rolling "Is This Racist?" thread

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/57802000/jpg/_57802534_rappaport2-1.jpg

Germany's Schlosspark Theatre defends 'blackface' actor

you know what else belongs on this thread, is the verb "to black up"

although that is small potatoes compared to: In 2009, Dresden Zoo had to apologise after naming a small baboon after Mr Obama.

"Many older black actors come from the music industry, and that wasn't a fit for the play as it wasn't a musical," he told The Local newspaper.

"When we couldn't find an elderly black actor who fit the role and could speak with a perfect German accent, we opted for blackface make-up."

He said he was saddened by the controversy: "I tried to make a play about racism and ended up being called a racist".

looooooooooooooooooool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGkn8TFaySg

Convincing Indian guy here in One Armed Boxer

"to black up", Dan? Like, "he was really blacking up the place"?

Director Thomas Schendel said they had been unable to find the right elderly black actor to play the role of Midge Carter so had opted for blacking-up 76-year-old white actor Joachim Bliese.

oh holy shit all of that but also the baboon thing!! :(

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67cx9M2c51M

if there's one person who I would expect to be totally tone-deaf to the phrase "black up", it's Butterfly

Do we reckon that basically it is wrong for anyone to ever play someone of a different race than themselves, or is it only wrong for whitey to play black people?

or neither?

generally speaking, I think it is tied to the performance but it's usually safer not to do it

you know what else belongs on this thread, is the verb "to black up"

I'm kind of surprised by this*, as I've only heard it used to mean "to colour one's face", rather than, for example, the "adopt a comedy walk" end of the spectrum. I mean it's obviously always a pretty bad idea, but I thought the description was being.. descriptive? Like "skin lightening" but without the skin.

*And, obviously, a little defensive :)

it's a US/UK thing I think

or maybe a DJP/rest of the world thing, I dunno

yeah I don't think "black up" is offensive in that sentence. it's the idea you have a problem with.

Do we reckon that basically it is wrong for anyone to ever play someone of a different race than themselves, or is it only wrong for whitey to play black people?

heh heh heh

i play someone of a different race than myself in skyrim

For me, the question is why the hell does a German theatre want to do a production of "I'm Not Rappaport".

If I was the production manager I would've thought.. "yeah this flew last time we did it in like the 80s or whatever, but I don't think we should put this on again unless we can find an actually black actor to fill the roll..."

I dunno - or maybe I'd be a common, parochial German and think that there was absolutely nothing wrong with this.

Seriously though, if they couldn't find the right actor that's maybe a sign not to put on the play; and I think that kind of theater superstition crosses all nationalities. But then - on the other other hand -- I remember plenty of times where there weren't enough dudes in high school drama and so a few boy parts were given to girls, who had to -- I suppose -- "man up" for the part.

Socks with sandals, people in blackface, so many ways to spot the German tourists

you left out speedos

germans are pretty racist

http://gawker.com/5874912/

LOL @ Gawker's first "Is this thing that doesnt exist yet hypothetically racist?" post. Congrats, team.

LONG DUCK DONG

I'm excited about this tumblr:

http://racistpoliticalads.tumblr.com/

or maybe a DJP/rest of the world thing, I dunno

hey no-one ever tell Dan backstage to "break a leg" ok?

http://gawker.com/5874912/

LOL @ Gawker's first "Is this thing that doesnt exist yet hypothetically racist?" post. Congrats, team.

― pug waffle (Whiney G. Weingarten), Tuesday, January 10, 2012 4:15 PM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

shit hypothetical white girls in blackface say to the internet

it's a US/UK thing I think

I think there is something to this... an act which would be racist/offensive in some contexts is not so in other where the same cultural resonances do not apply.

I'm kind of surprised by this*, as I've only heard it used to mean "to colour one's face", rather than, for example, the "adopt a comedy walk" end of the spectrum.

I can't think of an occasion (like, a potential real-life occurance) in which colring one's face to appear as of a different race wouldn't inately be "adopting a comedy walk" to some extent.

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpp0akRxzm1qfumd9o1_400.gif

^ was always surprised they got away with this tbh

Is that Vic and Bob?

Also, am I the only one that keeps reading it as Eshitaki?

Vic and Bob as Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye, "Just sittin' on the dock of the beaaayyyyyyy"

Man I'm not really questioning the racism of this, but its been bugging me so much. We've got this middle-aged white guy here at work that starts talking in, I don't know, some bastardized version of ebonics whenever he talks to one of our black coworkers. I kind of thought I was imagining it or mishearing him or something at first, but now that someone else pointed it out I can't stop noticing it. For example he'll say, "you be survivin', huh?" or "I can dig that miss thing" to our HR head, but he never says any of those things to white coworkers. Its maddening now that I had it pointed out to me.

Silly old fool

this may be a subconscious reaction in some people

I have a very good friend who subconsciously parrots back accents to people; this can get very embarrassing for him very quickly but it is almost always hilarious

this may be a subconscious reaction in some people

― frogbs, Wednesday, January 11, 2012 9:36 AM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i hear that, ribbit ribbit

Vic and Bob as Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye, "Just sittin' on the dock of the beaaayyyyyyy"

― Tom D (Tom D.), Wednesday, January 11, 2012 9:29 AM (9 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Yeah, that's what I thought it was. I was wondering if they'd done other similar stuff I hadn't seen.

This is definitely not a case of parroting accents though, particularly the word choices he uses.

Ugh I HATE that. Especially when the speaker normally talks completely not that way at all. My ex-bf sort of picked up a "jive" accent in social settings around black people, esp women, and it was kind of annoying but he was younger and he regularly used slang and generally talked "younger". That guy sounds like a dorky dad trying to fit in.

I did that yesterday while talking to a white guy I work with who has a heavy, heavy southern accent. A couple of things i said came out really southern. It can happen subconciously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6jvcMEG6kg

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Sport/Pix/columnists/2010/4/16/1271445525521/FC-Twente-manager-Steve-M-001.jpg

^^ Accschent adopting raschist

I've been known to slip into a Southern tinged accent if I'm down in Texas long enough, but I'm really hyper aware of it and also its not racist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cnd7NovxFsg

i saw this old SNL skit about Roots where US Senator Al Franken was wearing darkening makeup to play a slave O_O

<3 u whiney never change

The episode of Sarah Silverman's show where she did blackface was one of the funniest fucking things I've ever seen