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This thread is giving me such a sense of deja vu. First with the it's not racist, then Tropic Thunder being brought up for the wrong reason to Dave's whiteface. How the fuck can we have this thread almost every other month, and still have people claiming blackface isn't racist.

The act of blackface has been damned to no return, no matter what intention you might have it's fucking racist. Just like Hitler's mustache, no matter how ignorant one may be for having it, it's not okay to fucking do it. The act of blackface can not be saved, should not be saved, will not be saved and will never be saved. It's a horrid act that will never be redeemed, thus should never be done period.

 

[Gordon Shumway]

I'm not trying to be difficult here, but I have no idea.

Flat. Willy ain't quite the voluptuous type lol..

This thread is giving me such a sense of deja vu. First with the it's not racist, then Tropic Thunder being brought up for the wrong reason to Dave's whiteface. How the fuck can we have this thread almost every other month, and still have people claiming blackface isn't racist.

The act of blackface has been damned to no return, no matter what intention you might have it's fucking racist. Just like Hitler's mustache, no matter how ignorant one may be for having it, it's not okay to fucking do it. The act of blackface can not be saved, should not be saved, will not be saved and will never be saved. It's a horrid act that will never be redeemed, thus should never be done period.

Because we go through this here every year, bud.

 

[Dash27]

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.

Attempt to encapsulate a people?

It's just a physical trait like hair color, height, weight, a beard or whatever.

Obligatory Eddie Murphy "White like me"

https://screen.yahoo.com/white-000000112.html

 

[Professor Beef]

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.

But their actions are still racist, no matter the intent. Nobody is saying that being ignorant is being racist. It's ok to be ignorant, especially if you show that you're willing to learn from the situation afterwards. The problem is that people don't want to learn and instead want to double down on their actions and try to rationalize them.

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

well then go fucking live in the uk, jesus christ

 

[Bodacious]

They could have at least had the decency not to crop out half of her shoes/feet at the bottom there. I can't work this.

 

[J D]

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.

There is a big difference between blackface of minstrel shows etc and using make up to be someone else for a costume. He isnt mocking anybody.

 

[bishoptl]

I mean, he did a pretty good job at imitating another person... regardless of skin color. It's a bad costume, to be sure.

I can't see the difference, honestly, between this or if he had chose to dress up as macho man Randy Savage. Suddenly the costume isn't offensive because he isn't dressing up as someone from another race?

These quality posts bode well for this thread.

 

[Bronx-Man]

This thread is giving me such a sense of deja vu. First with the it's not racist, then Tropic Thunder being brought up for the wrong reason to Dave's whiteface. How the fuck can we have this thread almost every other month, and still have people claiming blackface isn't racist.

The act of blackface has been damned to no return, no matter what intention you might have it's fucking racist. Just like Hitler's mustache, no matter how ignorant one may be for having it, it's not okay to fucking do it. The act of blackface can not be saved, should not be saved, will not be saved and will never be saved. It's a horrid act that will never be redeemed, thus should never be done period.

Easy.

"Hi, I'm a white person/non-American and I'm gonna tell you how you should feel about something I have little-to-no knowledge of!"

 

[davepoobond]

them taking the picture there is weird. like it is a family photo they're proud of.

 

[Enzom21]

Every fucking year we have this thread and every year we get the same stupid as shit responses. "Well what about Dave Chappelle?" "What about Tropic Thunder?" Let's just ignore historical context so we can try to make an idiotic point.
All of you defending this, make sure you pick up one of these:

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

There is a big difference between blackface of minstrel shows etc and using make up to be someone else for a costume. He isnt mocking anybody.

Are you determining this based on the unspoken "discussion about race" rule where we pretend black people aren't here telling us exactly how they feel, so we just default to how white people interacting with white people take it?

 

[Tripolygon]

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'll give you an example.

Some white people called blacks Niggers

time passed and saying Nigger is generally frowned upon

Some black people call each other Nigga

under no circumstance should a white person call a black person Nigga, you can call your black friends Nigga if they let you but don't do it to the wrong black person.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

There is a big difference between blackface of minstrel shows etc and using make up to be someone else for a costume. He isnt mocking anybody.

There is a difference between using the swastika in the name of murdering jews, and just wearing a shirt with the swastika on it because it is the old ancient symbol for good fortune, but If I get a swastika tattooed on my chest what would you call me?

 

[MarkMclovin]

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

Generally if you are going to dress up as a black celebrity, you'll also have the clothes and accessories to emphasise who you are.

It's not about going through the effort of being black. It's about going through the effort of looking like the celebrity that's black.

 

[Luigi87]

I'm a white guy (whoop-dee-doo) and I'll just pipe in with the following:

This is absolutely racist. It would be one thing if he just dressed like Kanye (shades, pants, chains?), but to actually paint his skin, that crosses the line entirely. Blackface is racist. It's no different than say a person doing something to their eyes to impersonate Asian genetics. Why people whom claim to not be racist even try to defend blackface is something that I cannot comprehend.

