Over the weekend, I saw some stories about an “illegal alien” costume. It involves an orange prison-style jumpsuit and a mask that looks like the classical sci-fi depiction of an alien from outer space. Clearly, it was just a play on words! And that’s funny stuff, right?
Not at all. Upon further inspection, I decided it’s one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen in my life, largely because the costume also includes a larger-than-life fake Green Card.
I’m not making the argument here that illegal immigration into the United States is OK. I want people to have every opportunity to come to this country legally, and I’d like to see the process remain stringent but become more accessible and affordable.
My problem with this costume lies with the xenophobia behind it.
If it were just the jumpsuit and alien mask, it would be only a play on words — not a terribly clever one, but a play on words nonetheless.
The offensiveness goes beyond the fake Green Card — and let’s face it, a Green Card joke is essentially a joke making fun of Hispanic and Latino people, many of whom are legal residents and must keep track of their papers so they won’t be hauled back to their home country.
If you opt for the “Illegal Alien Mask with Hat,” you can get a space alien mask with a handlebar mustache and baseball cap.
At this point, they might as well have switched out the baseball cap for a sombrero and packaged a poncho with the costume.
Target, Walgreens and Amazon.com were among the major retailers who sold the costume but decided to pull the item, according to CNN. A Target spokesman said the chain didn’t want to offend anybody and that the costume was added because of a “data entry error.”
I almost hate to give his remark any further publicity, but William Gheen, the president of Americans for Legal Immigration, spoke in support of the costume.
“The only people getting upset are the hyper-sensitive, over-politically correct, pro-amnesty, illegal alien-supporting nuts,” he said.
No, Mr. Gheen. That’s not the case. I’m upset over this because it also pokes fun at the many people who have legally immigrated to this country and become productive members of our society. Promoting stereotypical images of Hispanic and Latino people should be condoned no more than we would tolerate negative images of any other ethnic group.
It’s shameful, and I for one won’t be laughing at it.
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