Is wearing a native american costume in the carnival racism?

[Famous Mortimer]

Not categorically but possibly.

[Famous Mortimer]

All ethnic based culture is ridiculous. If people only like your food, clothing, language, etc because they were born into it, then obviously your food, clothing, language, etc suck. Ideally everyone would be free to appropriate whatever individual things they like from any given culture.

[Famous Mortimer]

I believe in the free market when it comes to things which aren't required to stay alive, culture being one of them. If a culture fails in the free market, clearly it sucked.

As to subjugation, well, it depends on what you mean by that. Some would call people wearing Native American clothing because it looks cool is a form of subjugation. I would say just that opposite, that proves its merit. It actually makes it more prominent in the global community.

[Famous Mortimer]

I believe in the free market when it comes to things which aren't required to stay alive, culture being one of them. If a culture fails in the free market, clearly it sucked.

As to subjugation, well, it depends on what you mean by that. Some would call people wearing Native American clothing because it looks cool is a form of subjugation. I would say just that opposite, that proves its merit. It actually makes it more prominent in the global community.

Using that line of reasoning, "blackface" would prove the "merit" of being black by making it more prominent in the global community. Uhm... I don't think so.

Regardless of the question if this is racist, it might be an insensitive thing to do, especially if people still derive cultural and/or religious meaning from the costume. And no, I don't think there is a true "market" with a level playing field when minority cultures are used just for mockery, nor do I think that it's appropriate.

It's wrong to equate all appropriation with mockery. I don't think, for the most part, White kids who listen to hip hop are mocking Black people, I think they probably legitimately enjoy it.