A Southern California Immigrant Rights group has asked Target to remove this costume from their shelves, stating that the ‘illegal alien’ costume is offensive to immigrants. Duh, ya think? Can’t imagine why anyone can’t take a joke. [sarcasm alert]
In the first place, many immigrants, as they learn English, take exception to the term ‘alien’ because of the outer space implication. The orange jump suit and ‘green card’ just add a few more layers to the degree of offensiveness.
According to Forbes Magazine:
Target spokesman Joshua Thomas says the company is removing the costume from the site after receiving several complaints.
He says the store never intended to sell the outfit but included it in its online offerings by mistake.
Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, says she wrote an e-mail to the Minneapolis-based retailer Friday calling the costume “distasteful, mean-spirited, and ignorant of social stigmas and current debate on immigration reform.”
[UPDATE: This costume has been pulled from Toys R Us and from Target. However, it is still for sale at Amazon.com.
A petition asking the stores to pull the costume maybe be signed here: http://bit.ly/23IuZT]
Awesome Costume!!
Once again tax ID numbers are being released on a local dark blog as part of another smear campaign. Publish first, find out facts later.
Sorry, I had to change the order of this post. I couldn’t stand seeing this costume every time I brought the blog up on my computer.
As long as we’re going to censor costumes, how about the “Naughty Nurse” number, with the low-cut minidress and fishnets?
Intelligent, highly-skilled and in-demand workers in the ever-changing and challenging field of medicine still being parodied as sluts.
Wonderful.
The alien mask kils it for me. We all know illegal aliens are people. I remember Halloween 1993 the costume of choice for men that year was John Bobbit. Of course those costumes where homemade an not a soul complained. The Bobbit idea is still one of my alltime costume ideas.Why do some take halloween so seriously? It’s fun holiday for kids of all ages to be what ever they want to be.
Halloween is a big deal for adults too. I know adults who claim it is their favorite holiday.
Emma, I find the slutty school girl uniform costume offensive. I feel like it advances the idea of legal ‘jail bait.’ Maybe men fantasize about slutty nurses?
I am waiting for the slutty school lunch lady costume. I think I will have a long wait.
How about all the different pet halloween costumes? My grand-puppy is going to be a chicken. MY dogs will not have costumes. I am too cheap and they hate clothes. The female tears off a sweater in 5 degree weather.
It’s racism, that’s what it is!!! It’s extreme racist hatred against extra-terrestrial beings!!!
Emma and Moon, any costume depicting women as slutty needs is offensive. If that’s your thing boys, save it for the bedroom, and not Halloween.
I’m cheap too, Moon. I did spring for a devil costume at the Dollar Store for my Pug named “Angel”. She hated that thing, but she’s ready for battle with her pink camo hoodie in the cold/rain. Camo is all the rage in WestGate.
I hope the mail man is afraid!!
I have heard that about camo.
Slow, you rarely hear the R word pass my lips or fingertips.
“I am waiting for the slutty school lunch lady costume. I think I will have a long wait.”
LOL!
Yes, we’ve covered that.
I already gave some good “anti-conservative” Halloween Costume ideas in a post a few months ago.
The slutty lunch lady costume would get NO complaints from lunch ladies. It would probably make their day.
Slow, I am scared to stir you up. I don’t recall your costumes. I haven’t gotten past cartoon characters.
Years ago, dressed as a Cone Head (old SNL skit)
and almost got attacked as a KKK member. People can
look at the same thing and see it very differently –
life keeps teaching us that.
If the illegal alien appeared at your door, would you refuse to give it candy?
@Poor Richard
“France….We are from France”
Poor Richard, I can understand that one easily. Perception becomes reality. I guess you retired the cone head costume? I remember the skit well at least what they looked like. The dialogue is a little shakey.
Great point Poor Richard. Ultimately, being that this debate, regarding illegal immigration, centers around Latino’s, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to undertand the broader reference to this costume. It is stupid, it is offensive, and in my opinion, not funny.
$20 to anyone who shows up at my door in this costume! Could be worse. Could be a “pregnant” belly, browned teeth, a t-shirt with a picture of an anchor and an arrow pointed to the pregnant belly, and a handful of government assistance applications! hmmm, maybe I know what I’ll go as this year!
Rorschach test?
Seeing the costume (minus the Green Card), my first thought
would have been of the movie – “Men In Black”, but then
I’m an Anglo male earthling(?).