Racism is most certainly not always about intent. Off the top of my head I can think of two friends of mine whom aren't racist, but comments they make can be incredibly racially insensitive (which technically IS racist) because they don't think due to their own ignorance, and I have to correct them for it. They don't consider that people will be offended by said comments, because these are comments that wouldn't pertain to them, so they wouldn't understand the offensive nature.

Of course this guy in the pics is all about intent and is simply being racist.

 

[Professor Beef]

Are you determining this based on the unspoken "discussion about race" rule where we pretend black people aren't here telling us exactly how they feel, so we just default to how white people interacting with white people take it?

he's not from the US, i'm sure he knows something we don't

 

[Silver Arrows]

Are you determining this based on the unspoken "discussion about race" rule where we pretend black people aren't here telling us exactly how they feel, so we just default to how white people interacting with white people take it?

Absolutely. Dance around the issue some more, J D.

 

[J D]

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?

Where is it pointing out its kanyes defining feature?

 

[Bronx-Man]

Generally if you are going to dress up as a black celebrity, you'll also have the clothes and accessories to emphasise who you are.

It's not about going through the effort of being black. It's about going through the effort of looking like the celebrity that's black.

Then just focus on the clothes & accessories so that most people can tell who it is, regardless or whether or not you slather yourself in paint.

This really isn't that hard a concept to understand.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Generally if you are going to dress up as a black celebrity, you'll also have the clothes and accessories to emphasise who you are.

It's not about going through the effort of being black. It's about going through the effort of looking like the celebrity that's black.

If you were dressing as Ryo from Shenmue or Ryu from Street Fighter would you tape your eyes back?

 

[Erban1]

Generally if you are going to dress up as a black celebrity, you'll also have the clothes and accessories to emphasise who you are.

It's not about going through the effort of being black. It's about going through the effort of looking like the celebrity that's black.

And if the proper effort is put forward, rolling in Nutella isn't necessary to get the point across.

 

[suzu]

In his apology letter he says he "has never seen color". lol

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Every fucking year we have this thread and every year we get the same stupid as shit responses. "Well what about Dave Chappelle?" "What about Tropic Thunder?" Let's just ignore historical context so we can try to make an idiotic point.
All of you defending this, make sure you pick up one of these:

Damn, they went all out

 

[RS4-]

There is a difference between using the swastika in the name of murdering jews, and just wearing a shirt with the swastika on it because it is the old ancient symbol for good fortune, but If I get a swastika tattooed on my chest what would you call me?

someone with bad taste, obviously! Unless it's that watercolor type of shit, then I suppose there's nothing wrong with it.

 

[Slayven]

Where is it pointing out its kanyes defining feature?

Dude dipped himself in tar, it is not even a natual skin color

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Where is it pointing out its kanyes defining feature?

Let's try to find actual photos of Kanye where he's got a backwards ballcap on holding a sign saying 'hi I'm Kanye.'

 

[Veritigo_X]

Every fucking year we have this thread and every year we get the same stupid as shit responses. "Well what about Dave Chappelle?" "What about Tropic Thunder?" Let's just ignore historical context so we can try to make an idiotic point.
All of you defending this, make sure you pick up one of these:

Right above the elf ears. Perfect.

 

[spekkeh]

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



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.

But how can dressing up like a celebrity be categorically racist? I get that racism can be borne out of ignorance, like with Black Peter. The personal intentions are benign (well, sometimes..), but the appropriation of a caricature isn't. I'd say in that case the person perhaps isn't racist, but he's certainly committing a racist act. In this case however, he isn't using racial stereotypes like big red lips or oversized ear rings. He's just creating a surface resemblance to the person he wants to dress up as, as costumes are really all about. In this case I'd say intent is the only reason how it could be racist, but then that would require an argument why is intent was racist.
I mean I could think of arguments why the intent is racist, but that's something else than saying it's racist outright.

 

[enoki]

These quality posts bode well for this thread.

I think there is room for reasonable discourse on a topic like this, and I rarely err on the side of something like this being light-hearted. I can see some difference between imitating a celebrity and mocking a race as a whole. I can also see where it can still be considered offensive, and I can see that the person who did choose this costume isn't a social genius.

It's unfortunate that threads like this can't be discussed maturely. My first post was a little blasé, but so are a good number of the replies categorically calling out posters as racist or SJWs depending on opinion.

I don't think my posting in this thread will bring me any good, so I'll bow out.

 

[marrec]

In his apology letter he says he "has never seen color". lol

lmao

He's never seen Kanye at any rate.

I died at that dude on the first page saying "what about Klingons though?"

I think there is room for reasonable discourse on a topic like this, and I rarely err on the side of something like this being light-hearted. I can see some difference between imitating a celebrity and mocking a race as a whole. I can also see where it can still be considered offensive, and I can see that the person who did choose this costume isn't a social genius.

It's unfortunate that threads like this can't be discussed maturely.

Without the sign you'd have no idea who he was supposed to be so the fact that he went blackface for the costume is highly insensitive. He could have done just as well without the minstrel show just holding the sign.

 

[harSon]

How do the tens of millions of non-white people appropriately capture the non-white pop culture icons they're dressing as every year?!

