I think you can pick and choose which blogs, articles, etc you want to read or comment on from the AE site.  

I appreciate the contributions of each writer, blogger or anyone contributing to this overall forum... that being said.

Everyone is entitled to their own interpretation of blackface, whether its in the racial context in which it is often portrayed in this country or in the context of "it's only a ridiculous halloween costume".  Some people take offense, others don't...

Personally, given the racial undertones that it connotes... i find the costume in poor taste.  Just as I find it to be in poor taste to dress in a nazi uniform given the history of bigotry and hatred it represents. halloween or not

what is offensive is some of the responses here actually attacking the blogger, AE and anyone else who disagree. Surely we can articulate your agreement or disagreement without personal attacks. It's a turn-off. 

I wish this message reaches as many people as possible

Asher Roth and the Racial Crossroads

The only thing I disagree with him about is that this attitude of, "coming closer together means we can care less about how we affect each other"  is pervasive in America and extends beyond race. 

I wonder how Lil Wayne feels about this.  I bet he's got other things to worry about though.

I'm mad at that motherf*** who brought that shit anywhere near the image of Bob Marley. He crossed my boundary.

How To Tell People They Sound Racist

Reading is Fundamental

What I find interesting is how irate the white members on AE are over this issue, one would expect an African-American to be the most annoyed over the issue, call me silly but I sympathise with the 'white guilt' but just cause you didnt hear the tree fall in the forest doesn't mean it didnt fall! My point is some white people are always ready to defend themselves and are quick to assert 'I'M NOT RACIST'. When truth is that there is underlying racism in all these games, why the need to go blackface, how many black people do you see trying to put on whiteface! It goes to show how very ignorant many people are and their unwillingness to just admit that there are ulterior motives behind donning blackface. My conclusion is that the northwestern kid is definitely out of order because his blackface looks very insulting!

Gaaaah.

Karman, Trish, the rest of AE staff: You deserve a raise.. and a bonus... and a gift card to Home Depot for reading these comments, let alone engaging in them. I was this >< close to gouging my eyes out with a plastic spoon just skimming them. I can't even imagine you all's reactions. I haven't been on here in a few months, but, boy, has the tone/integrity of the comments "changed." 

Consider a "Closed Comments" button or kiss your sanity goodbye. This "discussion" put me in the mood to just cuss somebody out for no reason...

As far as the topic is concerned, I'll express just two insignificant personal opinions/points: (1) I question the judgment of anyone who considers "a black person" as a great Halloween costume and (2) AE can write about whatever topic the EIC (Karman) says they can--unless and until the readers sign the paychecks. And FYI, I'm refreshed each time I read a racially and otherwise socially cognizant article here.

- Nomo

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Lemonade is good.

I hope you’ll forgive me for putting this into a context that I could more readily understand:

1. If some straight person decided to dress up as some mainstream lesbian stereotype, I’d probably be pretty offended.

2. If some lesbian decided to dress up as some mainstream lesbian stereotype, I might be slightly less offended. (I believe this makes me heterophobic, and for that I am sorry).

3. If some individual decided to dress up as, lets say, Ellen Degeneres, I would be amused and delighted and potentially (read: probably) attracted to them.

4. If some individual dressed up as some particular lesbian that I found unfavorable or somehow negatively “stereotypical” of lesbians in general, I would still be (perhaps begrudgingly) amused, but certainly not offended.

I am not suggesting the racism and sexual-orientation-ism are equivalent. While history books, to the best of my knowledge, don’t reflect straight people masquerading as lesbians to represent archetypes of homophobia, modern pop culture has certainly donned the gay mask in the name of mockery and intolerance.

Back to the matter at hand: I respect the fact that you are offended. I can understand why the concept of blackface would be deeply offensive, given its awful history. But I’m not clear why this particular instance offends you. What about it offends you, exactly? Do you disagree with this cheerleader’s portrayal of the character? Do you feel she is somehow wrongfully generalizing this portrayal beyond the character, beyond black rappers, beyond whatever line should not have been crossed? Does it merely evoke the concept of blackface and it is therefore insufferable?

Regardless, AE, you rock my world. Do please write whatever the hell you want to write – I, like everyone else, am certainly under no obligation to read. Sometimes we don’t see eye to eye, but that’s ok. You’re still so freaking cool.

