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[Alienous]

You would think the goal would be to see skin color as any other physical trait.

Badly done, then. Write an article, don't rub Nutella over your face and hands. The same goes for shit like pulling at the corners of your eyes in an attempt to encapsulate a people; it's at best dumb, and at worst racist.

 

[Bronx-Man]

Am I really in a thread where white people are telling black people to stop being offended by blackface? Is this really where your going to make your stand defending fucking blackface. Goddamn son

You sound surprised.

 

[Zornack]

The only reason to do black face is to parody black people, is there some other reason you would be doing it?

Hold up, what's wrong with parodying a black person? The issue with black face isn't the parodying black people, it's the history behind black face.

A costume of Kanye west is going to be a parody of him whether or not black face is involved.

 

[MarkMclovin]

What are we saying guys? That under no circumstances whatsoever, can a white guy ever dress up as a black celebrity unless we do so without painting the face black? But doing so makes you rasist, plain and simple?

 

[cyberheater]

What was racist about blackface was how the characters were made to be utter buffoons. It was a gross racial stereotype. I'm not sure simply dressing as a black character is racist. I think context is very important here.

I can understand that point of view.

 

[Slayven]

Its amazing how fast these threads go to complete shit

I honestly people that defend blackface defend it because they see themselves do it for a laugh or take that to SJW

Hold up, what's wrong with parodying black people? The issue with black face isn't parodying black people, it's the history behind black face.

Cause black people are not a monolith. The history was parodying black people being lazy, criminals, and worthless. You know racism.

 

[Nabs]

Most black people I talk to about Tropic Thunder hated the movie because of Robert Downey, Jr. being in blackface and exaggerating a "black person".

I liked it it myself, and I tried to explain it to them using the same message you have. They don't care. Some subjects are too personal to make fun of and a white actor certainly does not have the same historical credibility that a black actor does to race-lift themselves for the sake of irony or comedic satire.

 

[Mael]

Im not american (and i think it has more to do with that than race) But i dont see a big problem with this, apart from the fact that its a shitty costume anyway.

I think the term racist is being thrown round way to much these days and it completely trivialises actual racism.

Ah.... We've reached the quantum point already?
GAF you're slipping it nearly took 200 posts this time!

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Well depending on the school he could have barely been exposed to black people his entire life. You'd be surprised at how isolated some people can be raised and live

I checked the school website. Black teachers and pupils galore.

 

[Silver Arrows]

Every time.

And every time, it goes back to RDJ in Tropic Thunder.

I honestly people that defend blackface defend it because they see themselves do it for a laugh or take that to SJW

Absolutely to the bolded.

 

[FStop7]

Trying to justify blackface as being a funny costume is kind of like justifying wearing an "I Hate N*****s" sign as Die Hard 3 cosplay.

 

[spekkeh]

But 90 percent of Kim jokes are about her fucking a black guy

Fair enough, that's racist.

 

[metalslimer]

What are we saying guys? That under no circumstances whatsoever, can a white guy ever dress up as a black celebrity unless we do so without painting the face black? But doing so makes you rasist, plain and simple?

Given the history of blackface, no it is not a good idea to do blackface ever. It doesn't make you racist but you are going to take some heat on it. And honestly I don't think it's worth the effort of trying to change that. I mean just don't wear blackface. This is pretty much the same situation as the n word.

 

[……forgetit]

Racist Halloween and Zwarte Pete... Happy holiday season y'all.

While browsing this thread this little jem graced my Facebook.

I swear wtf is it about Halloween?

 

[Grizzlyjin]

The backwards hat is the kicker for me. I'm sure you can find a picture somewhere, but I don't think I've ever seen Kanye West wearing a backwards hat anytime recently. Which makes me think it was included to solidify the "Hey, I'm a Black guy! They were hats like this!"

Some people really need to look up the history of blackface. RDJ in Tropic Thunder was lampooning the fact that Hollywood would rather cast a white actor doing blackface than a person of color. I think that entire thing sailed over a few people's heads. It isn't going to make people made because it drew attention to the problem. Now if you want to talk about bad blackface in Hollywood, we could get into C. Thomas Howell in Soul Man. That's what you want to avoid.

 

[Bronx-Man]

What are we saying guys? That under no circumstances whatsoever, can a white guy ever dress up as a black celebrity unless we do so without painting the face black? But doing so makes you rasist, plain and simple?

Why would someone want to put a shitload of paint on their face that badly? There's literally been examples posted in this thread showing that you can dress up as black characters without the need for blackface.

 

[minor effort]

if you need to hold a sign to state what your costume is for it to read, it's trash.

