# ? un PC to hang skeletons from trees?



## trashgirl (Jul 29, 2010)

Do you think it's un PC to hang skeletons from trees? I live in a pretty PC city and because of the lynching of black people after the civil war I just didn't know if most people thought it is in poor taste to do that or not. They are life sized skeletons that don't have clothes or anything on them. I have yet to do it for fear of sending the wrong message.


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## osenator (Nov 3, 2009)

As long you don't put an afro wig on the skeleton (L) (no racism intended, of course), should be okay. (why I do a SouthPark episode here).

Maybe do a theme would help also, clearly showing this involve no political message or religion ones. 

I'll be honest, no matter what you do, if you live in a bible humping county, no matter what you do, they will take offence, so, screw them, we are doing this for the kids!


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## BeaconSamurai (Nov 5, 2009)

I'm not quick (I'm originally from Illinois), but I do not believe Wisconsin had any lynchings after the civil war and didn't they outlaw slavery? If you were down south I could see the possibility. 

I know people are quick to take offense these days, but when you let them influence you as to what you can and cannot do, then "they" have already won. 

Funny isn't it that those who espouse tolerance, show the least of it?

I agree with Osenator, make it a theme and take away the compliant before it happens.


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## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

I had those silhouettes that you hang in the windows and one of them was of a hanging skeleton one year. I had two people make comments about it and how it could be misconstrued as something racist. The people that commented about it were white. I have a couple of black families that live around me and their kids came to our haunt with the parents escorting them and they did not appear to be bothered by it. However, living in GA, I decided not to use it again. I have actually thought about having a hanging man in my haunt this year but since it is somewhat themed I dont think I will have a problem.


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## The Pod (May 19, 2008)

My hangman has been out front for a few seasons now and no one has complained or said anything yet. (Other than the fire department coming out the first year to make sure it wasn't a real person swinging up there.) There is a burlap sack over the head and gloves on his hands so can't identify him to any race. Just don't setup Eric Cartman out there with his killer Ghost costume holding a torch and a flaming cross in the background and I think you might be alright.

The other thing is your might want to check state laws...... Illegal to display a noose


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## NOWHINING (Jul 25, 2009)

my first thought was after reading the first post was "God no! Dont! people are easy offended!" But after reading on, everyone is correct. It all depends on how you display it. Just must be "CAREFUL" is the keyword here.


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## zombiehorror (Apr 6, 2009)

Anything and everything can be labeled as un-pc, all it takes is one idiot to take it out of context and raise hell over it. I've been wanting to build a hangman's tree complete with swaying corpse for awhile but haven't gotten around to building anything yet. My wife kept pushing me to not do this as our neighbors were african-american. My thoughts were, "So what! I'm not going to have a discernible race on the prop. Nor am I racist in anyway.". It is a Halloween prop people of color were not the only human beings ever hung! It was a form of execution for hundreds...make that thousands of years before slavery and before any activities that took place in the southern United States. I don't see any issue in having a hanging prop in your haunt and I personally will have one some day.....hopefully with full on kicking action!


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## Sidnami (Apr 26, 2010)

Since I used fishing wires instead of rope, does that make me racist against fishes?

For the record, I have AAs as neighbors and they never took offense to the display. They did accidentally drove over one that fell, but it was no big deal.


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## kprimm (Apr 3, 2009)

I would put up whatever you want and pay no mind to it at all. It's Halloween and this America.


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## CaliforniaMelanie (Sep 8, 2008)

Well, apparently nobody cares WHO gets hanged out here on the left coast because I've hung a poor dead dude (just a plain skellie) every single year from my big tree out front and have gotten nothing but applause.  If you feel that in your neighborhood it could be a big problem, I can understand that. I guess it's your call but in *general* would I think a hanging skeleton on Halloween was racist? Definitely not.