" True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are ever united" ~ Wilhelm von Humbolt

I think this blog post definitely has relevance to the site. Yeah, it's not about LGBT people, but it is about how stereotypes and prejudice, something most of us as non-straight people can relate to.

It's interesting to read the responses, particularly from women of color. Some WOC are saying it's offensive, while some say it's no big deal. The same happens when there are questionable portrayals of lesbians in entertainment.

Our straight friends will come to us and say "Do you think this is offensive?" Some of us will say yes, and some will say no. I'm sure a lot of people are going to read the comments of the WOC who say "It's no big deal" and use it to say "See? Black people are okay with it!"

Whether this is right or wrong is an interesting thing to discuss, so why not have the discussion? If you must find SOME way it ties to LGBT entertainment, then find the parallels between this and the discrimination you yourself have faced as a queer person and a woman. But to tune it out under the guise of "It's not LGBT and I don't care about any other forms of discrimination unless they directly affect me!" is somewhat idiotic. While the black experience is not the same as the gay experience, there is surely some overlap you could discuss instead of just bitching.

Because really, the kind of people who do this, are the same kind of people who put on flannel and mullets and carry an acoustic guitar for Halloween dressed as a lesbian. So discuss that.

just to clear up - in no way do i support racism but it is clearly done as a joke dressing up on halloween - nothing to really take offence to.

 I mean the amount of times we see guys dressed up as girls surly portryays the same level of ridicule yet we dont find any offence in that - it is only  a problem if it is made into one!

for example i had a white friend who wanted to audition 4 the part of cho chang in harry potter just coz it would be funny - i dont see why anyone would take offence 2 a harmless joke - but apparently they do!

1) People personally attacking each other in a blog's discussion

2) A blog discussion like this one

3) A blog like this one.

Oh, After Ellen, I really enjoy this site, but this blog was not necessary.
Yes, you did attack the cheerleader who dressed up like Lil' Wayne. Yes, you did pick up a very poor example to talk about a very serious matter. And you ended up with a fight that no one can win, 'cause everybody's got the right to feel the way they do. As a reader of this site since its beginning, I know it was not the intention.

Lesson learnt? We have to be more careful when approching certain subjects. 'Cause, you know, a word is not just a word, right? WE, as gay and bisexual women, should know better. I also think the cheerleader, who is in the public eye, could have picked a different costume, not one that could offend people. She, of course, should know way better.

I don't think that this girl is necessarily racist herself (I don't know her so for all I know she could be but I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt here). However, her actions (donning a blackface costume) is racist whether she intended to or not. I don't know if that makes any sense.

Historically blackface became a form of American racism during the 19th century by white people as a way to portray black people. Stereotypes involved in the whole blackface thing helped spread the racist images and perceptions to everyone. I don't think that just because it was years ago that black people should just "get over" slavery or even blackface. I can't even think of a sentence that is understandable to anyone (I stutter A LOT when I get really angry and apparently I do so in my thoughts as well). Just because it wasn't us back then or our family didn't even live here yet doesn't mean that it's something we should as a non-african-american person should just be like "oh poo! it was just a joke pull the stick out of your ass" Seriously....pull the stick that must be lodged in your collective heads to even think that out. I don't care if I didn't personally suffer during the civil rights movement or slavery. As a human being to know that others have suffered that brings me to tears. No matter where you are from or your family is from I bet there was some form of prejudice/racism. I have yet to hear of a country that hasn't suffered it.

Blackface was a form of American racism back then. It is still not ok to do now. It ridiculed an entire "race" of people. A person of any color dressing as a white person doesn't have the historical significance that donning blackface does. Racism is still a HUGE problem in America today.I constantly here racist statements and I used to always speak out against it but I've gotten so used to this behavior that I really just don't say anything anymore. This entire thread has reminded me that I need to keep speaking up and never stop.

So yeah this got longer than I expected but my original point before I went off onto a bajillion others is that she is most likely not racist herself. Her actions are.  

To clarify my opinion is from a humanistic perspective and not necessarily an educated one just to put that out there so I'm not sure how much weight my opinion has...just kidding.

