If you wore Black Face once in the 1980’s, are you racist?

Remember the movie Soul Man?

I might call you insensitive, I don’t think everyone needs to be judged by the standards of today. OTOH if you are currently working as a public servant, I’d be amazed at your stupidity if you did something like that recently, and stupidity should disqualify anyone immediately.

Back in the 70's I once dressed as a beauty contestant from Russia. Does that make me a communist? Or a drag queen?

It's only racism if you're a republican as Virginia Democrats are letting us know 24/7.

^ did you win ;)

I think it has to be taken in context.
As @25 mentioned in most cases I would see it as insensitive.
The only time I'd say it is racist is if the person knew at the time of doing it that it was offensive or if it is done to intentionally mock or disparage.

Serious question.
If someone is dressing up as a black celebrity, why is it wrong to attempt to portray the closest likeness possible?

If blackface is racism, then Asians—using skin whitening creams and getting monolid surgeries— are the least racist groups of people around.

@Flag
I just watched Soul Man this weekend. It was a really bad movie. When I was younger I remember my "black" parents laughing their collective asses off at it. I don't know I guess humor has changed in the last 30 or so years

^ Agreed and that's my point. They used black face in that mainstream movie then. It is easy to understand someone not realizing it was offensive.

Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor. Silver Streak.

Remember when it was ok to laugh?

https://youtu.be/JgAxvukW9dA

@GACA -- How about the KKK hood in Northham's yearbook. You really don't find that offensive?

Silver Streak was and is a great movie. Gene Wilder putting on blackface is comic gold. Hate to explain it to progressives like Random who are incapable of learning or accepting facts but offensive speech is the particular type of speech protected by the First Amendment. Scotus decided that long ago in the Skokie case and my guess is that Skokie residents, comprising the largest concentration of holocauset survivors anywhere in the country were offended by Scotus ruling that the American Nazi party could parade past their homes shouting zeig heil. People of today are simply whiny little pathetic snowflakes. The most cpommonly used racist term today is "white privilege".

@skibum the Skokie Illinois case was in 1977 and the supremes put limits on the the Nazis, that’s our generation not this group

If someone wore black face once in the 1980s and they belong to the same political party as me then I will forgive them no questions asked. If they belong to the opposite political party they can go to hell for all I care.

25 Yes but the purpose of the Constitution is not changed by changes in societal mores. In 1977 I turned 20, so I see nothing in the world today that warrants a change. If a change is made it must be done by one of the two ways to change the Constitution.

The level of stupid is this thread is incredible!

Serious question

Why is it that Michael Jackson and Sammy Sosa get accused for abandoning their race through cultural appropriation when they lighten their complexions, but when a white person attempts to appear black they automatically get accused of racism?

I don’t understand why somebody would have to do black face to impersonate Michael Jackson? he was as white as white could possibly be for a long time.

And so many people now are so supersensitive about anything that might possibly have offended somebody else.

Good point.

I think we should all be a bit more sensitive to the feelings of our brethren.

Flgooner, if you look up minstrel shows you'll understand why the automatic assumption. To keep it current for the folks who like to say "that was in the past" lets think about the context. Do the folks doing black face ever do it out of admiration? I say no it's always a joke at best and at worst, well look at examples of Trayvon Martin Halloween costumes. The descriptions of black people are never positive.

I did say above that I would consider it racist if " the person knew at the time of doing it that it was offensive or if it is done to intentionally mock or disparage."

To answer the other side of your question look up the term colorism

Not trying to defend the indefensible but it’s counterproductive to try to hold the past to today’s standard, at some point we need to get past all of this and get along, or we’ll disintegrate.

I'm all for it but it's kind of not in my or folks that look like me hands. I gurantee we'd be cool of this shit would stop!

Unfortunately I don't think that's what most people are asking. They are asking for the blacks to shut up about it and let it be which I don't know how that course of action changes anything. But it sure makes one side comfortable!

There are undoubtedly millions of people who were once racist and who aren’t racist anymore.

I respect those who can at least honestly admit their racist past.

Yes you are racist. Whether or not you act on your racism depending on the political/social climate regarding the acceptance of racism at the time, is irrelevant.

Just letting people talk you into wearing black face does not mean that you are a racist. But given our nation's history, it does show poor judgement and insensitivity to on going issues of race.

SJG

^^^ What about how the English treated the Irish as recent as the 1900’s around WWI? They got way worse treatment due to their race than any other race since then in our modern history, but I don’t see you wailing about true misfortunes of the Celtic! I suggest you go visit the prison tour of Dublin before talking about the history of oppression on a race!

Thank you for your contribution Lloyd. Your posts always make me think on a deeper level.

People do talk about anti-Irish prejudice, in the UK, and in the US too.

