianoid dudes who live in a world that’s out to get them. We could call it the House, Senate, Presidency and Supreme Court of the United States of America. Further, we could dedicate several hundred billion dollars to making sure they have a fair chance in this cruel, cold and hostile world.