To think the Katy Perry shoes are NOT racist? Just fuck ugly?

[hotwing]

How on Earth are they 'racist'

Lots of minorities appropriate offensive slurs and use them... That is their prerogative to take back control of the word's meaning. It doesn't stop it from being an offensive slur if used by someone outside that culture. Gay people can call each other fags and black people can call each other nigger, that doesn't give me the right to use those words.

Really depends on your relationship and friendship with the people you might say it to.

Every time we get stopped at the Eurostar (which only happens when partner is with us) we always make jokes (amongst ourselves) about DPs extended family being hidden in the back of the van

I remember going to work with my family and the shop was in a circular building and the joke was they still managed to find a corner to put a shop on

All you people who seem to be so amazed by this surely don't have any brown friends?

I really don't know if they are rascist or not but I sure wouldn't be comfortable as a white woman wearing black face shoes on my feet.
I just wouldn't go there at all tbh.
If they make you feel uncomfortable wearing them then there is a reason for that. Trust your instincts.

But then, I’m white so not really qualified to answer.

You're perfectly qualified to offer an opinion whatever colour/race you are.

I, personally, don't understand how they can be racist because (a) They seem to represent all different skin tones and (b) They're fucking shoes!

You're perfectly qualified to offer an opinion whatever colour/race you are. You'd think so wouldn't you?

But there are a lot of threads like this where white posters are told that asthey don't have any experience of discrimination they shouldn't comment; that it is distasteful for them to do so.

I suspect that, likemone, the "I am white..." comments are by posters who have experience of that, here or in RL!

madcat As any colour woman I wouldn't be happy to wear any of those shoes. They are just horrid, as were her clown shoes, and (after a quick Google) almost every shoe she has put her name to!

Every time we get stopped at the Eurostar (which only happens when partner is with us) we always make jokes (amongst ourselves) about DPs extended family being hidden in the back of the van
I remember going to work with my family and the shop was in a circular building and the joke was they still managed to find a corner to put a shop on
All you people who seem to be so amazed by this surely don't have any brown friends?

But your examples are of relatives. I could ask around but I can't see any non-white friends enjoying such jokes if I said them first to them. Whereas I'd be happy to laugh with them if they did them themselves.

As a white person, I can say that I know that black people consider black face/golliwogs offensive, thus, I can conclude that anything resembling is likely to be considered offensive or racist.

So what would you think if there was a split, and black people, instead of acting as the one homogenous entity your logic implies, expressed their own individual opinions and they weren't all identical

What are those?????

@easyandy101
See previous reply

But there are a lot of threads like this where white posters are told that asthey don't have any experience of discrimination they shouldn't comment; that it is distasteful for them to do so.

Thankfully I've not experienced these threads but that sounds ridiculous. The black rights movement fought to have equal rights, not to erode the existing rights of white people.

Sorry to get serious on a thread about shoes which, for the record, I don't think are racist but DEFINITELY think are hideous!

The black rights movement fought to have equal rights, not to erode the existing rights of white people I had noticed that many 'rights movements' have changed over the last couple of decades.

It did used to be all about equal rights didn't it? Nowadays it just seems to be more about setting up lines of battle!

I doubt the intention was racist given there were loads of colours. However, the design of the black shoes in isolation seems quite ill considered and I can see how the shoes could have caused offence.

The test for me is would I have had words with junior staff wearing them at work. And I think I would have done. To be fair, I wouldn’t have thought any of the colours would have been appropriate in my workplace but with the black shoes, I’d have been concerned about possible racist connotations.

@PBo83

You lifted that quote from my post, where I gave my opinion and then said I didn’t think as a white woman I’m really qualified to answer.

Do I think they’re racist? Not really. But I can see how others might find it offensive. And it’s not for me to decide they’re not racist when I have no experience of racism.

You get me? Same as I wouldn’t feel much inclined to accept a man’s assurance that something isn’t sexist because he says so, when my experience is so very different.

So yeah, I’m not handwringing over being PC which is what some people seem to be implying, I’m simply saying I think it’s appropriate for me to step aside and say I have an opinion on this, however my opinion isn’t really relevant to your loved experience.