It’s funny, I browse this site often and oddly enough (considering, as some of you have commented, this is not really a “LGBTQ issue”) this is the first topic I’ve really felt induced to comment on—I don’t know, I guess I was a bit intrigued by the discussion.  

Let me start by saying that I am an African-American. I am also gay, a woman, a Muslim…and many, many, many other things.  That being said, I don’t think my blackness or my gayness gives me any more or less insight on this issue than it does anyone else (we are all subjective beings and often what we take to be right or wrong, true or false is merely our own conception of what is right or wrong,  true or false). 

Furthermore, whoever said this issue isn’t an LGBTQ issue was greatly mistaken.  It is just as much an issue as some post on Lindsay Lohan would be, the same way terrorism or climate change or war or the economy or any issue for that matter would be an LGBTQ issue because none of us are an island unto ourselves and as long as we live in this world and interact in this world than everything in this world concerns us. 

In terms of the white woman dressed in blackface, I want to begin by saying: No, it’s not RACIST (whether or not the woman is racist I couldn’t say, considering I am not her and therefore can not speak for her).  This would’ve been racist if the woman was somehow mocking black people as a group, but it looks to me like she was just impersonating some celebrity—albeit a very ridiculous one.  Sure, the woman’s actions were shallow and in bad taste (for reasons I will explain further), but it is misguided for one to say that what she did was “wrong,” or “racist,” and in a way I believe that making such an issue out of this only works to exacerbate instead of alleviate the problem—that is, it creates a sort of paradox for true concerns facing African Americans. 

On the one hand, African Americans (same as the LGBTQ community) are striving to be seen and treated simply as individuals, that is not as OTHERs.  Yet, when offense is taken by such actions (which was mostly likely done in a jesting manner, however ignorant it may have been) all it does is separate and differentiate black people from everyone else (would anyone take offense if this was a black person dressed as a white person).  It victimizes African-Americans in a way that leaves them with very little agency.  

What I am trying to say is that by arguing over such images and actions (images and actions that are much less harmful than most) all one does is give those images and actions power—a sort of power that they may not have had otherwise. Surely, a white person dressing as a black person is not inherently offensive.  But it does become offensive when dialogue circulates around it.  Images aren’t born with power, they are given power.  So please, while you may call the image many things, please refrain from calling it racist or even discriminatory.

That being said, there is something (whatever the context for it might be) unsettling about white people donning blackface (and at the risk of contradicting myself I will try to better explain). Sometimes it works.  This is usually when it’s done in an intelligent, satirical and self-aware manner. But most of the time it doesn’t work because it is often done inconsiderately as I feel it is done here.  Anyone who so boldly dresses up in blackface knowing the history not to mention the current controversy surrounding it must either be a very ill-informed person or just plain insensitive to other people’s concerns. 

No! Dressing up in blackface is not the same as dressing up in whiteface (as someone mentioned the film “White Chicks).  White woman (although they can take issue with many things about that film) do not have a history of being lampooned and caricaturized on the basis of their skin color as a means of oppression and debasement the same way black people have.  The problem is not so much blackface itself but the history behind blackface. One must realize that certain images and words have implications far beyond the image or word themselves. While whiteface and blackface might seem comparable, they signify two completely different things.   

One has to understand that maybe not for them but for some people seeing a white person dressed up in blackface, regardless of who they’re trying to emulate, only stirs up feelings and insecurities about racial inferiority and otherness.  Failure to realize this is failure to empathize, failure to see from another’s viewpoint, which (as people apart of a community that has often been misrepresented) is a very dangerous place to be.  Take for instance this film “Cracks,” coming out soon, which has been written and discussed here on After-Ellen.  Apparently it’s about (and I am oversimplifying here) a crazed woman who takes advantage of one of the young female pupils she teaches at an English boarding school.  While I doubt the writer of this film intentionally means to offend lesbians by writing yet another story about a psychotic lesbian, it nevertheless will be taken as such and rightfully so, because images have power.  

So I guess the point I was trying to make (and a very long one I have made) is please stop calling the image racist, or worst, the woman racist when really there is no basis to make such a claim.  Claiming racism for every and all offensive actions, however stupid and ill-informed they might be, only works to lessen “real” racism.  Conversely, try and realize (considering the history and significance behind blackface and how images and representation have and continue to have an impact on peoples lives) why someone might be offended or hurt by such an image.