That's what I was thinking. Even after the stupid decision to employ blackface, the end result is still so bad that he needs a sign to tell everyone who he's supposed to be.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Kanye doesn't have a ton of purely identifiable features for a costume anyway. LIke, if a black dude was wearing everything guy in OP is wearing nobody would know who the fuck he was. On top of the ignorance/racism, it's a shit costume. If you feel the need to paint your skin maybe find something else to dress up as. I mean, it's not like nobody could tell who Russell Wilson was dressed up as here:

 

[Slayven]

What are we saying guys? That under no circumstances whatsoever, can a white guy ever dress up as a black celebrity unless we do so without painting the face black? But doing so makes you rasist, plain and simple?

So the only trait black celebrities have is there skin color?

 

[LosDaddie]

Was about to say "Dat Ass" but then I read that it was fake

👎🏾

 

[Professor Beef]

Im not american

just gonna stop you right there before you go and po-

But i dont see a big problem with this, apart from the fact that its a shitty costume anyway.

I think the term racist is being thrown round way to much these days and it completely trivialises actual racism.

fuck

 

[……forgetit]

What are we saying guys? That under no circumstances whatsoever, can a white guy ever dress up as a black celebrity unless we do so without painting the face black? But doing so makes you rasist, plain and simple?

I mean, yeah?

 

[J D]

No it doesn't and only those didn't give a shit to begin say that .

Basically thats a subtle way of trying to call me a racist?

Racism is about intent, its about prejudice, superiority, discrimination.

You can call this, disrespectful, tasteless, offensive and a hundred other things but i dont think its racist.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

What are we saying guys? That under no circumstances whatsoever, can a white guy ever dress up as a black celebrity unless we do so without painting the face black? But doing so makes you rasist, plain and simple?

If you feel the need to do that, pick a different costume. It'd be no different than dressing like Bruce Lee and taping your eyes back or something.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

What are we saying guys? That under no circumstances whatsoever, can a white guy ever dress up as a black celebrity unless we do so without painting the face black? But doing so makes you rasist, plain and simple?

Statements like this are so obviously more about not being able to handle getting told no than it is about anything else.

 

[cyberheater]

You can behave in a manner that is racially insensitive/oppressive without realizing that's what you're doing. It's the basic definition of ignorance.

If the person believes that they are not behaving in a manner which is racially insensitive then you cannot infer that their actions are automatically racist.

Sure they may be ignorant of the history behind blackface and when told about it they would probably never do it again but being ignorant is not the same as being racist.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Racism is about intent

No. This has been questioned and addressed in the thread already. Racism can be (and often is) divorced from intent. That's exactly where the ignorance comes in.

 

[Erban1]

Who is that meant to be?

H e looks like the NK leader but he's not black.

I see Ninja Scooter replied, but for the sake of completing the reference he's playing King Jaffe Joffer from "Coming to America".

Damn good costume, instant recognition from anyone who's seen the movie.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Basically thats a subtle way of trying to call me a racist?

Racism is about intent, its about prejudice, superiority, discrimination.

You can call this, disrespectful, tasteless, offensive and a hundred other things but i dont think its racist.

The reasons it is disrespectful, tasteless and offensive are all rooted in racism. You can't separate those things.

 

[Silver Arrows]

Basically thats a subtle way of trying to call me a racist?

Racism is about intent, its about prejudice, superiority, discrimination.

You can call this, disrespectful, tasteless, offensive and a hundred other things but i dont think its racist.

Even though it is based on the fact it's using blackface, something that has been used as a way to mock black people for centuries?

Just stop, please, you aren't doing yourself any favors.

 

[Mass One]

So the only trait black celebrities have is there skin color?

That's a key problem. Where you don't see a person for their personality but for their skin color. It's shitty and cheap. The costume is cheap. We do we know about kanye, he has a big ego, doesn't smile, and wears outrageous costumes. And they couldn't come up with something better then a blazer and some shades.

I wish eventually people would see black people for their person rather then skin color. It's pretty shitty and historically racist.

 

[metalslimer]

This can definitely be called racist. The person doesn't have to be racist for the act to be.

 

[Newline]

This wouldn't be a big deal in the uk.

 

[cyberheater]

No. This has been questioned and addressed in the thread already. Racism can be (and often is) divorced from intent. That's exactly where the ignorance comes in.

No. Racism is about intent. You have not adequately addressed the question.

 

[JDSN]

Surprised that he claimed to be Ye, I thought all the racist white suburbanites where going to pretend to be Rachel Dolezeal this year.

 

[Orbis Tabula]

I feel like if you have to carry around a sign that basically says "I'M DRESSED AS THIS PERSON." all Halloween, you probably shouldn't even bother wearing the costume. If you can't distill an idea in to a few, simple traits that identify the person, don't even bother.

 

[Slayven]

Basically thats a subtle way of trying to call me a racist?

Racism is about intent, its about prejudice, superiority, discrimination.

You can call this, disrespectful, tasteless, offensive and a hundred other things but i dont think its racist.

