Reason.com: If this Halloween is like every Halloween of the last two or so decades, at least one white college student or minor celebrity will arrive at a party wearing dark-brown face paint as part of a costume imitating a famous black person, photos of the incident will emerge on the Internet, and condemnations will rain down from authority figures.
14 comments:
I understand the point that black-face may not necessarily meant to be taken as offensive to the audience, but the history of its origin is still a touchy subject. On that same note I read a play, "Ubu and the Truth Commission" that consists of a character who is played by an African American with white face paint to act as a white woman. This is meant to provoke thought, not to make fun of a race. There is another argument that claims that theater is meant to be provocative, and send out a message.
Wow. What a tense and charged article. I am a firm believer in "If it doesn't hurt anyone, then why not?" and I stand by that belief in this instance as well. The Halloween costumes worn at the colleges were definitely wrong and offensive, because the students were ignorant and brash and could very well have hurt someone emotionally by the scenes they made. But what's wrong with dressing up like Lil Wayne? Isn't imitation the highest form of flattery? Nobody is bothered when sixteen year old girls dress in the skimpiest clothes possible for Halloween and call it a costume, or when little boys stick raisins on their teeth to look like old men. Blackface is the same - it's simply a form of dressing up in order to better represent a character that one does not already resemble.
Blackface is incredibly offensive and demeaning. I disagree with the comment above. The notion of "If it doesn't hurt anyone, then why not?" does not apply because blackface is hurtful in many ways. It is hurtful to dress up as a race of people as if it is simply a costume. It is hurtful to propagate a negative or joking depiction of an entire race even if the intention may not be negative or joking. The history behind blackface is still attached like it or not. This said I can imagine a few ways in which it may be ok to use blackface in theater, but for the most part it is very inappropriate. It is inexcusable as a part of a Halloween costume.
I have to say I agree with Emma. I guess what I just don't understand about this issue is why people think it is so offensive for Halloween but in a production of West Side Story, when the girl cast as Maria happens to be a little arian girl, why isn't it racist to dye her hair and use makeup to make her look Puerto Rican? I understand that there isn't the same history attached to White people dressing up as Puerto Ricans, but the principle is the same. It's makeup. It's a costume. Dressing up like Beyonce shouldn't be considered racist if the only intention is to look like Beyonce. I wonder what would happen is an African American girl dressed up like Lady Gaga. I wonder if there would be the same controversy.
Isn’t it amazing what a little history can teach you? Blackface is generally perceived as an incredibly racist statement, but this article informs the reader that this was not always so. In certain situations blackface was actually used to embody characteristics that white people at the time envied about African American society. Unfortunately, unless this information is conveyed along with the use of blackface, it is perceived (rightly) to be a racist statement. This is why the Halloween costumes described in the article, regardless of intention, are a racially insulting statement. That being said, there is certainly a place for blackface in theatre provided the playbill contains a piece to inform the audience of the alternative cultural significance of blackface. This article is a fantastic example of the distinction that a little research can make between bigotry and art.
Well, I'd say this article is a bit of a stretch. Regardless of how modern scholars are interpreting blackface's origin/original intentions, the modern implication of a performer in blackface remains one of racism and bigotry.
...Then again, sometimes something that is obviously hurtful can be used under very careful conditions to make a statement. For example, this article cites a Hallowe'en costume in which "a white student dressed as a policeman holding a gun to the head of another, who was wearing blackface and a straw hat while kneeling and picking cotton." I could actually imagine that scenario (which at surface level is offensive) as a statement against police brutality towards people of color or commentary on racial prejudice in our judiciary system.
I think each of these instances has to be evaluated on a case by case basis, but in the mean time it's important for everyone to continue partaking in this conversation so we can all better understand what makes things offensive and where exactly we should draw the line.