OMG, I can't believe I completely forgot this (the thread brought back a Hallowe'en memory:

In grade eight, my best friend and I dressed up as Crockett & Tubbs from the oh-so pastel and popular 80's tv show, Miami Vice. 

Jackets with rolled up sleeves, fake cigarettes, cuffs, guns and yes, one of us got brown hair spray and theatrical body makeup and was covered head to fingers to toes (we went for the full effect, all out -- Hallowe'en = go big or don't go at all, lol).  One of the VERY rare times I wore ANYthing pink...

And we won for our team dressup effort.  But we caught hell for putting the cuffs on our Phys Ed teacher and not having a key to unlock her... little oversight...

It sure never occurred to us then, or even just now as I've been reading through each and every post on this thread, that that would be or could be considered offensive -- we were dressed up as two pop culture characters that were North American icons of the 80s, nothing more, nothing less.  It was what it was.

I think two things that need to be taken into account here are CONTEXT and INTENT.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to dig out and dust off my yearbook from that year, gotta find that photo...

This thread is enormous.

I'm white. Like, super white. I visit this site daily, and tend to read articles on the front page in the order they seem interesting to me. This was the first one I clicked on.

Seriously, wouldn't it just be awesome if we were all just super GAY and did LESBIAN things all the time and ate food prepared only by lesbian chefs and went to lesbian work and lesbian school and only had friends who didn't do anything but be lesbians all the time? And if we didn't watch anything other than The L Word, South of Nowhere, Skins or any shows that had lesbians in them? Or if we only listened to Tegan & Sara, Melissa Etheridge, Ani Difranco, Betty, Uh Huh Her or other lesbian musicians? And if we stopped watching Top Chef after the lesbians were kicked off because hey, weren't they the only good part of that show?

No. It wouldn't. It would be boring as hell. First of all, it's presumptuous and stupid who assumes that everyone who reads this site is a lesbian, bi or even queer for that matter, and even more stupid to think that none of us have any interests outside of our supposed shared lesbianism.

Second of all, I sure as hell don't want to live in a world where we narrow people down to this one specific trait about them and assume that's all that they're interested in or that it's all they experience. That's SAD. And if you feel that being a lesbian is your only asset or the only thing interesting or worthwhile reading about, then I feel sorry for you. If you think that the only things worth reading about on this site must be stamped with GAYGAYGAY, then you must live in a tiny, tiny world. Homos rock, honest, but you're missing out an a big world of other awesomeness.

There seem to be two big debates going on in the comments. One is weather this this story doesn't belong on AE. The other is whether wearing blackface is or isn't an act that is racially loaded.

When I read this article, before reading all the comments, I thought, "Hey, I'm glad that this was posted on a site I read daily. It's a really interesting issue and I'm glad I know about it." Then i though, "Good article, drummerdeeds. You addressed a complex issue tactfully, and explained why blackface was offensive without attacking the white woman who wore it." I didn't think it would have stirred up so much controversy, but I guess that's my own white privilege blinding me into believing that blackface could be automatically accepted as MEGA WRONG by most people.

This article DEFINITELY belongs on this site, and Trish, Karman and everyone else who run this site for us to read and comment on WITHOUT PAYING have done a great job addressing that. You girls deserve props, both for addressing this issue and controversy head-on, and for not pulling the article like some sites would have.

As for blackface, racism and privilege, it's a HELLA complicated issue, and one that we can't tackle in one post, comment or thread. drummerdeeds touched on one aspect of racism in North American culture and how it played out with two public figures and a holiday that has, as a commercialized business, promoted some pretty messed up stuff. (Example: this sexy "Illegal Alien" costume - http://jezebel.com/5385947/this-halloween-be-a-sexy-racist ). 

What really amazes me is how personal some commenters are taking this. And by that, I mean those who think drummerdeeds' commentary on blackface is insulting to them or to white people in general. I'm talking about the people who seem offended that we're talking about issues of oppression OTHER than homophobia. Really, folks? As previously established, we don't live in a bubble. If you think you live in a bubble where everyone is ONLY a lesbian and ONLY interacts with other lesbians who ONLY have contact with lesbians, then you're insane.

