If you’ve ever watched the show, racism is the least of their sins.* (You should watch it, it’s hilarious)
Did the author of “Black Like Me”'s experience count as blackface, or was that different, since he used drugs to change the color of his skin?
*One of the actors unfortunately had to rush his wife to the hospital in the middle of filming a scene, and didn’t have time to change out of costume. He got some nasty looks while there.
The guy in Black Like Me was not performing. He did not darken his skin for amusement or to poke fun. And he chose a means of darkening his skin that kept him from easily retreating back to his white privilege the moment the novelty of blackness wore off. All of these things make what he did very different from someone who slaps heavy make-up on their face and puts on a crazy afro wig to make everyone laugh at the “black” in their midst.
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I’ve tried to watch it a few times but for me it’s just one of those shows where I hate every character thus have hard time finding it funny
I consider Black Like Me to be a social experiment done by a white guy who was interested in learning what the black experience was* really *like. If white folks want to repeat that experiment today I would be highly supportive of their efforts and encourage them to invite their friends for what I suspect would be an enlightening experience. It should be noted that when Griffin had finally had enough (far, far sooner than he had originally planned) he couldn’t get the black off his skin fast enough.
And I think that concidering a full body and suit and mask to be “blackface” crosses the line from a cause to be sympathetic with to something to be brutally mocked.
And I think white folks who are looking for loopholes that allow them to do racist shit while avoiding being labeled a racist deserve to be brutally mocked.
So should we start insulting each other now or should we maybe try respect the fact that we don’t get to choose other people’s boundaries?
Does playing a black character in a video game count? Are certain games, such as GTA:San Andreas (where you have no choice about the race of your character) off-limits to white people?
The incident that prompted the bump is straightforward. A costume contest had rules against blackface, one contestant chose to violate that rule, and because of that rule violation, she was disqualified. Now, maybe we can argue whether that rule is a good idea or not, but she knew the rules going in, and chose to violate it.
The fact that her makeup was thicker than usual in no way changes anything.
If a male gamer plays a female character in a video game, is he dressing in drag? Is he transgendered? Or is he merely pushing electrons across the screen?
I can’t tell if you’re being serious.
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Bumped.
Yeah, but that only works with some costumes. A few Halloweens back, my white, Canadian coworker learned the hard way that without pigmentation, there is a very fine line between dressing up as singer Pharrell Williams:
https://images.app.goo.gl/MCGMJYubEiMV5dks8
…and dressing as a Mountie:
https://images.app.goo.gl/cjD3KF7PfqtLuoJ39
Well, y’know, Canadian–works either way, right? 
Today I learned about verbal blackface, such as borrowing the speech patterns of black people. The example used was “I’ma,” as in, “I’ma go to the store.” Apparently it’s wrong for white people to say “I’ma.” I don’t even know where most phrases I use come from. This feels like the bottom of a slippery slope.
Obligatory Mike Birbiglia link: Cracka - YouTube
I love him.
Cool.
Word.