I am too angry to even write about how WRONG this is on so many levels. This is an Illegal Alien Green Card Holding Costume that was sold at Target’s website and is currently available from Toys’r Us, Walgreen and for $27.99 by FOrum Novelties on Amazon and $26.97 by FGFK Halloween Costumes on Amazon also. FGFK calls it a “funny” costume.

It’s one thing to for Americans to be totally ignorant of how inter-dependent we are with Mexico’s migrant population and how millions of migrants from Mexico work their asses off so that Americans can afford their lifestyle - but it’s a whole other thing to MOCK Mexicans for their labor.

Target has taken it off its website - please write to AMazon, TOys R’ Us and Walgreens and sign the UNited Farm Workers call to action.

” offensive “illegal alien” costume is being sold at Walgreens and Amazon.com as well as other stores. (*Update: 10/17/09 - It appears that Target and Toys R Us have pulled the costume from their websites sometime last night.)

According to these websites, you can now dress up as an “illegal alien” for Halloween. These stores are selling the costume made up of an orange jumpsuit with the words “illegal alien” written across the chest. The costume even comes with a mask of a space invader with big eyes, and a green card.

The extra terrestrial creature perpetuates racism and discrimination in an already hostile environment and during a period of time when the debate on immigration reform is increasingly hateful and divisive.

Please send an e-mail today to Walgreens and Amazon.com and let these corporations know that this is not funny. They used poor judgement in selling this offensive product and should pull it immediately.” From United Farm Workers

typical of hollywood - another brown villian - and more time spent on protecting copyrights than racism…

read racialicious, boing boing and glockgal.

kenyatta reblogged (via glenda) a great post on the 7 Thing NEVER to Say to Asian-American Excecutives.

I would like to create a list called 7 Things a stranger should NEVER Say to Asian-American Females.

(btw - these are all true below - I’ve had strangers - usually white males - come up and say this to me. Or within the first 10 minutes of some introduction from a colleague, the white male will ask one of these questions to me. og and this only happens outside of NYC and SF)

1. you must be super flexible.

2. my friends and I have a bet about which Asian country you are from - we can’t seem to agree - can you tell us?

3. never say anything about our features!  “wow your cheeks are pretty big for being Chinese - I couldn’t sworn you were Korean.”

4. “I have a Thai (or whatver country) wife so I know a lot about….” Don’t preface any of your Asian knowledge with our Indian or Korean or Chinese wife - it does not make you an expert on Asian cultures. Just say what you know and stop using your ethnic wife as a your IKnow-About-Asia-license.

5. What does your last name mean?

6. From where are you visiting?

7. “Wow you sounded so different on the phone! You look different in person - from what I was expecting - I was expecting someone else - I  thought you would be like a blonde or something.”

8. Why are Asians so successful? There are so many at my college!

9. Do you date white guys?

10. What would your parents think if you dated a black guy?

ok so the list grew from 7 to 10.

____________

7 Things NEVER to Say to Asian-American Executives

1. “You must be the IT person.”

2. “You aren’t like them You don’t act very Asian.”

3. “Asian Americans are not risk takers.”

4. “Where are you from? No, where are you really from?”

5. “Oh, you speak English good!”

6. “You’re not a minority because all Asians are rich and successful.”

7. “You’re not Asian, you’re from India.”

this is what would say if I was constantly suspicious of the everyday ways racism is reenacted in mundane practices of child play. But I am not that kind of person, so I wouldn’t these kind of thoughts.

(I saw these dolls in a preschool in new jersey.)