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## Gym Whourlfeld (Jan 22, 2003)

*Nobody is Talking*

about the relatives of people who succesfully hung themselves, ending their lives.
This is especially painfull when so many teenagers have chosen this method or seem to have had when they were just trying to get a rush from oxygen depletion= same end result.
I met a man at Kinkos printing the blueprints to a small barn he had just bought and had moved to his golf course /go cart track, he bought it for a mere $7.00 from the farmer , it was very solid, nicely painted and the price was so low...because the farmer's Nephew had hung himself inside the barn!
This guy was then trying to buy or build a hanging, kicking display on the noose for this barn!
How come nobody ever seems to make a display of a firing squad?
Too much work, making all those bodies, I bet, huh? Uniforms too?
Some of my displays also offend some people, like maybe my Nazi-Babes riding the Panzer Mk.4 tank, I was WAY ahead of Jesse James's girlfriend. I made this 15? years ago. Nazi Babes were in the 1950's Men's magazines, purely mythological creatures.
To those offended by them I say, "Good!" this means you have heard of Nazis and that you remembered them in a not so good light. (You might be surprised how many kids don't have a clue when it comes to history.)
"Wouldn't Jewish people be offended by this?"
They shouldn't be, I am making fun of the characters and I'm not offended, my Greatgrandfather was Jewish.(and I am not adopted!)
I also have a poster from the local KKK meeting in this town in 1926 on display, I then explain how almost every member who joined (not really knowing what it was) all quit quickly when it became clear as to what it was.
The local businessmen fell victim to a popular young Doctor who convinced them to join the new "Men's Club" he was starting!
The old poster may even prove what I stated here because on the poster it also says:"Everybody Welcome"..?? To a Klan meeting?
You can do alot of semi-outrageous displays if you handle them correctly...but you will still offend somebody.


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## bruiser1904 (Apr 10, 2010)

Why do you people reffer to Black people as African Americans? they are no more "AFRICAN" than I am Italian...I am not an "Italian American"...I am an American, thats it! they are Americans, Thats it!! so lets quit with this African American B.S.

And no I dont give a **** if someone gets offended...grow a thicker skin and Man UP!!

This country is breeding a bunch of over sensitive, whinning, crybabies nowadays!


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## Diabolik (Apr 10, 2006)

We have used my pneumatic hangman for 3 years now and I have NEVER heard a negative word about it from anyone. I've always put a lot of time and effort into my display and I think everyone has appreciated it for what it is and nothing more. I think it is just as likely that you might have someone complain about your entire Halloween display as a whole. Esp. if it is somebody that is very religious and is worried that your are inviting the devil into the neighborhood with your display. 










I think in our society today there is very fine line that runs between protectiing one groups rights and freedoms while at the same time stomping on another's.....


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## HauntDaddy (Apr 8, 2009)

I;m with kprimm. Screw pc do what you see fit. To many panzis in the U.S. now adays


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## kjbittick (Oct 22, 2009)

What I don't get is that people of all color were hanged, not just blacks! But now days, people call a hangman's noose a threat against black people. Really......!?! I don't get it! Most outlaws weren't black, and I don't think that hanging was really that popular anyway. And what about the witches that were hung, what color were they? White of course. I think that some take PC way too far. They act as if blacks were the only race ever enslaved. I think every race was taken for slaves in a foreign country if the opportunity presented itself. And no, that doesn't make it right, but let's get over it!


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## pagan (Jan 10, 2010)

A skeleton has no color. It is what we ALL look like inside. There have been at least as many whites hanged as blacks. I don't see anything inherently racist about a skeleton at the end of a rope. Some symbols do have a strong racist association (swastikas, burning crosses, for some confederate flags, hell some people are offended by OUR flag), but a skeleton, like the Jack-o-lantern seems to be have a fairly universal association with Halloween. I am sure Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson could find something "racist" in anything they looked at or heard, but their existence is tainted by fears of discrimination, real or (mostly) imagined lurking at every turn. Most people are not like that. If you have a concern about offending someone, ask them. "I want to do XYZ with my yard display this year.. Do you think I will offend people?"
Just my .02... Good luck with your haunt!!


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## soundmankkc (Sep 19, 2009)

I am so very tired of this whole "pc" thing. "Be careful what you do, what you say, what you think or the thought police will knock your door down." I am tired of people playing the race card typically as a means of gaining some sort of monetary remuneration. We are talking about a halloween prop, nothing more. People get offended an Christmas time because there are Santa Clauses in the front yard....BIG DEAL. I live in the south where halloween has a bad name. For the record, I am a born again Christian and I LOVE HALLOWEEN. I have checked the book and find nothing wrong with trying to give people some enjoyment and a good scare. I really wish people would just get over it and live and let live. Put up your hanging man and if anyone is offended tell them the burden of proof that it is racist is up to them to prove. Thank you.......I am Soundmankkc and I approve this message.....