Trying to rank oppressions or disadvantages is useless and inapplicable in real life. Even saying "Well, I'm gay and white, so because I'm gay I'm disadvantaged by that and I don't really experience white privilege." Taking the attention away from lesbians for one moment on a site that is geared to lesbians is not ignoring you, spitting in your face or not thinking about representation. It's acknowledging the fact that there's other issues at play that may be of interest to the folks who read this site, who, by the way, have interests other than being lesbians.

What I've seen in the comments is a LOT of people getting defensive about someone pointing out, in a well-thought-out and eloquent article, that racism isn't just the KKK and making a conscious decision to drop the N-bomb. Dealing with the fact that people can, subconsciously, perform racist acts without knowing the context that makes them racist can be hard for people to accept. Taking a day off the internet and reading might be a good way to go about it. 

Racism is a big, big issue and we're not going to solve it here. I think it's insanely rad that people who either agree with drummerdeeds' points or who feel uncomfortable with the ignorance of some comments being made hear are speaking up and voicing their opinions, and I've found several new awesome people to befriend on this site just by reading this comment thread. 

But seriously, folks. AE doesn't stop recapping Top Chef when the lesbians pack their knives and go. They cover a ton of TV shows that don't have lesbian characters, by sheer virtue of the fact that they might someday, or that an actress once played a lesbian character or that it contains prep school uniforms. It's slim pickings in lesbian pop culture, but even if there was enough representation for AfterEllen to be its own planet, I'd still want to know about this story.  

Drummerheads was only making an article about something she thought most people might be interested in reading. not EVERYTHING on AE has to be lgbt themed for god sake, that gets a BIT tedious. besides, i call it double standards if this is makiing people pissed off when other AE editors post articles about films/tv shows and female celebreties that arent even GAY, so stop your whining guys. you dont like the article, there are many articles out there in the website that you can read instead of this, so dont assume every member of this site wont be happpy to read something like this plztnkx.

as for the lady who pretened to be lil' jon for halloween, thats her own issue. part of looking like lil' jon was also aving the same skin tone. thats all she did.

If the article was about a woman who dressed up as a steryotype of a lesbian woman, not every woman in this website would be pleased in hearing that because again, a straight woman pretendeding to be a lesbian for halloween isin't that amusing, especially if she sticks to steryotypes of a gay female. telling them to 'get over it' is highly ignorant, and the next time you say that, you shouldnt be outragedthe next time a person decides to diss lesbian women mmk.

we are already annoyed when we see straight women kissing each other for fun and laugh. why? because hey create part of the assumption that lesbians get off with eachother to turn men on. so its nt suprising if some black people arent pleased  with THIS either. (though she's dressing up as a celebirty lol)

anyway, tanks for the article drummeerheads :)and OhBietta is spot on. this is not the L Word where everyone in the show is a lesbian, doing lesbian things, leading lesbian lives. this is REALITY and our blog editors wish to incoorporate that into AE. there are other things of interest to lesbian and bi women that is NOT JUST about lesbians or women. Just because im a lesbian dosent mean i have no persoanlity, interests or goals in my life. im not interested in everything thats to do with lesbians, so im very glad when i read things like this. i go to other forums that has topics about other things. is that so bad? does my life have to lead downa narrow lesbian way just because of my sexuality? I think not. so grow up whoever is actually annoyed at articles that arent always lgbt-themed. what kind of life do you lead? broaden your horizons a bit why dont you?

Hmmm.. Why wasn't Heidi Klum doing blackface not mention here? Is it ok for her to paint her face black and don a crow outfit that is remembrance to Heckle and Jeckle because her partner in crime was her famous singer/song-writer husband Seal who happens to be an black man?

meh, whatever I'm so done with this off topic. 

"...people squinting their eyes to appear Asian and crowd after crowd of crass costumes. Nothing makes me madder, though, than when people do blackface aka painting their faces a dark brown color to resemble African-Americans."

I would think portraying Yellowface is just as bad as portraying blackface. Just thought I'd interject with that.

I for one really am not a fan of the  whole, "It's just a costume" argument.

I recall going to a convention where the cosplayers were white people dressing as Asians without resorting to yellowface, I've seen blacks portray characters with English ancestry without having to lighten their skin or hair. People really didn't care about it how the person looked so much of how he/she wore a costume and owned it. 

