"Blackface" Discussion

A different opinion, is different to advocating for a practice which has been used to demean and humiliate black and Asian people for decades purely because you personally have no prob,me with it.

When you’ve lived your life the subject of such humiliation, not reacting in a civil manner can happen to the best of us.

Have you been subjected to such humiliation personally? I say this because you say it like every minority on this plant is subjected to humiliation by white people, which I like to think is just not the case anymore. Though of course it does happen.
 
Have you been subjected to such humiliation personally? I say this because you say it like every minority on this plant is subjected to humiliation by white people, which I like to think is just not the case anymore. Though of course it does happen.

Have I had white people dress up like me? No of course not, I’m not a famous character.

Have I had white people make fun of my skin, and features such as nose, lips, contrasting white teeth etc?
Yes all throughout my childhood.

Have I had white people insist I dress up in a range of few stereotypes of black people or inferring I look like certain black peoplensuch as Whoopi Goldberg, mr t and Oprah, purely because I’m black? Even though I bear no resemble to them, other than the toe of my skin? Yes again, all throughout my childhood.

I could go on.

I’m sure you’d like to think that’s not the case, but it is.
 
Honestly, this surprises me given that Sergio Ramos caused controversy by doing similar not so long ago.
what controversy? some link? because I checked the Ramos parade(after reading this thread) and didn´t find any extreme reaction. If it had happened in Sevilla...but in his small town I doubt that the neighbors have thought about the historical connotations, and when Van Nistelrooy did it in Marbella I didn´t read anything in the press. Maybe abroad it was an scandal. I guess that we are really ignorant.
 
I love how we're at the stage where something obviously racist is now being defended as so not racist that it is in fact racist to say it was racist.

It’s literally the playground “I know you are, but what am I?” tactic.
 
Please kill me.
 
Sad thing is, there is actually an argument to be made for people becoming too "PC". Unfortunately, lately majority of the time, complaining about "PC culture" usually means "I'm annoyed I'm not allowed to get away with all the ignorant, racist shit I would have gotten away with a few years ago" :wenger:
So true :lol:. For a long time, a lot of people with liberal leanings and I would count myself as one, felt that PC went too far and that people became over sensitive to the point where it restricted dialogue and it felt nobody can take a joke anymore. I changed my mind completely about this in recent years. The mistake I and many have made in feeling that PC went too far was that we genuinely felt racism was so rare that everybody understood how stupid it was which made the restriction of dialogue pointless. It's like if you want to make a joke at the expense of someone in a group, it is only funny and okey if everyone is in on it. If only one person in the group is genuinely open to the idea that said joked about person is indeed inferior in some form, it is no longer a joke, it is bullying; dangerous and potentially harmful. This is why I changed my mind, it has become clear that I and many have been too sheltered in believing that the world has moved on and that making fun of race, sexuality, gender, etc was now just funny and nobody would take it seriously as a sign of mockery and belittling. With the amount of the new anti PC brigade, the venom and bitterness coming out of them and the rise of the far right movements all over the West, clearly, we have not moved on, we have just silenced a significant portion of the population for long enough that we deluded ourselves into thinking everybody was on the same page. This puts PC under a new light and makes it more needed than some might have thought, or liked to think.
 
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Have I had white people dress up like me? No of course not, I’m not a famous character.

Have I had white people make fun of my skin, and features such as nose, lips, contrasting white teeth etc?
Yes all throughout my childhood.

Have I had white people insist I dress up in a range of few stereotypes of black people or inferring I look like certain black peoplensuch as Whoopi Goldberg, mr t and Oprah, purely because I’m black? Even though I bear no resemble to them, other than the toe of my skin? Yes again, all throughout my childhood.

I could go on.

I’m sure you’d like to think that’s not the case, but it is.

I'm having a hard time believing that, Baracus.
 
I'm not defending Griezmann but to call other posters unintelligent just because they hold a different opinion to you just seems ignorant in itself.

I’m not calling them unintelligent because they hold a different opinion. I’m calling them unintelligent because they hold an incredibly stupid opinion. Critical difference.

And, to be clear, I am not universally talking about everyone in this thread that holds different opinions. I am just talking about the really, really stupid ones. And there have been a few.
 
Weak reply. Hey, good thing about the internet is you'll be humbled. I'll give you another L, but this time I'll educate you, too.

