Ask McFartnuggets: “Is it Offensive to Dress Like a Hobo For Halloween ?”

Dear McFartnuggets: 

I’m planning to go as a hobo for Halloween again this year. I usually do every year just because it’s easy. I just wear a bunch of my old B.U.M. Equipment brand clothing from the early 90’s and they’re all tattered and worn out. I let my facial hair grow out for a few days, I stop bathing for a couple days before Halloween. Then I get completely plastered and by the time Halloween night comes I’m a very realistic hobo. Some people in the past have told me, particularly last year that my portrayal of a hobo was offensive to them. I don’t get it, it’s just Halloween. I’m not making fun of hobos, I’m just emulating them. You’re not making fun of robots, The Joker, or Game of Thrones characters when you dress up like them for Halloween, if anything you’re saying “Hey, this is cool.” Am I being out of line or can I keep going as a hobo? -- Michelle from Los Angeles, California

Dear Michelle:

I see your point about dressing like characters, but the key is you mentioned characters. Hobos are real people. They’re not fictional creatures like vampires, zombies, or wolfmen, they’re actual flesh and blood human beings and to group them together in with those horror legends is wrong. The only reason people continue to do this is it’s like making fun of Amish people on TV, they’re not going to see it. You might be okay if you’re going to parties in a town where you won’t run into many hobos or if the hobos you see are so convinced you’re a hobo that they don’t notice you’re a phony, otherwise, you probably shouldn’t. It may raise awareness for hobos which is good, but ultimately you’re making light of the problem so the negatives will outweigh the positives. I think it all depends on your portrayal of hobos. Now because you used the term “hobo” and you’re wearing BUM Equipment I would say you’re going for more of a humorous tone. If you were dressed in actual distressed designed clothing made to look like something a real homeless person would wear and you referred to them as “houseless individuals” then there might be a more somber mood you’re forcing on others and it could guilt them into some charitable donations.

The thing about Halloween is it’s a holiday where we give out candy for free which is nice, but it doesn’t help the homeless. They’ve got enough dental concerns as it is. Halloween is basically like a Thanksgiving for children. We turn our homes into soup kitchens made of candy for kids. Maybe it’s time to start offering some more healthy choices like normal snacks to kids that way we can also hand out healthy snacks to the homeless as well. That way we’d be feeding the less fortunate and knocking out child obesity all at once. I don’t know JUST AN IDEA.

Why don't you just dress up as a veteran and have two costumes in one!

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