Halloween in the office shouldn’t offend others

DEAR AMY » Iam not from India, but I had a traditional Indian shirt, called a kurta, made when I was invited to an Indian wedding. The shirt is made of Indian silk with gold embellishments.

Would it be appropriate to wear this shirt to a Halloween gathering at my office?

I know that there are some people from India working in the same building. — Colleague DEAR COLLEAGUE » No, this would not be appropriate; it would be appropriation.

Cultural appropriation is when you take something that has cultural meaning or significance for someone else, and use it for your own purposes. You choosing to wear this beautiful shirt as a Halloween costume could be quite offensive.

I think that anyone wondering how to dress for an office-related Halloween gathering should just pick a character from the TV show “The Office,” and go with that.

DEAR AMY » I couldn’t believe your heartless answer to “Friends Until Kids.” The question concerned a couple who couldn’t have children, who announced that they didn’t want to be friends with people who did have children.

Your analogy of being childless to losing elderly parents is wrong. You obviously don’t know what you’re talking about. — Disgusted Reader DEAR DISGUSTED » My analogy was meant to compare one heartbreaking life-loss to another. Mature adults, I said, need to learn not to blame other people for their own unfortunate circumstances,

Cultural appropriation is when you take something that has cultural meaning or significance for someone else, and use it for your own purposes.

and the resultant sadness.