Essentially, in the early 19th century, Blackface was used in minstrel shows by white people to portray black "characters" (why hire black actors when you can use Blackface?). Performances were built on stereotypes. Stereotypes like the black man who always has his eyes on white women (buck for example). Everything was dumbed down... Black people were portrayed as hypersexual, aggressive, lazy, ignorant, and thieves. So no, comparing it to white chicks or whatever other nonsense is not the same thing, that's false equivalency. Which is why I came for your neck.

Blackface isn't just makeup or shoe polish; it isn't paying homage to your favourite athlete; it's a tool that was introduced to degrade and demean black people. If you feel indignant when Blackface is referred to as racist, then you have a lot of learning and growing up to do.

It doesn't matter what your intention is, when the thing you are doing is racist.

You should also read this (quote from the article below).



And this.

You're welcome.
I never realised the background of doing it, I've only picked up that's it bad form without ever really contemplating why. Thank you for educating me.
 

I can't talk about the Spanish case, but regarding Belgium and Holland, the traditional depiction of 'Black Pete' is far from abolished actually. More like slowly changing. On the major tv shows, the blackface has been replaced by multi-colored Pete's or Pete's with soot sweeps on their face. But there is still a lot of resistance to this change. In 2013, only 5% agreed with a change. In 2014, this went up to 13%. Probably it's higher now, but I'm quite sure there is still a majority against any change in appearence of Black Pete. And in most local celebrations, you'll still see the traditional Black Pete (blackfaced, pronounced lips, earrings and curly afro). It's a centuries old tradition that has (as far as I can remember at least) never really been linked to anything racist here in the low lands before the past few years. Even though I now do realise it is, and can imagine people are offended by it, I had never even considered this before.

It seems that people have a difficulty coming to terms with the fact that the tradition they have enjoyed so much as a child (or as a parent, dressing up to their own children) is now being linked to racism. Also because they feel that they are being branded racist for having enjoyed that tradition for so long perhaps. Personally, I don't see why you would want to resist the change since the colour of the character is not essential in the whole story/tradition. So if it offends people, just change the tradition to something else. The children, for which the whole thing is meant, won't care whether he has a black, pink or rainbow-coloured face.

But to be honest, the only reason I learnt about the history of 'blackface' is because of this discussion here the past few years. I consider myself quite educated, also regarding other cultures and especially history, but honestly, I had never heard of this issue or the history behind the 'blackface' practice until a few years ago. And I probably wouldn't be far off when saying that at least 90% of the people in Belgium still don't really have a clue about the history. The same might be true for France as well.
 
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So true :lol:. For a long time, a lot of people with liberal leanings and I would count myself as one, felt that PC went too far and that people became over sensitive to the point where it restricted dialogue and it felt nobody can take a joke anymore. I changed my mind completely about this in recent years. The mistake I and many have made in feeling that PC went too far was that we genuinely felt racism was so rare that everybody understood how stupid it was which made the restriction of dialogue pointless. It's like if you want to make a joke at the expense of someone in a group, it is only funny and okey if everyone is in on it. If only one person in the group is genuinely open to the idea that said joked about person is indeed inferior in some form, it is no longer a joke, it is bullying; dangerous and potentially harmful. This is why I changed my mind, it has become clear that I and many have been too sheltered in believing that the world has moved on and that making fun of race, sexuality, gender, etc was now just funny and nobody would take it seriously as a sign of mockery and belittling. With the amount of the new anti PC brigade, the venom and bitterness coming out of them and the rise of the far right movements all over the West, clearly, we have not moved on, we have just silenced a significant portion of the population for long enough that deluded ourselves into thinking everybody was on the same page. This puts PC under a new light and makes it more needed than some might have thought, or liked to think.

Great post.

I'm having a hard time believing that, Baracus.

Imagine my surprise, I work with someone who does a mr t impression if I or any black person disagrees with something. They start spouting “I pity the fool, who xyz” no reason, other than I guess their limited/ignorance experience and exposure to black people.

Similar thing happens at lunch, if I suggest something which has chicken, or is from a black culture such as Jamaican food, suddenly a down south middle aged fat black woman impressoin is deemed appropriate, “mm mm mm I sho love me some chicken”

I guess to some in here, that’s completely acceptable.
 
I’m not calling them unintelligent because they hold a different opinion. I’m calling them unintelligent because they hold an incredibly stupid opinion. Critical difference.

And, to be clear, I am not universally talking about everyone in this thread that holds different opinions. I am just talking about the really, really stupid ones. And there have been a few.

