Thoughts on "black face" costumes this Halloween

[Gameface]

This whole thing is just idiotic. It's like those white people who complain that they can't say the N word. (I have a whole other rant about THAT, by the way.) Why, exactly, do you WANT to offend people so bad? I mean yeah, I get being a snotnosed punk, but have some basic freaking human decency.

At the end of the day anyone CAN say the N-word. What they can't do (pay attention Dutch!) is tell me I'm not allowed to be offended by it.

See Dutch, when you want to talk about liberty you need to extend the same liberty you demand for yourself to everyone.

 

[Jazzta]

I’ve learned from experience over the past two years that those who whine the most about others taking unnecessary offense aka “triggered” are triggered the easiest.

The biggest bitches in the country right now are young white conservative males.

Sure they can make some cheap *** Thriller video clip but don’t you dare take away their Alex Jones **** off twitter or Facebook! How dare anyone ask them to like... I don’t know... get off their asses playing video games and go get college degrees!

Not as big of a bitch as yourself sir, good grief. Talk about generalizing.

 

[Deleted member 5000]

Thriller comes across as the angriest poster here. Maybe since you're in a very undiversified area you pay huge attention to race and demographics. Ain't even a consideration in my mind and a majority of the younger generations don't even pay it attention -only when they are exposed to the very liberal influenced school curriculum or mainstream media is it even a thought... let it go jeez. I'm married to a latina and own land in Honduras ya gringo!

 

[DutchJazzer]

i have every right to paint my face any color i wnat.

and i have every right to sing along to "roll call" by lil john and ice cube. prrolly the song with the most time's the n word is used!

and if you get offended by it, you can think of me as a racist evil person whateever you want i dont care. its your brain your conscience do as you please!

and i think bulletproof misunderstands my rantings in jewish threat everybody is free to grnadstand and dance on the grvaes of those victims. they have no right to take any ones guns because of that. other than that they can do as they please. but it will just show thier true colors. atleast cnn and anderson cooper wont be watched by my mom anymore which is a good thing. because she has seen what immoral pieces of **** they are. and if any of you still wanna watch that fake news go ahead do as you please. unless you where for the banning of alex jones. then please be consitent and start banning cnn

 

[DasJazz]

I don't choose my skin color when I get dressed in the morning. Changing your skin color is more than dressing up.

Just out of curiosity, who do you admire simply because they are black? If you don't admire someone because of their blackness, why imitate it?

I admire people because of their contributions to society among other things. I think we are simply misunderstanding each other's point of view. For the record, I'm half black.

 

[DasJazz]

You are the problem.

Im totally against PC but I know an ignorant ******* when I see one.

What exactly is a problem with dressing up as someone you admire? That's the part that I can't understand. As I have very clearly stated previously, if the intent is to be a racist and put down another race, than that is despicable and should not be tolerated. Nothing ignorant about that, failing to see how that would make me the problem.

 

[Harambe]

At the end of the day anyone CAN say the N-word. What they can't do (pay attention Dutch!) is tell me I'm not allowed to be offended by it.

See Dutch, when you want to talk about liberty you need to extend the same liberty you demand for yourself to everyone.

Dutchjizzer still posts?

This ignore feature is amazing.

 

[One Brow]

Not you white boys trying to impress your classmates, ...

How about a full-grown white man with black nieces, nephews, and grandkids? Will that do?

 

[One Brow]

Thriller comes across as the angriest poster here.

Since I have had two different posters insult my mental state in the last week, and I don't recall The Thriller ever offering direct insults like that, I disagree.

Ain't even a consideration in my mind and

I'm sure it is not.

a majority of the younger generations don't even pay it attention -only when they are exposed to the very liberal influenced school curriculum or mainstream media is it even a thought...

Well, there's also when they interact with the criminal justice system (in particular the police), when they are looking for a job, when they are trying to purchase a home, etc. However, I'm sure that's not a consideration in your mind.

 

[DasJazz]

This.

You do not need to imitate skin color to dress up like someone. There are many many different skin tones, and if you don't feel like matching the skin tone of another caucasian is essential for your costume of a white person then why is it essential to your costume representing a black person?

I can agree here for sure. You do not need to imitate skin color to dress up like someone, however, the act alone is not necessarily racist either way no matter the skin color. Again, to me it is and always will be the based on the intent of the person that derives whether it is a racist act or not.

I feel like some on here are taking my points and twisting them or not really understanding what I am saying at the heart of the issue. And for the record, I see no point in having to change skin color to dress up as anyone, I just don't personally see the act alone as an outright racist one as long as that was not the intent of the individual.

 

[One Brow]

I admire people because of their contributions to society among other things. I think we are simply misunderstanding each other's point of view. For the record, I'm half black.

Is that the left half or the right half (the right half gets all the social advantages)?

You started out saying "... this is even a thing is because the PC groupies are making it a thing", but this is a thing because there is an entire history that is being brought into play. No one will require you to be offended, but that doesn't mean anyone else's being offended is illegitimate.

 

[One Brow]

IAgain, to me it is and always will be the based on the intent of the person that derives whether it is a racist act or not.

You seem to think people don't engage in racist behavior is they have no "racist intent", whatever the latter is supposed to mean. However, most racism happens without any racist intent.