I saw it on TV or I might not have noticed. I thought the mask was a gas mask at first.
just when I think I can like you, you say something really offensive. Too bad, I thought you and I were on new footing 🙁@Slowpoke Rodriguez
@Elena
Would you have been just as offended if the quote was…
“Could be a “pregnant” belly, browned teeth, a t-shirt
with a picture of an anchorand an arrow pointed to the pregnant belly, and a handful of government assistance applications!”?
Well, I’m just not seeing how this is so terribly offensive…..I can think of much worse. People need to lighten up.
Ring, I will speak for her and say not only would Elena be offended but I am also offended. Many of our readers are offended.
Slowpoke, do you know any illegal aliens personally? Kids in particular are very senstive to the ‘alien’ part of the expression. They think ET. I would just find it sort of tasteless like I do many Halloween costumes had the mask not been an outer space alien.
If you have never talked to a kid and watched their eyes well up with tears over it, it probably wouldn’t strike you as offensive. Remember, the kids are the ones who are hurt and it is through no fault of their own.
Slow,
I am just incredibly disappointed in you, that’s all.
Ring Ding aling,
Seriously, you really have to ask? Yes, I am offended. Halloween is meant to have fun, not to be cruel. I believe Halloween is meant as a fun time for children, not as an opportunity to kick our fellow human being down.
Futhermore, the reason why the costume is not only offensive but stupid, if you HAVE a green card, you are working here legally, why would you be in jail?!
So, if you do a “search” on Amazon.com for “illegal alien costume”, not only does this gem come up, but for some bizarre unknown (sarcasm here)reason, you also get costumes like “hey amigo” and plus size Mexican.
THIS is so disgusting.
@Elena
Whoa!!! You found some comedy gold there, Elena!!
Did you see the “Illegal Alien Immigrant Deluxe” Mask? “Deluxe”….LMAO
Then there’s the “Sexy Border Patrol Agent” [Rolling my Eyes]
Then there’s one called just: “Mexican Costume”
OK, some of this is offensive, but only because of the way the search results come up. To group “Mexican costume” with illegal alien stuff is clearly saying something. Extreme caricatures at Halloween is nothing new or special, but I can see where this borders on hurtful to certain people. Then again, if the shoe fits…
I’d like to hear from ShellyB on this. In theory, she should explode upon seeing this. I mean every atom in her body should fly apart at the speed of sound! I’m also looking for a “boycott Amazon” campaign, or some sort of worthless “letter writing” campaign.
Do you by any chance berate little kids who might show up at your door with a Spiderman costume that doesn’t have the correct number of little black web lines according to the original 1956-1968 Marvel comics Spiderman? I can picture it, screaming at the top of your lungs: “SNOW WHITE’S CAPE WASN”T THAT COLOR!!”
OK, I signed the petition. I’m “Richard Milhouse Nixon”. Can’t miss it!
I think Shellyb found another blog because we were too moderate. sigh. I guess girls just can’t win, can they?
Sexy border border control agent? yea right. That fits right in there with sexy lunch lady. It just has to be the uniform.
Slowpoke, I am howling…over Snow White’s cape. Elena is soooo going to kick your ass!!!!
I berate kids who don’t say ‘thank you.’ If they don’t, I cut the rest in their group short–like down to one of something cheap and small–like those dum-dums that are the size of a pea on a stick. Word gets out up and down the street and future groups fall all over themselves thanking me.
I sat next to him on a plane coming back from Vancouver once. He was drunk as a skunk and kept trying to sleep on my shoulder. He had just gotten out of the drunk tank from upstate…errr up province. What a butt pain he was! That was seriously his name. I saw it on his customs declaration. 😉
Thank for at least acknowledging the offensive connection Slow.
She fooled me! Elena!
@Elena
Well, what I find funny is what a 6-year-old boy thinks is funny, so when I look at those search results and laugh, I figure it’s probably not good 🙂
Good call Slow! 🙂
That probably is why I am so tolerant, Slow…I take the 6 year old factor into consideration. 🙂
This is nothing to get your panties in a wad over. Seriously. It’s funny in a scifi geek way. If anything, it’s making fun of those against illegal aliens.
You’d be better served to be up in arms over pimp costumes for pre-teens which I have seen quite often.
But that doesn’t suit your political agenda…
@Emma
True enough. I find the slutty costumes more offensive than this yet the slutty costumes were never banned not even on a simple party.