Halloween Costume Political Correctness Flyer On Campus Go Viral


A Halloween costume political correctness hotline on college campuses has prompted both disbelief and laughter. In an attempt to prevent students from offending anyone with their costumes, flyers have been positioned on multiple universities issuing unsolicited advice about student trick-or-treat outfits.

Just as the Halloween weekend is about to begin, the “PC Police” flyers have appeared in an attempt to advise young adults about exactly what is appropriate to wear, according to a College Fix report.

One of the Halloween costume political correctness flyers asks, “Is your costume offensive?” Another read, “Unsure if your Halloween costume might be offensive? Don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

Students are cautioned against wearing outfits which depict the “imprisoned,” or those that could appear to be mocking an entire culture or religious symbol. An appropriateness checklist even appears on some of the flyers.

“Does this costume trivialize human suffering from oppression, and marginalization such as portraying a person who is homeless, imprisoned, a person with disabilities or a person with mental illness,” one of the college Halloween costume PC flyers reads.

The poster was inspired by a similar effort by Hampshire College’s Community Advocacy Department, and it nearly copies the design from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

The Wesleyan University poster was reportedly inspired by a nearly identical flyer form the Hampshire College’s Community Advocacy Department. The entire PC Halloween idea was reportedly sparked by a 2009 column penned by Amanda Hess. The column was entitled, “How to Inform a Friend Their Halloween Costume Is Racist.”

Some of the posters go so far as to give a list of faculty members to contact if students what to ask whether or not a specific costume is alright to wear on campus, the Daily Mail reports. The posters have been spotted on the campuses of Hampshire College, the State University of New York, Wesleyan University, and the University of Massachusetts.

The Wesleyan University Student Activities and Leadership Development office is responsible for posting the PC police Halloween flyers on that campus.

“We aren’t trying to tell students what they can and cannot wear, but get them to have conversations about the hard topics,” SALD Director Elisa Cardona said, adding that the flyers were meant to create guidelines and not rules that students would get into trouble for violating. “I was hoping students would look at their costume and decide ‘is this the image I want to project during Halloween? Am I comfortable with that image? Are other people going to be offended? Do I care if they are offended or not?'”

The University of Minnesota sent an email to students cautioning against choosing Halloween costumes that “inappropriately perpetuate racial, cultural and gender stereotypes” and wearing them on campus, according to a Fox News report.

School officials at some universities have reportedly told students that it is inappropriate and “offensive” to wear a costume depicting a hillbilly, Native American, or a cowboy. At the University of Colorado, a dean reportedly told students to consider the “impact” their Halloween costume decision would have on others around the campus.

What do you think about the Halloween costume political correctness flyers? Are the PC police taking over America?

[Image via Shutterstock]

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