No Noose Is Good Noose?

Since the ugly incidents in the "Jena 6" Louisiana examples of mounting violence and racism, the noose has one again emerged as an ugly image of racial intimidation. However, seemingly innocent examples of Halloween decorations including a hanging witch in one community and a White doll faced figure hanging in a yard outside of Vancouver, Washington, seem to have gotten caught up in the Jena aftermath.

A practicing witch attempted to claim that the obvious Halloween display of a hanging witch was a "hate crime". And in the Washington state case a dark haired wig was replaced by a red haired wig so as to make the hanging doll look more White.

Hair trigger nerves about the Jena case have spurrred silly attacks on meaningless silly Halloween displays and have spurred a new political correctness battle. A few years ago I saw a "head wound" Abraham Lincoln costume. You can probably get away with that sort of tastelessness this year. But hanging dolls from your trees just isn't going over big this year unless they're a flying ghost.