General News Blackface to protest racism

Heard about that. Their hearts were in the right place, but yeah, that was not the best way to show solidarity at all. :eusa_doh:

 

Awesome! It's nice they found a creative way to show support for their teammates! Honestly, I've done acting, and I don't see how me making my skin darker or paler with make-up is offensive to people. If I'm dressing up as pre-surgery Michael Jackson, you bet I'm going to make my skin darker, and if I'm a vampire or a geisha or whatever-else-has-pale-skin, I'm making my skin paler! I hate people who think that just because they personally find something offensive, they have the right to force others to apologize. I mean, if you go into work and you're allowed to wear costumes, as long as it's not with a racist intent, who cares what colour you make your skin? I know they digitally edited the photo, but you get the point. I understand if an employee is fired for being racist at work, however, I do NOT support employees being fired for something that's not racist just because their customers and co-workers are offended, and I do NOT support somebody being fired for racism at work when they haven't been. Even if they're racist outside of work, as long as they keep those views outside of the office, the employer has no business firing them.

 

Well, okay then. I don't understand this world. Maybe next time they will wear swastikas in remembrance of Jewish Holocaust victims. I have a hard time believing that none of them knew about the history of blackface.

 

It would have been a smarter gesture for the team to show solidarity as they are.

The history could be different in Germany. At least that's what I'd like to think; otherwise their choice makes no sense. And I really want it to make sense...

 

I don't get all the negative reactions towards it. People get so offended these days...

 

Swastikas are forbidden in Germany and no one would ever even consider wearing it in remembrance of Holocaust victims since it is clearly a Nazi-related sign.

 

I think her point, while being hyperbolic, was that blackface to protest racism seems (at least to a US American) about as counterproductive as swastikas for Holocaust remembrance.

 

In my opinion that's nothing you can compare at all, but as you said, that's probably because of different cultural/historical backgrounds.
The way they wanted to protest against racism may not have been the best, but at least they intended to do a good thing.
If I see someone wearing a swastika I just think that that person is either a Nazi or some idiot who thinks it's funny and doesn't understand anything. Never ever would I think of them as someone who tries to speak up against Nazis.
Maybe Americans feel exactly that way about blackfacing, but I can assure you that most people here in Germany wouldn't associate it with American history in the first place.

 

Ok....just going to assume they don't know the history behind Blackface. Unless, like Pret said, the history behind it is different in Germany.

 

I disagree, because making your skin darker isn't the same as blatantly attacking a group of people, especially with the way these people have done it. Again, I've done acting and done make-up in general, and it's not unusual to make your face darker. I see what they were trying to do here, but I think the people complaining entirely missed their political point, which was that race absolutely doesn't matter. If race doesn't matter, then nobody should care, but it's sad so many people DO care if they do this or not. The other side is that what they're doing has a bad history, but the same people who say that say that a black person saying the N word is okay, because they're turning history around by adding a positive turn on it... if that's the case, how are these people not trying to turn history around by adding a positive twist to it too? Solidarity can be shown in more than one way, and I think those complaining aren't being very open-minded about this.

 

I wouldn't think of myself as comparing to the Holocaust. I'm trying to elucidate the remarks of another.

 

That's my thoughts on it too.

When I read the headline I was horrified, but looking into it:
1. They are doing it with good intentions
2. The makeup/darkening of the skin is well done/pretty realistic unlike normal offensive blacking up (see black and white minstrels/shoe polish etc, horribly offensive)
3. There isn't any humor involved here, the message of solidarity does stand strong.

I have to ask aswell is it much different from the whole Rainbow Laces business last year, with straight players wearing rainbows to show solidarity? Couldn't that be seen as similarly appropriating/patronising (plus it was initiated by Paddy Power who's campaigns are often horribly offensive and politically incorrect)?

 

The main difference is:
With black people saying the "N" word, they're reclaiming a weapon used against themselves to try and take away the sting. It's the oppressed reclaiming something. The same thing happened a little bit with us, when people were cheekingly calling each other fags. And then I guess we decided we still didn't like it.

In the context here, it's the privileged trying to do something to help the oppressed. Sometimes this can be seen as the privileged reclaiming a weapon in attempt to better things, and a lot of times, especially in racial context, it's seen as patronizing.

Now, I know I'm white. That's no secret. So whether this itself is patronizing to black people, I can't say. I'll listen and see if at least a large amount of people in the black communities decide that. However, if they do decide that, yes, that's indeed the case, then that should be taken into account. Because when we don't do that, it feeds into racism as a whole.

 

Sorry, but that sounds silly to me. For one thing, their whole point is solidarity, so the privileged vs non-privileged argument doesn't really work. This was about supporting their teammates and once again trying to show race doesn't matter. I don't care if somebody is privileged or not if their statements and actions show their viewpoints are the same. There are many poor people who bash poor people. That poor-people-bashing poor person isn't privileged, but their viewpoint is right? I don't think the position there in should affect the message they're trying to get out there.

Also, I'm white, and I can tell when something is racist against black people: This isn't. Racism is when you're patronizing or attacking black people, and they are in no way doing this. If a white person sees this and calls them racist, I think they're silly. If a black person sees this and calls them racist, I think they're silly too. Sorry, but it shouldn't be controversial to make your skin tone a little darker in the first place. As somebody said, if they poured polish on themselves and starting making fun of black people that would be one thing, but what they're doing is trying to open minds, and when people tell them that they're being racist for doing this, those people are actually being counter-productive and not getting the message behind this.

 

Don't like it. I get the point, but don't like it. Instead of posting a picture with your team in "black face" why not post an image of your team embracing their darker teammates?

 

It might be more comparable to protesting anti-Semitism by wearing a black hat, curls, and a beard, or maybe a Star of David.

Either way, I don't expect Europeans to sympathize with the history of blackface. African immigrant don't have the same history as blacks in the New World, so I'd ask how they feel about it?

And no, it's not up to white people to decide what's racist to black people or not.

 

I think this is amazing... And who said germans doesn't have humor sense? They killed two birds in one single shot, they look all adorable