Halloween can be a teachable moment

Looking for a scary costume this Halloween? Maybe consider dressing as “political correctness.” Or, if that’s not your bete noir, a “ban on fun” costume might suit you or your child better.

Many schools have Halloween activities on or around Oct. 31, in which students are allowed or encouraged to wear costumes. It’s part of seasonal festivities that also include children going door to door in the evening for candy.

In recent years, discussion over Halloween in schools has centred on costumes that are inappropriate for children — perhaps because they are too violent or gory, they sexualize the wearer or they are culturally insensitive. People who aren’t bothered by gore, or think sexy costumes are fine for all ages, or aren’t affected by having their culture or identity trivialized, may dismiss such objections as mere political correctness.

In Canada, schools have taken different approaches. In Winnipeg, the new ecole Sage Creek School has simply said it will not host Halloween-themed events, but instead will have a Scarf and Tie Day. Enterprising fans of Doctor Who and Harry Potter might find a loophole to exploit.

Conseil scolaire Viamonde, a French-language school board in Ontario, has been more proactive, issuing a set of guidelines for parents to consider before sending a child to school in what could potentially be a problematic get-up. The focus is mainly on whether a given costume represents a stereotype, and the guidelines also discourage terrorist-themed costumes, costumes that mock transgender people and outfits that included turban or feather headdresses.

Similarly, the Vancouver School Board’s Aboriginal education department issued a memo to school principals on culturally offensive costumes, instructing staff to discuss the issue of cultural appropriation with students.

Of course, Halloween is celebrated by dressing up in clothing we wouldn’t normally wear, specifically to take on a persona or role we don’t normally play. Whether a character from a work of fiction, a profession or someone from history, it’s understood that a costume is not meant to be an accurate portrayal. In fact, arguably, the more ridiculous or outre, the more like a “costume” it becomes.

People don’t usually wear traditional dress from their own backgrounds for Halloween, because that attire is not a “costume.” Pondering whether to treat someone else’s culture or racial or sexual identity as a gimmick you can throw on shouldn’t be difficult to resolve as you stand in front of the mirror: you shouldn’t, full stop.

It doesn’t matter whether you think you are “honouring” said culture or identity, by the way; that certainly wasn’t how it was received when Franck Gervais claimed to be a decorated veteran and showed up in a Canadian Forces uniform for Remembrance Day ceremonies in 2014.

And as Metis writer Chelsea Vowel eloquently argued in the context of non-Indigenous people wearing headdresses, that regalia carries as much weight for the cultures they are from as military medals do for soldiers.

So, should schools be left with the task of determining what is appropriate? Maybe not. Those discussions should rightly happen in the home, between parents and children. But since schools are a natural place to befriend and learn from people of different backgrounds, they also make a fine environment for discussions – well before kids show up in costumes, ready to have fun – to learn how to respect others, as well.