Penises have caused rape.
 
Nobody is ignoring the context.
Nobody is calling him racist.

However, don’t black up. There’s no excuse for it. There’s no justification especially given the historical aspect of it.

His intent wasn’t malicious but it was stupid, and completely unnecessary especially since everyone would have recognised him as a globetrotter without blacking up.

I mean, it’s really this simple. So much mouth frothing in this thread, and some people have really exposed themselves as incredibly ignorant.

Griezmann needs to be called out for being a dumb cnut. I can’t see how people can take exception to that.
 
I can't talk about the Spanish case, but regarding Belgium and Holland, the traditional depiction of 'Black Pete' is far from abolished actually. More like slowly changing. On the major tv shows, the blackface has been replaced by multi-colored Pete's or Pete's with soot sweeps on their face. But there is still a lot of resistance to this change. In 2013, only 5% agreed with a change. In 2014, this went up to 13%. Probably it's higher now, but I'm quite sure there is still a majority against any change in appearence of Black Pete. And in most local celebrations, you'll still see the traditional Black Pete (blackfaced, pronounced lips, earrings and curly afro). It's a centuries old tradition that has (as far as I can remember at least) never really been linked to anything racist here in the low lands before the past few years. Even though I now do realise it is, and can imagine people are offended by it, I had never even considered this before.

It seems that people have a difficulty coming to terms with the fact that the tradition they have enjoyed so much as a child (or as a parent, dressing up to their own children) is now being linked to racism. Also because they feel that they are being branded racist for having enjoyed that tradition for so long perhaps. Personally, I don't see why you would want to resist the change since the colour of the character is not essential in the whole story/tradition. So if it offends people, just change the tradition to something else. The children, for which the whole thing is meant, won't care whether he has a black, pink or rainbow-coloured face.

But to be honest, the only reason I learnt about the history of 'blackface' is because of this discussion here the past few years. I consider myself quite educated, also regarding other cultures and especially history, but honestly, I had never heard of this issue or the history behind the 'blackface' practice until a few years ago. And I probably wouldn't be far off when saying that at least 90% of the people in Belgium still don't really have a clue about the history. The same might be true for France as well.
I have family in Holland and I'm aware of the situation out there – my post was a reply to all the folks pretending that Blackface is a strictly North American problem.
 
Imagine my surprise, I work with someone who does a mr t impression if I or any black person disagrees with something. They start spouting “I pity the fool, who xyz” no reason, other than I guess their limited/ignorance experience and exposure to black people.

Similar thing happens at lunch, if I suggest something which has chicken, or is from a black culture such as Jamaican food, suddenly a down south middle aged fat black woman impression is deemed appropriate, “mm mm mm I sho love me some chicken”

I guess to some in here, that’s completely acceptable.

You see those things don't offend me, they actually make me awkward. How are you supposed to react? Fortunately most people are perfectly normal.
 
I can't talk about the Spanish case, but regarding Belgium and Holland, the traditional depiction of 'Black Pete' is far from abolished actually...
You never stopped and thought for a second that a black person following a white old man as an “assistant”, and in a country with a colonial history of slave trade, had any racist tendencies?

Black people shouldn’t be offended by this I guess...
 
This ridiculous argument has already been made and debunked by numerous people throughout this thread so there's really no need to keep trying to push this word vomit as fact. Blackface isn't exclusively a North American problem – it's been brought up and litigated on multiple occasions throughout multiple countries in Europe and more specifically in Madrid back in 2015.
That's what makes this whole episode (and your argument) so moronic – the guy has built his entire brand on ideas taken from Black American culture so to suggest he should be allowed to make bank on the back of it but not suffer any repercussions for disrespecting it (whether it was intentional or not) is as dumb as people who use weird, out of place Hitler references to sound edgy on football forums.
I have family in Holland and I'm aware of the situation out there – my post was a reply to all the folks pretending that Blackface is a strictly North American problem.

Yes, I understand that. But the fact that this issue was only brought up in recent years in several countries on the continent, for example in Madrid and The Netherlands (and the fact that many other Spanish and Dutch cities still continue using the blackface for these traditions) actually does show the difference in cultural sensitivities in my opinion. And they at least show that until very recently, it probably was for the mostpart a North-American (and perhaps also British) issue. As I said above, I'm quite sure the majority of the people here in Belgium still have no idea about the history and the offence it entails.
 
