To report friend to FB for photo of her blacked up?

[Greyhound]

I'm really shocked - cousin of mine has pic of herself on Facebook blacked up. She is white. The picture is of her at a fancy dress party - she has covered her face in dark brown stage make up and is wearing an "Afro" wig and Rastafarian style striped hat.

Her husband is also blacked up.

it is not really though is it when you know the history and know that many are offended by it

it is quite easy to choose not to offend, of course some people are not aware that some terms are now longer used (oriental as an example) but you learn and move on and either think fuck that i do not care or choose to try to not offend others. everyone under the age of say 70 who lives in the uk will know blacking up your face could be considered offence to many

but many do not care they may offend someone and they know the reasons why, they may have black friends/family who are not bothered but still many are so why do it

Why is it worse to be called racist than to be racist?

This is getting ridiculous. The op cousin was going as somebody who has brown skin so yes to look the part, she darkened her skin. Would he same be said if a black person was going as Tony Blair or Simon Cowell, and needed to change their skin tone to look Caucasian? No I don't think there woukd be this uproar and fuss. The cousin was not making fun of Afro/Carribean people and teasing their skin Colour, she was going as a character who gas brown skin. So if greened up and went as an Alien, I would be racist towards Aliens. Crikey!

Aeroflotgirl

read the thread and the links if you want to educate yourself because you look rather silly making daft comments about being racist against aliens

I haven't read through all but will try and catch up. I'm really shocked at the ignorance that so many people are displaying over this issue. I'm curious to where the people who think blacking up is okay are from including the mixed race lady who blacks up with her family. As a black person I'm really saddened that there are black people that think its okay.

Freudian just because I have a different opinion to you does not make me silly, but what if a Afrocarribean person wanted to go as Simon Cowel and altered their skin so it was white, none of this uproar.

Aeroflot because of the different histories of black people and white people, and because of issues of power and privilege. Read the links posted upthread.

And so we descend back into cries of 'you're all racists'.

And the endless circle continues.

Where is the OP? Away feigning wide eyed innocence elsewhere in a bid to feel smug and right on?

Yes, it's offensive to black up.
It's fucking offensive to black up to 'be' generic black man for lolz.

It's offensive to great swathes of people to darken complexion to become fancy dress character - some people don't see why, but that does not mean they are teeth gnashing racists, they are just innocently ignorant; they can be easily made aware as to their blindness and we can all move on happy to have enlightened some minds.

Insulting otherwise reasonable people will never make them see your point of view.

Afro carribean people haven't a long history of oppressing Middle class white Brits though. It's about the historical context

Aeroflotgirl The difference between whiteface and blackface has been discussed. So yes, you do look silly re-hashing things that have already been explained/discussed.

Is it racist if you don't think/realise you're being racist? If my dd of 18 months was to face paint her face black would it be racist?
Is ignorance and naivety racist in this case? Or just "uneducated"
Because of the horrendous past painting your face black is frowned upon my many people. However I think if you say painting your face black is racist you should perhaps consider a black person painting their face white as racist too.
People are people black or white and both are capable of racism.

I agree. That's why I said it's best avoided.
Everyone of all races, just don't paint your face.
Problem solved

ScarlettlovesRhett
but that does not mean they are teeth gnashing racists

I don't think those of us saying blackface is racist are saying people like the one in the op are teeth gnashing racists. It can be done because they are simply ignorant of how offensive it is.

The debate is going in circles because there are people adamant in defending it and saying it isn't racist.

really you are asking can a toddler of 18 months be racist

but there has never been, as far as I am aware, whiteface entertainment where none white people painted their face white and mocked white people in a society where white people were treated with terrible prejudice and cruelty

I love how everything is taken so
Literally on here. It's great

Why not take the substance of her post? That answers your question

BamBam earlier in the thread I pointed out that some really good links had been posted upthread which would explain to you why whiteface and blackface are not equivalent. Why not read them before asking about why whiteface isn't seen in the same terms as blackface?

Bambamboom, this is why the "racist" screams are not taken seriously by the people who do not see why a fancy dress is a problem, and they (rightly) defend themselves against the title.

They may be people who abhor bullying, who would not stand by and watch someone being mistreated or disenfranchised due to their colour, but just honestly, innocently not understand this particular fancy dress thing because it does not affect them so they have never given it any thought.

This is not racism, it is ignorance. Ignorance that should be challenged and pointed out, and then accepted by the person who has now had their eyes opened to something that had previously not crossed their radar.

If the person carries on blacking up for fancy dress after having their ignorance challenged, then yes, racism - but not in the first instance.

Again, just my opinion.

This could go on forever. Have to go make tea for dd now.
Promise not to paint my face black.
You've educated me, some good has come of this very confusing post

Buffy, I completely agree with your last post, all of it.

The only thing I take issue with is the quickness of "you're a racist" thrown at some unsuspecting person.
9 times out of 10, they are nothing more than ignorant as to the effect of their actions - this has happened on this thread (not by you, by others) very early on.
The person then gets defensive (natural human reaction to perceived attack) and it spirals from there - the best outcomes would be achieved by simply pointing out the whys and wherefores, as I and a few others tried to do (we were drowned out by the vocal finger-pointers & name-callers).

Growing up, I did not see a person of any colour other than white until I was in secondary school (apart from on tv etc), I lived in several different places, but always non-urban - I agree it is up to me to educate myself as to the privilege I don't have, but I also try to give people the benefit of the doubt in the first instance; I would not assign prejudice to them until they repeated a slight (iyswim).

I didn't mean the privilege I don't have, I meant the thing that I have the privilege of - ie it is up to me to educate myself about non-white oppression, because I have the white privilege.

(I know what I mean!)