merzet:

barberwitch:

Here’s something to get mad about #Witchblr

Hey there witchblr. I know the Sephora witch kit got blown out of proportions. It sucks, but here we are again, another Halloween where people of minorities, alternate religions and people of cultures and indigenous groups wander around waiting for the next thing to slap them in the face.

Spencer’s Gifts and Spirit Halloween Call Out Post

It’s Halloween time again, which means offensive and appropriative shit is being sold again.

I saw a Voodoo Witch doctor with what I can only assume is supposed to be a fake veve on the jacket, 21 results for “native american” when i searched “indian”. And here we are, another minority group being represented with a casual slur. Same goes for Party City, and I’m sure plenty of others.

I sent the following message to customer service over 24 hours ago, and while that’s not the most amount of time to let them respond, I felt like even waiting a day was enough.

“Hello,

I was wondering why there are 12 items with the word “Gypsy” in the title and 17 results when the term is searched?

In this culturally charged time, social awareness is a company’s bread and butter.

That word G*psy, is in fact a racial slur. It is a hateful word that dehumanizes Romani people.

It does not mean free-spirit, traveler, bohemian or even fortune teller.

Fortune teller means fortune teller. Bohemian means bohemian, traveler means traveler and free-spirit means free-spirit.

The Romani people are a living breathing people who to this day suffer from persecution and cultural appropriation. To quote several minority and “exotic” people: 

“My culture is not a costume.”

So yeah. Have at it. The companies that provide the products arent listed on the website but wiki names the companies which are mostly based in China and a few in the US.

Parent company is Spencer’s Gifts and they carry the same things.

Last year, they changed some offensive names after a class action lawsuit.

Here’s Spencer’s Phone and Mailing address and here’s their online email form

Here’s Spirit Halloween’s

They’re on twitter and Facebook too so…go off I guess?

Find your local costume corporation and say something if they’re pushing forward more racial stereotypes. Pick your soap box and stand on it.

Celebrate responsibly.

Back to your regularly scheduled posts! Now with less bitterness!

I honestly wish more non-Roma would do this because when we do it? We get brushed off at best. Subjected to white fragility and demonized usually. I’ve all but stopped trying to educate people because of the abuse. So maybe others can help a people out.