You see those things don't offend me, they actually make me awkward. How are you supposed to react? Fortunately most people are perfectly normal.

HR were no help, so instead I spend as much time away from him as I can.

It sucks, but the only other alternative is me knocking him out. And if I did that, then I’d probably be looked at as the aggressor, so it’s not worth it.
 
Sad thing is, there is actually an argument to be made for people becoming too "PC". Unfortunately, lately majority of the time, complaining about "PC culture" usually means "I'm annoyed I'm not allowed to get away with all the ignorant, racist shit I would have gotten away with a few years ago" :wenger:
I agree with you. On both points.
You see those things don't offend me, they actually make me awkward. How are you supposed to react? Fortunately most people are perfectly normal.
I let people know that I don't like it. Every time. It's up to the individual how they respond to that. Most tend to apologise and then we move on.

It actually angered me to read that, people don't tend to be that upfront around me but I'm guessing that's because they sense it would be an issue.
HR were no help, so instead I spend as much time away from him as I can.

It sucks, but the only other alternative is me knocking him out. And if I did that, then I’d probably be looked at as the aggressor, so it’s not worth it.
:(
I feel you sis...
 
Its always interesting when people say the "world is going mad" because of political correctness or consideration for other cultures' histories/ current reality. Why would you see this as a negative progression? Think about it this way (and i don't mean to bring in another hot topic but..) there are no doubt millions of men (and women) who think the current climate around sexual harassment is extreme or PC or whatever. They'd say its just simple fun or flirting or office culture. But how would you feel if you were a woman or knew women who's lives had been devastated by sexual harassment? Would you see a dirty public joke about rape or harassment as "simple fun". Would not your instinct or that of anyone who knew of your situation be to condemn that joke or at the very least be offended by it.

Its a new "balance of power" that is meant to check a well established and old one where one group was historical oppressed by another. Hence why people say there is no such thing as reverse racism. Prejudice goes both ways no doubt and many minorities have problematic views of lets say majority white people. BUT racism cant go both ways because by definition is the oppression and discrimination of one group by another due to differences in racial features. Unlike prejudice it's rooted in the context of history. and Blackface is one of the most infamous reminders of this History of Racism. Blackface has always been used in history to suggest an inferiority/ comedic nature of physical features of black people, even when it is cloaked in festivities like Black Pete in Holland or wherever. So when people who know about this history (either through learning or personal experience) see stuff like this they undoubtedly have the right to feel offended.

So Griezman may not be deliberately racist for blacking up, but blacking up is undoubtedly and historically a racist act. so is putting on yellowface and squinting your eyes or browning up and pretending to be south asian. Its ok if one apologizes as he did, because ignorance is only confirmed as stupidity once that ignorance is blindly defended.
I understand what you want to say and can't say you are not right in general. I understand why some black people are offended here. I really do. But i am saying that today you can find yourself attacked in being racist or fascist or sexist or something like that without valid reason.
Messi gave to charity his boots in some islamic country and they attacked him because it is insult in their world.
One croatian skiing star once said that he is prepared for season like german soldier 1941. He lost sponsors, attacked that he is nazi, etc...
Battle against any discrimination went too far today and people are accused being racist when they are not. Same goes with griezmann. And us here who didn't understand what he did wrong. I personally heard for the first time today that painting your face is racist thing.
 
Manslaughter implies recklessness, which would be the equivalent of Griezmann looking like a racial mocking version of blackface as used in the past. I think there was no malice in his depiction and therefore it's not equivalent to manslaughter.

Or in other words anyone offended by this is clearly over sensitive in my opinion and really have no reason to be offended.

Added to this to be offended also suggests a level of racism, ie. Griezmann is white so can't act imitate a black character. That in itself is racial segregation as opposed to inclusion and is therefore racist.

And he was exactly that - he was reckless doing something unintentionally that had previous history of being a racist thing to do.

Do I think he is racist? No, am I offended personally by what he did? No.

However his act can be viewed as racist by some people. You cannot speek for what a person finds disrespectful & say that people are overreacting trying to shut them up. Peoples understanding of anything as well their emotions fluctuate due to many different reasons.

The safest thing he should have done is not done that at all & I'm sure he has learned his lesson.
 