So reading this, I find the origins of black face intriguing and it really is quite enlightening, but that does not change the fact that this is a very different from the current situation. People who use blackface these days are not usually trying to evoke feelings of freedom. They are either being racist or they are tying to be uncreative with the Halloween costume. If you want to be a black person for Halloween great, but that doesn't mean you actually have to paint yourself black, that just lacks taste. Also this article is very in support of blackface and it just glances over the racism issues. Racism is real, I know because I've personally experienced it, so if someone wants to make a speech about how black face embraces black culture so be it, but they better be specify exactly what constitutes as okay because I read this article and I still don't see how painting yourself black as a joke is okay.
I did not know this was even a thing. Why is this a thing? Not the dressing-up-as-a-black-person thing, but the being-offended-at-a-costume things. Is there something wrong with padding yourself to be a fat person? Pretending to be a young kid? A redhead? A white person?
To the historical argument: Are we never allowed to ever do anything that has any connection to something that was once intended maliciously? Because god, if that's the case then I'm scared to even breathe.
Bullying is bad. Bullying and abuse should never be tolerated. But this?
It's halloween. Let the kids do what they want.
I'm not quite sure what to think about this article.
For one, I absolutely agree that the instance of college students dressing up like Ku Klux Klan members with a noose and another friend in blackface is racist and unacceptable in all settings, Halloween included.
What I do have a problem with is the title of the article and its premise. The title "In Defense of Blackface" is certainly eye-catching and grab people's attention. And I do understand that historically speaking, blackface may have more benign, non-racist roots (the jealousy/envy that he talked about), although some of what he talks about, like the looser sexual culture, came about because of white owner's disregarding slave marriages and splitting up families by selling husbands or wives or children.
However, I'm not sure that these historical roots are relevant to the discussion in the 21st century, as interesting as they are. Meanings and symbols can change DRASTICALLY over time, and blackface has evolved into a racist expression. What it's MEANT to be is irrelevant; what it's perceived to be by the vast majority of the population is what matters. 100 years ago, holding up your middle finger at someone might have meant absolutely nothing, and 400 years ago, maybe it meant "I love you." That doesn't change the fact that now, holding up your middle finger at someone means something else, and people are going to interpret it with that 21st century view, NOT the view of 100 or 400 years ago.
I truly dont believe that every case of blackface is ment to be racist. I actually think its really sad the its considered a taboo because it could be used in a lot of plays and open up a variety for actors, however the number of cases in which blackface has been used is just absolutely disgusting. I know it started off as a way to have black people in theater but its just gone down hill. it is sad because if we could look outside and around the whole idea of it being racist it could actually be intelligent and thought provoking.
I once heard an argument about racism that basically stated that because white people do not have an engrained cultural identity so that they try cling to anything that has some semblance of culture or identity. That is why, this person claimed, that white gay people were so amendment about being gay and why Jew's are so passionate about their culture. I don't know if I buy into this argument one hundred percent but I do think it's interesting that racism is now not white people's driving force, but instead jealousy is.
This reminds me a lot of the concept of Japanese game shows (hear me out), and I'm not sure how I feel about the author's intent when it comes to discussing blackface in this way. The whole reason Japanese game shows are extravagant, humiliating, and strange is that these are the only place where the Japanese can break their strict way of life and sense of pride, and let loose without fearing any social consequences. It's the one place where they're allowed to act silly and break free of society's rigid pressures. So I understand what the author is saying. But is it necessarily true? Is "envying" the freeness and low-stakes nature of black people just a back handed complement?
Black face is unacceptable. It not only is wrong, but may hurt people's feelings. I find it to be like calling someone with mental disabilities a retard. When you call them a "retard" you are most likely hurting their feelings, just like blackface can harm a person emotionally. Basically, it's wrong and just a bad idea.
I don't think blackface was ever offensive just because it was whites dressing up as blacks. It was offensive because it was whites dressing up as insulting caricatures of blacks. There is a huge difference between that and just painting your skin black. I don't see any problem with people just dressing up as specific black people like Lil' Wayne but I do see the problem with the people dressing up in KKK costumes. There is a thin and undefined line between what is acceptable and what is racist. But I think that the more we allow such activities the less we will have to worry about intent. Society progresses and moves on.
Post a Comment