No one saw the point of changing skin tone. They all looked amazing, FYI.

"I ate the mythology and dreamt."

---Yusef Komunyakaa

part of me gets that isnt not meant to be offensive because shes going as a celebrity for halloween people go as celebrities all the time on halloween while the other part of me is going "this stupid bitch" because she couldve just wore the fake hair and face tats and we'd have got it, the make up is not necessary like i said before plenty of people go as celebrities for  halloween but you dont see a white kid painting their faces brown when going as tina turner or a young black kid painting his face white to go as wolverine it unneeded insensitive overkill.  

"Hands upon my back again.
Survival is my only friend.
Terrified of what may come.
Remember I will always love you,
Even as I claw your fucking throat away.
But it will end no other way"

When I initially read this post, i thought--man this is fucked, why would she (the cheerleader) do this. But I think reading through the posts just made me...i dunno... Sad.

so my story, Im a queer black woman, with other factors to her identity which are just not relevant to this post. I am currently studying in university, and the racism i experience, man its intense, and the homophobia, sexism etc...man

So my response, first off, the fact that this case study is problematic--not really a question (and to those who disagree. i dont think its a matter of opinion or subjective knowledge), but so many of ur responses just continue to illustrate its point. The fact that some of u felt the need to voice ur opposition to the post altogether, really...how is it not relevant. Some of ur queer sisters face racism...it affects them and their queer womanhood. To say NO dont bring this up, is tellin me my Blackness is not relevant and unwelcomed on this site...and fine, im starting to not really care. Make white women ur subject AE--thats what i feel some of ur readers are telling u...and im just to tired to care. Id personally rather u not bring up race issues, then hear a bunch of white women who have no knowledge of their privilege speak. Honestly, why do some of u feel like u NEED to speak on this subject. Assert ur unfortunately ignorant opinions on an issue that MAYBE, just MAYBE u should just listen. Fine, ok whatever...Queer politics, queer media, take it, im not willing to fight for my space anymore.

To all the POCs who voiced disent, good for u...id love to have tea with u, to all the white women who've continued to be allies in the fight against racism, thankyou. Call me over-sensitive, dismiss my voice, I really dont care...i fight racism in my everyday, and it saddens me that AE, which used to be a space in which i sought queer solidarity, is no longer that for me.

Peace

   Let me preface this by saying I'm not trying to making anyone feel guilty about how they feel and have been educated on the matters of race and racism.  This is just a small, keep the results to yourself, personal social experiment.

 If you will take ten seconds, yes only ten seconds and write down or just think of all of the CURRENT (not civil rights era) successful Black people portrayed in today's media.

...................................... 

  Now take President Obama off that list and look at the remainder of names.  I feel that most people who aren't involved in the Black community will be hard pressed to find a name on that list that ISN'T someone involved in Entertainment or Athletics.  Did anyone manage to name the only Black person in Senate? Any other political figures? How about business? Or Black authors? News Anchors? 

Now in turn if I were to give you ten seconds to think of any CURRENT White person portrayed in today's media, most people will be able to list more than just those involved in Entertainment and Athletics, with ease.  

This isn't a coincidence.  You're more than likely able to list more, because MORE are shown and portrayed.  (Kinda like comparing the vast amount of straight characters portrayed in media versus LGBT ones).  Celebrities of Entertainment or Athletic fame that are of a certain minority group tend to be the representation of that minority group to the "rest" of the population (example Ellen or Elton), and a lot of people will never get to truly know a member of that group.

 Generally speaking, most everyone in the Entertainment industry plays themselves up to be a certain character when the cameras are on them versus when they are not. (I doubt Ellen would start dancing EVERY time she sees one of her celebrity friends).

 Now thank you for sticking with me, and now bringing it back to the point at hand of Blackface or even just someone portraying a celebrity if they're not of the same race, as some people on these comments see it.

 While some people may see the photos as something meant to be taken as a joke, some do not.  Some see it as another person putting down an entire race of people by mocking someone who is one of the few representations of their race, that the "rest" of the population gets to see, and THAT is why blackface (or imitation) hurts.  