The greatest trick the devil every pulled was getting people to believe that. What isn't predjudice, and discriminatory about pointing out someone's skin color as their defining feature?

 

[BlackRock]

But when there is a history of racist and bigoted people who in the past woudl paint themselves black in an attempt to lampoon black people, you have to be sensitive to the history of it. It might not make this guy racist (or he could be, I don't know him) but it certainly makes him ignorant and lacking in any sort of self-awareness. No different from the people who play the "But the swastika means good luck!" or "the Confederate flag stands for southern pride!" card.

I hear where you're coming from. It's a loaded topic, to be sure. I think it really comes down to what he's saying by dressing as Kanye. Are these two lampooning Kanye and Kim because they are celebrities or is it something that has a racial edge to it? Without seeing them in action, I can't say. And I admit that it's a judgement call in any case. As a white man it may be a different standard than for someone from a different background.

I think if someone black painted themselves white and dressed up as Donald Trump to make fun of Donald Trump, that's fine. If they did the same to make fun of white people, that's not fine. That's how I see this with Kanye. It's entirely dependent on the context. There should be room for satire and role playing, but we do need to be careful to not be falling into racism or stereotypes.

 

[Nazgul_Hunter]

If he had a Kanye mask instead, would that be OK?

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

No. Racism is about intent. You have not adequately addressed the question.

You're not backing this up with anything.

LL Cool J and Brad Paisley even have a(n embarrassing) song called "Accidental Racist."

 

[Fudgepuppy]

What are we saying guys? That under no circumstances whatsoever, can a white guy ever dress up as a black celebrity unless we do so without painting the face black? But doing so makes you rasist, plain and simple?

Doing blackface will always hurt and sadden a lot of people, that's why you really shouldn't.

You can look at the issue from all types of hypothetical setups, but you generally shouldn't do things that hurt other people.

If we truly lived in a post-racial and equal society, yeah maybe we could do blackface after five decades or so, like a joke everybody's in on, but we don't live in that world.

 

[CharlieDigital]

Is a white person wearing a Ben Carson mask racist?

 

[studyguy]

If he had a Kanye mask instead, would that be OK?

Which one

 

[Scrabble]

white people should just dress as hitler to avoid controversey

 

[Bobby Roberts]

No. Racism is about intent. You have not adequately addressed the question.

You haven't adequately made the case that intent is necessary.

Sure they may be ignorant of the history behind blackface and when told about it they would probably never do it again but being ignorant is not the same as being racist.

In this case? It absolutely is, though. Their ignorance led to them committing a racist act. Regardless whether they meant to. That they moved to correct it once called out on it speaks well of them, actually. It means they're willing to learn, and are considerate to some extent. They're willing to correct the mistakes we've all made at some point or another in our past, likely because of our own particular varieties of similar ignorance.

But that doesn't erase the cultural context, or the nature of the act itself. It simply erases the intent.

It's not necessarily an unforgivable thing, this idiot decision to smear makeup all over his face and brag on facebook about how people thought he was actually a black man. But it is racist.

 

[BennyBlanco]

This guy is gonna be looking for a job by Wednesday.

 

[Netherscourge]

No. Racism is about intent. You have not adequately addressed the question.

Racism is just as much about perception as it is intent.

You don't decide what someone else perceives as racist and/or offensive.

Just like the guy in the Kanye costume doesn't decide if he's being racist or not.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

I hear where you're coming from. It's a loaded topic, to be sure. I think it really comes down to what he's saying by dressing as Kanye. Are these two lampooning Kanye and Kim because they are celebrities or is it something that has a racial edge to it? Without seeing them in action, I can't say. And I admit that it's a judgement call in any case. As a white man it may be a different standard than for someone from a different background.

I think if someone black painted themselves white and dressed up as Donald Trump to make fun of Donald Trump, that's fine. If they did the same to make fun of white people, that's not fine. That's how I see this with Kanye. It's entirely dependent on the context. There should be room for satire and role playing, but we do need to be careful to not be falling into racism or stereotypes.

You can lampoon Kanye without painting your face black. DOing so would really make me question where this "lampooning" was coming from. His costume looks nothing like Kanye, carries no other traits that would lead you to believe it was Kanye. I don't think I've ever seen Kanye wearing a backwards baseball cap. Like, Kanye wears leather skirts and shit and this is what you decide on?

as to your 2nd part: I think a black person could easily make fun of Donald Trump without needing to paint their face. Trump has plenty of easily identifiable traits that would work in a costume for a person of any color. The goofy hair. The stupid red baseball cap he's been wearing lately. The standard business man suit. Put a black guy in a suit, wig and had and everybody would know who he was trying to be.

 

[Bronx-Man]

This wouldn't be a big deal in the uk.

Well then hooray for them, but this is here in America.

 

[Yaboosh]

Some people really want to be able to say the n word, and some people really want to be able to paint their skin black.