This will probably be the only “scientific” poll that’s out there on the question, but someone had to do it. YouGov recently asked about social attitudes towards recent Halloween costumes, including some fairly tasteless renditions of Ebola hazmat suits, ISIL re-enactments and the still centuries-going-strong blackface.
On its face, you’d want to believe the results are not all that surprising. Conventional wisdom has been saved by a simple majority of folks saying they reject such ugly choices of imitation.
But digging further, you’ll find some interesting nuggets of rather disturbing attitudes towards race and how that either translates into or is impacted by racial questions in next week’s midterm elections that no one wants to deal with. In essence, how society dresses for Halloween or how they react to others who decide to dress in offensive clothing may be a compelling measure for untold bigotry in elections.
Here’s a snapshot of YouGov’s main question on what costumes are deemed the most unacceptable:
Across the board, the costumes most sane folks would think would be a bit over the top are, by and large, considered over the top.
What’s striking however is that fewer people believe blackface costumes are offensive compared to the number who believe Ebola and ISIL costumes are offensive. In fact, while 80 percent say dressing up like an ISIL fighter is “unacceptable” along with 77 percent who say dressing up like an Ebola first responder is just wrong. But, when it comes to leaving blackface alone, only 57 percent think that’s just not right — along with only 58 percent who think dressing up like a murderer is wrong.
So, let’s get this straight: the most offensive Halloween costumes are ones representing remote, yet deeply Freudian fears about dangers in exotic brown and black lands. But, something that could be pretty damn offensive to your everyday Black neighbor, co-worker or (let’s just accept it) blended family member if they catch you in it is, well, not really that bad says 43 percent of the U.S. population. And the fact that 43 percent of the population has no problem with blackface just like 42 percent of the population doesn’t have a problem with murderer costumes is a bit unsettling.
A deeper look behind those numbers shows 34 percent of whites and 29 percent of Hispanics think “blackface” is an “acceptable” costume — that’s high considering only 15 percent of each, respectively, believe dressing up like a fanatical ISIL fighter is acceptable … despite the fact law enforcement agencies throughout North America are currently on edge about possible “lone wolf” attacks by self-radicalized ISIL wannabes. Imagine how stressed public safety officials will be on Friday night struggling to distinguish assholes from real threats.
No one’s going to judge, as the saying goes, “you doing you.” But one wonders if racial lopsidedness and comfortable anti-Blackness in costume preferences gives us a needed portrait of white voters preparing to lash out come Election Day.
Observers of all partisan stripes are bracing for an election dominated by “GOP enthusiasm.” But, what exactly is that beyond the partisan identification? What sorts of Republicans will be a part of this angry wave of disenchanted President Obama-haters the pollsters keep talking about?
What’s not talked about as much, over the noise of commentary on slothful voters of color not bothering to show up on November 4th, is how white voters will be voting — or why. We do see a larger share of states containing voters who are basing their vote off hostility towards the president than those who aren’t:
That doesn’t at all mean that all white voters who dislike Obama are “racist.” Many are more than likely rational and truly can’t stand the president’s policies. But observers frequently cite how much unprecedented liberty the larger public has taken in expressing its distaste for this particular president. It’s a strange thing to watch expected blocs of base Republican voters swarming to the polls in a visceral reaction to things that are not as specific or data-reinforced: You think the Affordable Care Act hurts you — but, you can’t say how it’s doing that. You believe the U.S. is weak and Obama can’t respond to numerous threats — but, there have been no attacks on U.S. soil since the Republican president before him. You have this bad feeling about Washington — but, you can’t explain or point to specifically what is bad about it beyond “too much big government,” which is bizarre because both parties have been particularly aggressive in reducing government spend since the start of the recession (and Obama’s first term in office). Here’s the Congressional Budget Office on deficit reduction — which means you spend less as a way to lower debt.
Without getting off track too much — and being accused of being partisan or pro-Obama — it’s worth pointing out the inconsistencies in discontent. A solid 64 percent of white voters strongly or somewhat disapprove of President Obama. Politics can definitely explain some of that, just like differing perspectives on what’s offensive or not offensive can partly explain why blackface is still a hit with nearly more than a quarter of the U.S. population. Narrowing those explanations down, culture has to fit in there somewhere. If over 40 percent of white people think it’s cool to poke fun at an entire segment of the global population during a sophomoric non-holiday then it becomes easier to assume many will probably vote the same a few days later — even if most won’t admit it.
CHARLES D. ELLISON is a veteran political strategist and Chief Political Correspondent for Uptown Magazine. He is also a Washington Correspondent for the Philadelphia Tribune and a frequent contributor for The Root. Reach him via Twitter @charlesdellison.