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## obcessedwithit (Jul 13, 2009)

your yard, your trees, and you know what say.....\\\\if the can't take a joke.. and I am from the south. hope I don'tofffend anyone, seriously, just being funny haha, halloween is an art form and I am sure there is plenty of art that will offend folks, but that is freedom of speech and our right, if you pay taxes....lol


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## jlb307 (Oct 15, 2007)

i say, screw 'em if they can't take it. heck, screw 'em even if they can! enjoy your halloween!


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## vineyard_haunt (Jun 1, 2010)

I think that no matter what you do, there is always somebody who is going to find something wrong with it. People are just too damn sensitive. I had a skeleton hanging from a noose at the entrance of my haunt last year and it had nothing to do with lynching a black person. I say put 'em up and screw what anyone says. Just don't wear a pillow case on your head and burn a cross in your front yard at the same time (LOL)


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## kittyvibe (Oct 27, 2008)

If I were to have a hanging body and someone were to point it out,I would reply, " He stole my horse, Im within my rights." 

Penalty for horse theft is death by hanging in FL. Look it up, lol.


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## Killed by Death (Sep 29, 2008)

These are 2 of my 3 hanging men and skeleton. I've never had a single complaint in 5 years. In fact, cars stop to tell me how cool they are. Real crowd pleasers those hanging men!!!


View attachment 11159


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## Skelly215 (Sep 22, 2004)

I think a lot of people on here are ignoring the fact that nooses have been used historically AND recently to deliberately intimidate some black people. This is not ancient history, it's an ongoing thing. HOWEVER, that being said, as long as there aren't any other elements of your display that make it look like the hanged man is a message aimed at black people, then I don't think there's anything wrong with having this prop. We all have different levels of what we find acceptable for our own haunts, and ultimately you have to decide what you, personally, are comfortable with.


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## Madame Leota (Sep 19, 2005)

I think of hanging as a form of execution and not race related at all. They hanged those accused of witchcraft in the 1600's, pirates through the 1700's, and horse theives in the 
1800's, just to give a few examples.  One of Fort Worth's most successful haunted houses is called "Hangman's House of Horrors" based on a fictional executioner who took his job a little too seriously. In all the years they've been running the operation I've never heard of any outrage over the theme.
I think truthfully, there are a lot more people who are offended by Halloween in general and we don't stop doing what we love for them...


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## Skelly215 (Sep 22, 2004)

Madame Leota said:


> I think truthfully, there are a lot more people who are offended by Halloween in general and we don't stop doing what we love for them...


Absolutely true. I really feel for my fellow haunters who live in Halloween-hating places.


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## devils chariot (Nov 6, 2008)

I'm a flaming leftie from hollywood and I don't see anything wrong with hanging skeletons from trees. Tim burton did it in a nightmare before christmas. I think the PC types are just trolls who secretly want to say the n word or be racist but they can't, so they try and nitpick and ruin things for everyone else. FOR EXAMPLE: If They can't say N****R, then they'll you can't say "Whats Up Brotha" or "Word to to your mother" because they'll imply that your being insensitive to black people, when in reality your identifying with black culture.


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## Otaku (Sep 10, 2004)

I'm with Skelly215.
I don't have any hanging skellies or corpses (yet) but I'm already building them for 2011 - just don't have the time this year. Pumpkinrot had hanging corpses in his 2009 display - dark and disturbing, yes, but racist, no.

http://www.pumpkinrot.com/images/2009_76.jpg


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## Jaege (Sep 21, 2009)

Put it in a pirate or witch costume and you are home free. You do know that many cultures, races and "professions" have been hung over the years?


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## bloodymaniac (Jul 30, 2010)

do it and if someone complains use words like WAAAAAAAAAAAAA


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## halloween_sucks_in_the_uk (Sep 28, 2008)

Some people will find offence in anything. You can't make everybody happy, if anybody complains just tell them to get a life.


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## VinceB (Jul 21, 2009)

I had used hanging props in the past. I did stop using them recently after a neighbor's father committed suicide in the home (yep, by hanging). But I discontinued my use to respect their situation, not because of PC-ness. So I guess it is more situational. Use your best judgment.


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