Could a more two-sided argument be made that a Caucasian person using blackface to emulate an admired brown or black person is not racist?
Yes, as a 74-year-old I have witnessed all sorts of mean-spirited forms of bigotry or other forms of discrimination, but what if someone wishes to emulate a hero or a celebrity whose skin is a different shade that the one wanting to emulate? Could it be that there is a hair-trigger over-sensitivity for something like this that ignores the context or the intent? I'm a poet who likes to view things from all possible angles and welcome open discussions and debate.
Anonymous2019-02-16T19:10:23Z
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It is a touchy subject.
I come to find in instances like these, it's more about how you do and not what you do. Of course you gonna have those people that find offense to any and everything.
I compare it to the slang used now with younger generations. N1gga is acceptable in some circles. ****** isnt. Then it's those who interpret it differently depending on the race. And it's still the older generations who won't tolerate it at all. So you kinda gotta know your audience, if you know what I mean.
I am not the sensitive type in that manner. It would intrigue me a little about the person. If the attitude, intent, etc. were honest and/or innocent.
You’re free to do that but if you have Black friends and family and cared about the feelings of them would you do this ? That’s he question you have to ask yourself .
Yes, that's a good argument, but not valid IMO, because it would just look stupid. If I wanted to look like Colin Powell or Barrack Obama, I'd probably buy a mask. I cannot change my chin, nose, hair, other face features just with skin shading.
Would a black person look more like a "white hero", if they colored their face white? Skin color often is different shades too, that only a store bought mask could duplicate well. It's often facial features that makes the person recognizable, not just skin color.
Back in the 1950's when you and I were raised, people doing "black face" was very common, and not done for racial means, more so for comedy. Red Shelton, did Freddie the Freeloader, who wore black face as I recall, but it was not hateful or racist as I recall, but just funny.
I dressed up as a bum with black face for Halloween several times, and that was because it was an easy costume to make back in day.
I never knew that black face was racist or hurtful until the Civil Rights Movement of 1950's and when I went to college in 1960's. I never met a black person, until I was nearly 12 years old.
Now that I know better, I wouldn't do it again, and hope other people stop doing it.