 Whatever the cheerleader's or college student's intentions were when they put on black makeup were thrown out of the window when these photos became public. They themselves are not able to explain, and be believed by, everyone who may be hurt or offended what their intentions truly were. Also intentions really don't hold as much weight as actions.  Does everyone who writes a cliche pregnant lesbian storyline mean to pigeon hole us?  Maybe not, but it still drives us up the wall.     

 To wrap this all up, when someone, really ANYONE makes fun of a minority group, some will take it as a joke, and some won't.  It is the plea of my hope for the future that WE as members of an oppressed group can RELATE to hurt that it might cause, and not just dismiss it, because like or not, we're all in this together. 

I appreciate the above comment.

There is little representation of positive African Americans within the media, which is sad and demeaning to our community. Personally, I get offended when white people choose to do blackface, I see no point in painting face to resemble a minority group. Like someone stated earlier, you can mimic but why do blackface. Personally I would not try to paint my face white to mimic a celebrity or stereotypes of another race--who does that? (strangely enough majority of the time its a white person mimicing a blk person and not the other way around). I mean really how many people do whiteface? (excluding that movie with the wayans).

I think a lot of people do not realize the extent to what these images have on a person of color. I attend U of I and there was a huge debate a while back regarding black face and parties thrown on campus from sororities with a theme of hip hop and another "tacos and tequila". These actions really become offensive, which I understand ppl outside the minority may never comprehend or remain ignorant about the matter.

"I speak my MIND because biting my tongue would cause my pride to bleed."

I like this topic cause this type of issue came to my attention last year at a halloween party. Here is my story....

I am at a co workers house for his halloween party. I am black, actually the only black person at this party. I am use to it I live in an almost white area and work with 97% white. So, I am chillin making my way around the room and a guy says "Hi!" I am like "Who are you?" He says "It is me ___Blah___!" Now mind you he is dressed in baggy clothes, has a big fake gold chain, and has all brown make up all over him. He is not black but brown and I know he use to be a white farm boy. He and his cousins are dressed as rappers but I am thinking in my head" Emienem raps and their are white rappers". I am trying not to get offended but when your the only black person in the room and that happens I was not really sure how to take it. I knew the guys and I would say they are okay but they are country boys. Anyways, later I go in the house and chat with some other co workers and friends and their is this really drunk, annoying guy talking crap. One of the guys, dressed as a rapper, comes out of the bathroom and passes thru the room. The drunk talking crap about his penis says, "Your a nigger, you have a bigger penis than me." So, as soon as he says this everyone just pauses and tells him to shut the F$%$ up. Now, I am confused, Is he insulting black people while also insulting himself cause he has a small penis? Should I be offended or just call him a drunk. I wanted to punch him in the face but he just put his ownself down? Anyways, I was just confused. I decided in the morning when the alchol had worn off and after talking to some co workers to not go over to the friends house anymore. 

I dont really have an opinion about this blog story with the cheerleader cause I still think about my experience. For the guys that dressed like that I just called it a bad choice.  

A side note I love this blog, sometimes stories that other people dont think is relevant, really is.

I appologize for any spelling mistakes. I made C's in english!

1: about the blog post

Athough it may be in bad taste, I feel that it's not offensive to dress up like a particular figure, such as  Lil Wayne,  if done for accuracy.  I think that's what the cheerleader was attempting to do. I would not associate it with the terrible history of blackface. I would however be offended if someone dressed up like the guy, who seems as if he was just dressing up as a Jamaican which is stereotyping and racist. Similarly (but I realize not entirely the same), If someone dressed up as Barbara Streisand and decided to use a prosthetic nose to look more like her, I would think it might be in bad taste, but not offensive (unless you happen to be Barbara Streisand). Though if someone dressed up like an Orthodox Jew and wore a prosthetic nose, I would definitely be offended and relate it to the terrible history and stigma associated with Jews and big noses. With these examples I'm trying to express that I think there is a line that can be easily crossed, but a definite line.

2. Although not the strongest blog post ever, I think that it's definitely relevant to the AfterEllen site and community. Being in the blog section, I think it's a more caje (my abbreviation for casual) environment for article writing. Nevertheless, I think that this is an important topic, and as such, the post could have had some more substance. Howeveeerrrrr, this has been one of the most interesting comment threads I've read through on this site, so the post served a good purpose!