A debate not stirred since 2004's "White Chicks"

I'll leave you guys to wrestle over this one. Comment or ignore at your own discretion.

can't help but just giggle...smh

Nick Cannon Sparks Internet Debate....apparently

looks like he needs a punch to the face

I will paint my face and/or body how ever the hell I want and that is that.

Hmm. I'd probably be angry about this if I thought Nick Cannon was worth caring about.

That doesn't offend me at all. If anything, I think it's kind of cool, because it shows just what you can do with makeup.

If that offends you, then close your eyes baby...

And people will have nothing wrong with it.

White guy puts on blackface makeup? THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END!

Heinrich Leroy. Bwhahaaahaa!

oh that reminds me..

lmao

What's the debate? I honestly don't get it...

I cant remember White Chick's, 10yrs is ages.

I don't have a problem with white face or black face myself. The only problem I have is when people whine about somebody using black face and then saying nothing about someone using white face.

Robert Downey Jr. did it in Tropic Thunder and people laughed.

Meh its incredibly stupid and distasteful that's for sure.

Robert Downey Jr didn't dress up in blackface, he starred in a movie as a character who dresses up in blackface. He probably would have gotten a more negative reaction if he'd appeared in blackface on his social media account to promote Tropic Thunder.

White people take racism against whites really well. Perhaps some groups should learn from that...

I wouldn't know that from OT, and the frequency of comments complaining about how the white male is being victimized in the name of political correctness. Did we all forget the narrative surrounding the George Zimmerman trial, and how a "white" man was being punished for defending himself simply because he defended himself against a black attacker?

were you talkin about the comment thread from the huffpost article? Because that was oddly more contentious than I expected, and pretty much what piqued my curiosity about sharing the topic here.

Wanted to see if our community was just as much at odds or largely indifferent.

That is impressive.

I personally don't think black/white face is inherently racist, like a lot of things it all depends on its usage. In this case I do not know how it was used, I have little interest in the life of Nick Cannon no matter what color his skin looks, so I am not clicking that damn link.

People will spark a debate over nothing. Race needs to stop being such a problem, and honestly, I hear more from racism advocates creating racism where it doesn't exist than actual racists.

I looked it up an apparently he's promoting an album titled "White People Party Music,"

So doesn't he get a similar pass Robert Downey Jr got?

Several points I'd add here:

Firstly, whiteface is not comparable to blackface. Blackface actually has a racist history behind it, whereas whiteface has never had any racist history to it. Whiteface can still be used in a racist manner, but it would be a false equivalence to equate it to blackface.

Secondly, even when it comes to blackface, the intent is what counts. When Robert Downey Jr. wore blackface, he got an Oscar nomination, because the intent was to mock the actor behind the blackface.

And finally, Japan's use of blackface has an entirely different context. Blackface has never had a racist history there like it does in the US (and to an extent, other Western nations). In Japan, blackface is part of the "Ganguro" subculture, where youngsters get fake tans and wear blackface to rebel against Japan's fair-skinned beauty standards.

I dont think the act of wearing makeup to appear another race is in anyway racist. And while i havent seen white chicks, my understanding is it was a vehicle to perpetuate stereotypes... in which case its pretty damn racist.

In the same way i dont think it was in anyway racist for mac from its always sunny to wear blackface for their lethal weapon episode... but if he sat around eating fried chicken and watermelon.... it woulda been hella racist.

I actually never understood the association of fried chicken and watermelon among blacks.

I still haven't gotten over the yellowface in Cloud Atlas.... :/

You really think that video of the Japanese dudes pretending to be black Jazz musicians was related to Ganguro?

Heck, I don't know where you're getting the idea that actual blackface and ganguro are related in general. Ganguro is heavy fake tans and bleached blonde hair.

Apparently they like those things, but so does everyone else. As to why its a stereotype, i have no idea. The reason i said it, is because its a well known stereotype, i wasnt trying to throw my hat in the ring in terms of being on board with it.

I forget to mentioned why is it deemed insulting? Any thoughts on that?

Its just the nature of being classified by race is insulting. For instance asians being good at math is a stereotype, and being good at math is generally considered a very positive attribute. But its an affront to our innate sense of individuality, and not wanting to be classified by superficial characteristics. Whether im white, black, asian etc. im an individual different from others that I share a skintone with, and want to be recognized as such. To presume to know characteristics about me, based on the color of my skin is generally considered insulting. Its more an opposition to the idea of generalizations vs the generalizations themselves.

No, I wasn't referring to that video in particular. I'd say they're just ignorant of blackface's racist history in the West more than anything. It's not just blacks either, but I remember another Japanese TV show where a guy used some blackface for an Indian Bollywood dance.

As for Ganguro, a lot of them do go much further than just a heavy fake tan and wear actual blackface. Again, it has nothing to do with making fun of blacks, but more to do with rebelliousness against Japanese fair-skinned beauty ideals.

Nah, I wasn't referring to anything in particular. I'm just saying that it's not particularly uncommon to see some white people playing the victim card. So it's not really valid to say that whites "take racism really well" and other races don't. That's a gross generalization. I think it's fair to say that human history has shown that people need monsters. There's something highly appealing in thinking that we're under attack and are being victimized, because that justifies righteous retribution. It's why we root for the underdog in sports movies, it's why some christians bought into that "war on Christmas" narrative. There's just something appealing about the notion that we're defending our righteous way of life against the bad guys. Sometimes that attitude is totally correct, and sometime we make mountains out of molehills. But it's not like any particular race takes racism well while others don't. That need to fight against an enemy (real or imagined) isn't a racial thing, it's a human thing.

This.

I never knew he made music.

Not always.