SJG

There are historical reasons why blackface is wrong and "Whiteface" used by Eddie Murphy or Dave Chappelle can be allowed.

@flagooner "Why is it that Michael Jackson and Sammy Sosa get accused for abandoning their race through cultural appropriation when they lighten their complexions, but when a white person attempts to appear black they automatically get accused of racism?"

Thats a stupid argument. Blackface is not synonymous with skin bleaching. Tanning would be a better argument, and I dont see people picketing americans who enter tanning booths or hanging out the beach.

The big reason for outrage culturue is the fact that 99.9% of americans are given the gift of anonymity. As soon as people can't hide behind screen names and IP addresses the outrage will stop. We all have skeletons in our closet regardless of race, creed, or sex. And simply being a member of site means we have more than our fear share.

Just because you can; doesn't mean you should.

I had always thought of "black face" as paying respect until I heard it was offensive a few years ago.

@Meat72;

To answer your questions:

If you wore Black Face once in the 1980’s, are you racist?

Yes; Blackface is a form of theatrical make-up used predominantly by non-black performers to represent a caricature of a black person, and is now generally considered offensive and disrespectful, because it is and was offensive and disrespectful.

Racism in the United States has existed since the colonial era. Legally or socially sanctioned privileges and rights were given to white Americans but denied to all other races in both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and the Constitution still is the supreme law of the United States.

There is a difference between the more overt forms of racism in the past and the more subtle kinds of racism that exist today, and is precisely that is more subtle.

Are you thinking that you are exempt from such prejudices? You may be surprised...

In the view of the United Nations and the U.S. Human Rights Network,

"discrimination in the United States permeates all aspects of life and extends to all communities of color“

> if you look up minstrel shows you'll understand why the automatic assumption

How many people still alive have ever been to a minstrel show?

I got a black friend look like Michael Jackson, I got a white friend look like Michael Jackaon

You can't possibly be this stupid. That was the first question that came to mind?

Those who live by identity politics die by identity politics.

I think Will Smith is being quite insensitive to smurfs.

https://www.google.com/search?q=will+smi…

I think this topic of being too sensitive/too insensitive with people is the reason why many comedians stop doing college campuses for their act, because too many liberal snowflakes concern themselves with the PCness if our expressions. Louis ck feels the same, and any comedy is under attack.

^ Jerry Seinfeld said the same?

You're basically saying that racism is fine and that the problem is the people who feel the brunt of said racism. That they shouldn't be offended or fight back but should just take it.

Robert Downey Jr's black face in Tropic Thunder back in 2008 was funny as shit.

RDJ "what do you mean, you people?"
Brandon T Jackson "what do YOU mean, you people?"

I'm literally at the point where the word racist, or anything-a-phope has zero meaning to me. They have all been over played. It's not illegal to be a racist or whatever-ist, only that person knows what's in their own heart. If you did something 30 years ago that you thought was funny at the time, I personally have more respect for someone that says I did it because I thought that was funny. If someone doesn't get elected because if it, I don't really care. But do we want to turn into a society where politicians are raised from birth to never say or do anything offensive? Or would we rather a politician be imperfect like all the rest of us?

200 years from now cats and dogs will be given rights and all of us will be considered petsists for having them as pets. The 20 people that never had pets will the the only politicians, but an image will emerge of one of them as a baby petting a dog at a park, and the genderless politician will be forced to resign in shame, and their life will be terminated by what is known as a post birth abortion, which is the only legal way to kill someone. However with government run healthcare the waitlist for this procedure is about 42 years. Commericals about how terrible smoking weed is for you are playing on the TV while the political leaders are voting to legalize black tar heroine.

^^^ Thays some funny ass shit by General. However, IceyLoco is showing how gay and faggitry he is growing day by day with each lame ass homo-erotic post he has fixating on my likeness. For the last time Icey, no I don’t want to be your homo lover. I only like hot females, not faggits like you! So quit PMing me for sexual favors you queer!

It isn't illegal to be racist but it is illegal to discriminate based on race. It is also unethical and immoral.

Lol!

If you lied in the 1980’s, does that make you a liar?

Wearing blackface is a racist act. It’s different than “whiteface” because having white skin has never been used as a means of denigrating or discriminating against a race. Were the times different in the 1980’s? Clearly yes. Are we more sensitive now? Clearly yes. Is being more sensitive progress? The answer to that question is where the blood hits the water as you’ll get a different answer from the”llibtard snowflakes” than you will from the old white men yelling get off my lawn.

I did things in the 1980’s I wish I didn’t and am glad haven’t labeled me for the rest of my life. I do my best to be better and sensitive to others. I won’t be perfect.

I won’t be perfect... and don’t expect others to be. But the standard for elected officials like Northam should be higher than for the rest of us idiots.