Blackface

Blackface has been used for white actors to portray black people in movies, theater, and other forms of art. But is it racist? This is a hard question to answer. Back when blackface was first being used, it was most definitely racist. White actors were being portrayed as black because people did not want blacks to work for them due to racism. It was a generational idea with slavery being in the not too distant past. Nowadays on the other hand it is quite different. While there is still racism around, black people are accepted into every day life just like any other person.While blackface can definitely be used as a racist move if not used properly, it should be linked with the art that it is being used for. There is usually some sort of message that is being portrayed by the use of blackface, like in the movie Tropic Thunder.

Robert Downey Jr. in this movie plays a white actor who plays a black character in a movie. Director Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. use this character as a way of lampooning actors in the past who used blackface in racist ways.

People unfortunately tend to be too sensitive to certain subjects. This gets people into trouble when they try to do something harmless, like in this next video.

That should be compared to something like this next image.

This was from a video that was shown in class. It comes from the singer Die Antwoord in the song Fatty Boom Boom. While I know nothing about this this woman, she seems like a very disturbing person which is very evident in the music video that this image is taking from. It is offensive, but in the society that we live in it is something that should be just looked past. Once we are able to do that, society will become a better place.