I understand what you want to say and can't say you are not right in general. I understand why some black people are offended here. I really do. But i am saying that today you can find yourself attacked in being racist or fascist or sexist or something like that without valid reason.
Messi gave to charity his boots in some islamic country and they attacked him because it is insult in their world.
One croatian skiing star once said that he is prepared for season like german soldier 1941. He lost sponsors, attacked that he is nazi, etc...
Battle against any discrimination went too far today and people are accused being racist when they are not. Same goes with griezmann. And us here who didn't understand what he did wrong. I personally heard for the first time today that painting your face is racist thing.
We all learnt something today tbf. Penises have caused rape.
 
He has been deemed stupid not racist. The fake outrage around Griezmann being allegedly considered racist is actually quite funny when you think about it.

Unfortunately that's not how it works in real life. Now more people would brand Griezmann as a racist, simply because not many would care to make the distinction that whilst what he did was racist it doesn't necessarily make him one.

It goes without saying that Griezmann should have known better and was rightly called out for it, but let's just say I'm not particularly comfortable with those of the opinion that he deserves the blame entirely and therefore fully responsible for any ensuing fallout because of this faux pas. It just screams SJW outrage and is, in my book, counterproductive.

There needs to be a middle ground somewhere.
 
Insulting another member
Do me a favour and stfu with that bullshit....

I'm more than happy for you to let people take the piss out of you and have you laugh along with it like a bellend. But some of us don't play that shit.... Christ, I hate when someone like you comes along and tries to play down this shit because you personally think it's ok.

As was already pointed out, your world view is only part of a bigger picture. One that lots of individuals like yourself have been discussing in this thread. Some of those individuals have been offended or can see why what he did is seen as offensive so who are you to tell them this is wrong?

Continue being a victim. You will be a victim for eternity, your wards and their wards would follow the same.

Griezmann did nothing wrong. If it irks you, go to Madrid and sue instead of being a keyboard warrior seated on a dusty plastic chair in a ghetto. Asswipe!
 
You never stopped and thought for a second that a black person following a white old man as an “assistant”, and in a country with a colonial history of slave trade, had any racist tendencies?

I do now, obviously. But when growing up, I honestly never made the connection. And I think most people never had/have actually (including many black/dark people actually). As a child, I never even associated 'Black Pete' with a black person (as in a person with a black skin colour). It was just a fantasy figure or something, I don't know. The story told to the children is that he's black because he climbs into the chimneys to drop the presents in the living room. A ridiculous way of explaining the uncanny likeness to 18th-century slaves in Holland, as you can sometimes see on paintings, but as a child these kind of exagerated representations just make sense somehow. This 'explenation' is why they replaced the blackface by soot sweeps now, which I think is an elegant solution. The only problem now is that children can recognise the person, in case it's your parents or someone else from your immediate surroundings. But there are ways to fix that as well.

It's strange thinking about this now, but yeah, it is what it is (or was).
 
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@BlakeUtd

Wow your first paragraph is insane. Political correctness isn't the world going mad; it's a way of society cleansing & recleansing itself to its most purest core.

Never saw it like that!
 
Continue being a victim. You will be a victim for eternity, your wards and their wards would follow the same.

Griezmann did nothing wrong. If it irks you, go to Madrid and sue instead of being a keyboard warrior seated on a dusty plastic chair in a ghetto. Asswipe!
We're officially through the looking glass now lads. Nice.
 
Continue being a victim. You will be a victim for eternity, your wards and their wards would follow the same.

Griezmann did nothing wrong. If it irks you, go to Madrid and sue instead of being a keyboard warrior seated on a dusty plastic chair in a ghetto. Asswipe!

Jesus Christ.
 
This looks like a thread to stay away from.

Actually as someone who was ignorant to the whole issue and historical context, I’ve actually found it quite educational to read. A few posters have done a pretty good job of explaining the reasoning behind it.
 
HR were no help, so instead I spend as much time away from him as I can.

Did they even try to discreetly talk to him and explain why it's not OK? Some people are either too sheltered or too thick to understand what's wrong about it. Or, most commonly, both. They can't connect the dots, someone else has to do it for them.
 
Continue being a victim. You will be a victim for eternity, your wards and their wards would follow the same.

Griezmann did nothing wrong. If it irks you, go to Madrid and sue instead of being a keyboard warrior seated on a dusty plastic chair in a ghetto. Asswipe!
Oh dear. Late contender for worst post of the year.
 
I thought to myself how the hell has this reached 21 pages.

Then I read the last one and remembered what fecking idiots people can be.