Halloween nooses

[Curt 1]

Just on CNN now about lots of people displaying "nooses" for Halloween over in the states this year. You know, like a noose with someone hanging from it? One guy got a month suspension from his job for a month for having a noose as a decoration in his truck. Or something like that. They're doing a poll - "are nooses an appropriate Halloween decoration".

 

WTF?

[Yuki's Passion 1]

ask the Jena 6 boys what they think about nooses. That was my speech (talking about Jena 6) yesterday for morning assembly - racism in the US.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

no, not appropriate either IMHO.

[spook 0]

yeah, i can't really imagine how it would be appropriate.

what sort of people are displaying nooses - is it a racist statement masquerading as a halloween decoration?

[samurai 0]

Actually, I recal skeletons and ghosts hanging from nooses in neighborhoods as a kid on halloween. I think there is a halloween symbolism there, but the noose was recently rekindled with that Jena 6 thing and if it's not clearly a halloween symbol (ie skeleton or whatever) then I would expect myself to be offended.

[rach 1]

I saw something about that as well. There are some disturbed people about.

[Ezorisu 0]

I personally don't see a "nooses = racism" issue when it comes to Halloween. The racism card being pulled now is definitely a oversensitivity knee-jerk reaction to the Jena 6 incident. Next thing they will say is you can't set up a gravestones and crosses for Halloween in your front yard because the crosses harken back to the KKK. Heck, are those kids dressed like ghosts, or are they little Klansmen?

 

You can be sensitive to and issue, or you can blow things all out of proportion and take them out of context as well.

[Yuki's Passion 1]

you live in the South before?? Rednecks with rebel flags and shotgun racks? Good 'ol boys who really dont like black people? After living there and hearing the jokes I heard, have seen nooses, and even freaking crosses on fire, I just look at it differently. Also, I've only lived in places as a minority, not in the majority...that might make me feel differently.

[samurai 0]

living someplace as the minority does change one's perspective, indeed. I grew much more aware of racism when I was the victim of it.

 

There was an interesting thing on nooses on CNN today at lunch. A Columbia University Professor in New York had one hung from her office door.

 

there were other blatantly racist examples cited, but that one was in academia.

 

When halloween is the motive for the noose, it's pretty obvious. When hatred is the motive for the noose, it's also pretty obvious.

 

I think very few people are playing the race card with halloween. The examples I saw on CNN had nothing to do with halloween, nor did they claim to be affiliated with halloween.

[Ezorisu 0]

My only experience with the South was West Texas, so I don't know if that counts...

 

With regard to them thar Southern redneck "good-ole-boys", do they decorate with nooses at Halloween? I can understand how the whole nooses and burning crosses thing is highly offensive, but Halloween nooses that are obviously Halloween decorations are another thing entirely.

 

However, I can see how someone who was a lifetime victim of racism, discirmination, hatred, and torment as a minority in the "Southern Experience" can see a noose in any context and be affected by it.