Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Blackface Explained
This is a black face.
This is Blackface.
This is a white character playing a black person.
This is a black character playing a black character.
This is a white person, who plays in the same show as the above black person, dressed up as the black character played by the black actress.
This is Blackcake.
If you don't know the difference between a black face, Blackface and dressing (or playing) the part of a black fictional character as shown on TV, then you are not qualified to complain.
But for the benefit of those who still don't have a clue:
Blackface "minstreling" was done with the sole purpose of employing white persons to play the white supremacist idea of a "common" black person for the sole purpose of entertainment of white persons at the expense of the humanity of black persons. THAT is the defining characteristic of Blackface performance. It's counterpart, Black characters played by actual black people who performed much the same way as their blackface counterparts were (and are) no better. As a matter of fact it could be said that modern day "cooning" is far worse than it's ancestral performances because there is no need for it to be done.
Flavor Flav.....nuff said.
Julianne Hough did not perform blackface. Julianne dressed up as a character from a show. If you are mad about Julianne then you gotta be mad at Crazy Eyes and direct some criticism her way for being a character that you think is degrading in and of itself that it's imitation is deemed offensive. Of course there is a class of professional black whiners who like to get attention by being oversensitive about bullshit *cough* Adria Richards *cough* who love to simply complain apparently for the sake of complaining. And then the white liberal talking heads who fear falling out with said professional complaining class who ought to have stayed silent on the issue.
Now why am I out here talking about this? Well because this nonsense is a part of the overwhelming censorship that is running wild in this society. Can't dress up in "muslim attire" because someone might be offended. Can't dress up in Mexican attire (something I actually did when I was a kid) because someone might be offended. Simply put, the thin skinned, professional complaining class are amassing great powers of censorship and I. do. not. like. it.
There are actual cases of intentional blackface done by people with the express purpose of denigrating black folks. I know it when I see it. I also know when I see a costume of an actual character which if one is not the color of said character, it makes perfect sense to color oneself to match. *cough* Hulk *cough*