The New York Post reported Walmart pulled more offensive Halloween costumes from its website. Of course, the retailer profusely apologized for its alleged unintentional insensitivity. Yet given that Halloween is an annual opportunity for people to openly display cultural cluelessness, one would think companies like Walmart would take extra precautions to prevent such mishaps. How difficult is it to assign a culturally competent employee to review the Halloween costumes? Then again, perhaps there are no culturally competent employees at Walmart. Now that’s a scary thought.
Walmart pulls offensive Halloween costume from shelves
By James Covert
Halloween was another diplomatic disaster for Walmart.
The retail giant got blasted Friday for selling a costume called the “Pashtun Papa” (right) — a mock-up of traditional Afghan robes and turban, coupled with a big, fake silver beard.
“Whether you’re making a serious political statement or staging a polical [sic] parody, this authentic-looking outfit is sure to fit the bill!” the outfit’s description on the store’s Web site read.
“Nothing is sacred this Halloween,” the blurb continued. “Shock your friends with this Islamic costume.”
Walmart removed the offensive outfit later in the day after it sparked an uproar online. The retailer said it was sold by a third-party vendor.
“We are deeply sorry that this costume is on our Web site, and we are pulling it down as soon as possible,” a Walmart spokeswoman said. “We are calling on all of the other retailers to pull it down as well.”
Earlier this week, Walmart sparked an outcry when Halloween merchandise on its site included a section of “Fat Girl Costumes.”
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