Hello all,

I’ve been gone for awhile… So many things I’ve wanted to say in these months left me without the will to say anything. I rejoin you to release something that has been bothering me a bit, and that’s Halloween costumes. Not specifically the costumes, but particularly someone’s reaction to my stating their costume was racially offensive.

She wanted to be a chola – to her it was just a word used to reference Mexican gangbangers in Cali and other parts of the West Coast. In reality, chola is an ethnic slur. Similar to the word nigger, but specifically about Mexican people of poverty. Eventually these gangbangers adopted the word as their own, similar to the common colloquialism of nigga. Blacks adopted this word and took back ownership of it as did Mexicans for cholo/a.

However, just because of the adoption of the word, doesn’t mean it is no longer racially offensive. There is a still a history behind the word, one many do not know, and do not care to learn.

She turned the conversation into a mockery. Refused to see the offensiveness in her actions. Refused to believe that anyone would be hurt by it. I sent articles where people were stating their hurt and offense regarding this costume. Rihanna was a chola for Halloween too. I have the same problem with it when it comes to her as well.

My greatest issue is that people fail to realize that the “little things” are actually big things because they further perpetuate others’ ignorance to the offensiveness of such actions.

notjustmythoughts