 

[Zombie]

I'm seeing a few posts here and elsewhere about what the blackface wearer's 'intention' is. I find it absolutely ludicrous that an adult in this country could possibly think there's nothing offensive about wearing blackface for a costume. They know what they are doing.

 

[JAZZGASM]

The fact of the matter is for many years the minstrel shows had white actors that painted their faces black to belittle black people and make them appear to be dimwitted. So there is and ever will be a negative connotation to putting on black face. The swastika was a well-known and largely respected symbol until Hitler and the Nazi's perverted it forever (similar to the "Hitler Mustache"--That dude seriously ruined an awesome fashion statement for everyone ). So we need to be smart enough to know what is offensive out of the gate. A little common sense goes a long way.

That said, I also recall a few years ago that young white kid (maybe four or five) was ostracized for wearing an Obama mask and a suit on Halloween, because he truly idolized and loved the President. Many people were accusing this kid of blackface and there was backlash against the parents as well. If you can't wear a mask of the President, I guess you can't do anything without offending. Which offends me.

 

[DasJazz]

Is that the left half or the right half (the right half gets all the social advantages)?

You started out saying "... this is even a thing is because the PC groupies are making it a thing", but this is a thing because there is an entire history that is being brought into play. No one will require you to be offended, but that doesn't mean anyone else's being offended is illegitimate.

I can understand that for sure, for instance, "Is that the left half or the right half" is a very racist thing to say in the context that you wrote it. I think the idea of "Blackface" as you have presented it is racist, but I also think that kids dressing up as their favorite characters, even if that means painting their faces, etc, is not racist. I think these are two different things with two very different meanings. The act that I am saying is not racist, is kids dressing up as the characters they adore/admire, not some punk teens or 20-somethings or whoever is doing the "Blackface" you describe and thinking they are being funny by shaming an entire race.

 

[Deleted member 5000]

Since I have had two different posters insult my mental state in the last week, and I don't recall The Thriller ever offering direct insults like that, I disagree.

He's only aggressive to those whose opinions differ.

 

[DasJazz]

The fact of the matter is for many years the minstrel shows had white actors that painted their faces black to belittle black people and make them appear to be dimwitted. So there is and ever will be a negative connotation to putting on black face. The swastika was a well-known and largely respected symbol until Hitler and the Nazi's perverted it forever (similar to the "Hitler Mustache"--That dude seriously ruined an awesome fashion statement for everyone ). So we need to be smart enough to know what is offensive out of the gate. A little common sense goes a long way.

That said, I also recall a few years ago that young white kid (maybe four or five) was ostracized for wearing an Obama mask and a suit on Halloween, because he truly idolized and loved the President. Many people were accusing this kid of blackface and there was backlash against the parents as well. If you can't wear a mask of the President, I guess you can't do anything without offending. Which offends me.

Exactly my thoughts.

 

[One Brow]

He's only aggressive to those whose opinions differ.

Does he call you a sociopath, or psychotic?

 

[One Brow]

I can understand that for sure, for instance, "Is that the left half or the right half" is a very racist thing to say in the context that you wrote it.

I apologize, then. I won't do that again.

However, the concept of "half-black" seems misguided to me, because race is about how society sees and treats you, not your ancestry. My brother and his wife have a white son and a black daughter, even though they have the same parents. It's possible to be white in some locations/contexts and black in other locations/contexts, but there are very few contexts where you get treated as both, to my understanding.

I think the idea of "Blackface" as you have presented it is racist, but I also think that kids dressing up as their favorite characters, even if that means painting their faces, etc, is not racist. I think these are two different things with two very different meanings. The act that I am saying is not racist, is kids dressing up as the characters they adore/admire, not some punk teens or 20-somethings or whoever is doing the "Blackface" you describe and thinking they are being funny by shaming an entire race.

You can't divorce a culture from it's recent history. In 200 years (perhaps less, perhaps more), maybe, white people putting on black make-up will not carry the weight it does now.

 

[DasJazz]

I apologize, then. I won't do that again.

However, the concept of "half-black" seems misguided to me, because race is about how society sees and treats you, not your ancestry. My brother and his wife have a white son and a black daughter, even though they have the same parents. It's possible to be white in some locations/contexts and black in other locations/contexts, but there are very few contexts where you get treated as both, to my understanding.



You can't divorce a culture from it's recent history. In 200 years (perhaps less, perhaps more), maybe, white people putting on black make-up will not carry the weight it does now.

I hear ya, I have been mistreated more for my pale skin than I have witnessed darker skinned relatives in the area that I grew up. But I absolutely have seen concrete racism out in public locations for my family and extended family like cousins.

To be honest, I think we both agree on context of the whole black face thing. I was not looking at it directly from your perspective and I don't think those who have chosen to dispute my points really understood (probably my fault for being lost in communication via typing) the point I was making. I was only really referring to children dressing up as their favorite heroes and characters, etc and I don't believe that to be racist even with face painting. I absolutely understand where everyone else is coming from as well but to me they are two different distinct actions and reasoning for those actions. That's why I have repeatedly said what is the point of the person doing it, what is their intent? Someone earlier referenced the little kid that dressed like President Obama and had the mask and was raked through the coals for that. That was just an innocent kid admiring someone and wanting to be exactly like him, it was not meant to be racist in nature and that is the situation type that I have been defending.