Except Nick Cannon, Snoop Dogg and Dwayne Wade

 

[Guevara]

My feeling is: black people have made it very clear they'd appreciate if you don't wear black face.

So even if you don't get it or don't totally agree: why disrespect black people in this way? Like, what, it was really important that your costume be 100% accurate?

 

[BreezyLimbo]

Every fucking year we have this thread and every year we get the same stupid as shit responses. "Well what about Dave Chappelle?" "What about Tropic Thunder?" Let's just ignore historical context so we can try to make an idiotic point.
All of you defending this, make sure you pick up one of these:

Is that zwarte piet? Those prices are listed in pounds...

Man, that sucks. The fuck at marketing those towards kids..

 

[Netherscourge]

I think the guy in the Kanye costume could have pulled it off without the black makeup since he has Super-Ass Kim K. there with him.

In fact, I'd suggest that Kim K. IS the accessory that the costume needed to define it as Kanye.

The blackface goes over the top into racism. It's not even necessary in this case.

 

[Mass One]

My feeling is: black people have made it very clear they'd appreciate if you don't wear black face.

So even if you don't get it or don't totally agree: why disrespect black people in this way? Like, what, it was really important that your costume be 100% accurate?

It wasn't even a good costume. If you need a sign saying "I'm whatever". It wasn't good to begin with. You have to have enough common sense and/or empathy for the first part of your statement.

 

[Velcro Fly]

Every year at Halloween we get this.

Every year it's really dumb.

There is literally zero reason to do this, so doing it in any capacity is really stupid.

I think that about covers the argument saying it isn't bad because he isn't mocking anyone.

 

[Chie Satonaka]

My feeling is: black people have made it very clear they'd appreciate if you don't wear black face.

So even if you don't get it or don't totally agree: why disrespect black people in this way? Like, what, it was really important that your costume be 100% accurate?

Disrespect (to put it very, very mildly) of black Americans is a time honored tradition that this country will not give up under any circumstances.

 

[marrec]

My feeling is: black people have made it very clear they'd appreciate if you don't wear black face.

So even if you don't get it or don't totally agree: why disrespect black people in this way? Like, what, it was really important that your costume be 100% accurate?

It obviously wasn't even important to this idiot that he be 100% accurate.

 

[cyberheater]

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.

We will have to agree to disagree.

I personally belief that intent and context is important.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

My feeling is: black people have made it very clear they'd appreciate if you don't wear black face.

So even if you don't get it or don't totally agree: why disrespect black people in this way? Like, what, it was really important that your costume be 100% accurate?

It seems like they find it more important that they're not told "no" about something. This is usually where these holes go down.

 

[SummitAve]

Why isn't he wearing leather jogging pants and an oversized cardigan?

 

[Enzom21]

Let's stop with the myth that it is only blackface if they have the exaggerated lips like this:

This is all blackface:

Same shit this teacher is doing.

 

[Jarnet87]

Okay, maybe the costume isn't 100% screen accurate, but you know who he is.

Sessler looking fly as Lando.

 

[cyberheater]

But their actions are still racist, no matter the intent

I'm not saying you are wrong. I just don't get it.

My feeling is: black people have made it very clear they'd appreciate if you don't wear black face.

Yep. I agree with this.

 

[cw_sasuke]

He needs tighter jeans if he really wanna go out as Kanye... As well as some new Yeezys.

Honestly that's a really low effort affair... He probably thought dark skin is more or less the only important aspect. Stupid.

 

[Always-honest]

You just can't do that in the usa right now.
In a perfect world where everyone has the same rights and same opportunities, nobody would probably give a damn. We would embrace eachothers differences.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

In this case however, he isn't using racial stereotypes like big red lips or oversized ear rings.

The big red lips and earrings are accessories to the act. He's still putting on black makeup and acting the fool. Then there's the rest of the costume to consider, including the 'by the way I'm Kanye' sign that shows a complete unwillingness to try harder than the blackface, gold chains and ballcap. Put another way, the fact that he's got the Ralph Wiggum "Kanye West Costume" as a sign held in front of him means he didn't need the goddamn blackface if that's how low-rent his outfit ideas are. But here we are, a guy who went, by your rubric, 33% of the way to blackface, and tough shit for him, that's far enough to be a racist act.

 

[Slayven]

The theme song to this thread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSurzeGvPrQ

 

[Mammoth Jones]

So you hate Robert Downey, Jr too, right?

Or does he get a pass because Iron Man has a black friend?

I love when people try to pull "But this actor did it once!"

Compare that to the entire degrading history of black face. Give me a fucking break. Just don't fucking do it.

Blackface is like a non-Black person saying "Nigger" there are certain specific contexts in which it can be acceptable but your average joe is likely to fuck it up and be considered a racist asshole. Rightfully so.

 

[Johndoey]

This is blowing my mind guys even if somehow he had no inkling this was offensive It doesn't excuse the action intent is secondary, and more then that for Gods sake of course blackface is racist it's history makes it inherently racial. No one cares if it's ok in some parts Europe this occurred in the U.S where no it's most certainly is not okay.

All we want is a display of basic human empathy so even if you aren't offended you don't dismiss us when we are.