For several years now, colleges around the nation have been warning students against costumes that amount to “cultural appropriation.” Last year the University of Wisconsin-Madison unveiled its “Halloween Cultural Awareness” webpage that states it is offensive “when cultural elements are copied from a marginalized culture by members of the dominant culture.” One student complained to Fox News that the standard is applied in a “funny way,” since there’s no objection to appropriating Catholic culture by dressing as Jesus, a nun or a priest.
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