IS THE MERE ACT OF WEARING MINSTREL STAGE MAKEUP FROM A HUNDRED YEARS AGO A RACIST ACT?
My intern Haley and I were walking back to the car after lunch this afternoon here in America’s oldest city, when we heard vigorous shouting coming from the area of the Prohibition Kitchen restaurant. As we got closer, the scene was a familiar one ripped right from breaking news headlines.
It seems that a server at the restaurant had decided to keep with the early 20th century theme of their work, and wore a minstrel costume complete with the blackface makeup of the period. News spread quickly, and in a very short period of time, about 50-60 college students ha assembled, with crudely-lettered signs, demanding the employee be fired and/or made to change their costume.
Here’s where things got interesting. The restaurant refused to honor their request, citing the right of their worker to dress in a legitimate period costume on a day that celebrates costumes. So the students squared off and began chanting what you see in the video.
The question is this. Is dressing like an authentic minstrel from the south on Halloween racism, or is it free expression of one’s free speech? It certainly was well within the rights of the students to do what they did, as guaranteed under our Constitution. But what about the rights of the server in the costume? Is the mere act of wearing stage makeup from a hundred years ago a racist act?
If so, where do you draw the line? Should parents whose kids were killed by violent crime be allowed to stop people from wearing a serial killer costume like Freddy Krueger on Halloween because it’s offensive to their child’s memory? Should cotton clothing be outlawed because it’s offensive to people whose great-grandparents were forced to pick cotton?
Should Georgia Bulldog costumes be banned in areas where they are outnumbered by Gators fans? I am asking a serious question here.
Is simply wearing blackface an act of racism?
Please post your comments below.
Despite all the shuck’en & jive’n in the above article. Yes, it racist. It should be left to the dustbin of History. Period. MAGA!
No, it is not racist. Racist means that you believe that one race is superior to another race. Wearing a “black face” says nothing about that whatsoever.
It is an absolute fact that some ‘races’ are superior to others. Racist is to make decisions (comments?) based on those attributes.
What is never acknowledged is that discrimination is what keeps us alive. The ability to discriminate between food and poison for instance.
It is always the losers that scream ‘Racism’,
Sad, very sad.
Says a White Person. MAGA!
It does not matter who speaks truth. Truth is outside of human opinion.
Again, more White privilege. Thx, for sharing. But, Your wrong. Let me guess, your besty is “Colored” right? MAGA!
Look it up for yourself. Being racist means that you believe that one race is superior to another race. Wearing a black face does not say anything about what you believe on that subject. Especially in this circumstance it was wholly appropriate due to the theme of the restaurant.
Don’t need to “look it up” as I have experienced it My whole life. It must be nice to be able to tell some else “to look it up’. Very White Privilege of You. Thx, but No thx! MAGA!
Maybe you have experienced racism your whole life; what does that have to do with this situation?
You are obviously P-a-i-d b-y t-h-e l-e-t-t-e-r to post. Please, keep Your White Privileged opinions under Your Hood. It’s getting old. Thx. TTFN! MAGA!
I have not expressed any personal opinions on this feed. You have no idea what I believe or who I am. I was merely stating facts.
Facts provided by other White Folks. No Thx. I’ll go with My life/family experiences. Ones You never had to endure. My, bad You would know better eh? MAGA!
The only fact in question was the definition of racism. It is the idea that one race is superior to other races. That is a fact. It is not what most people claim that it is. And it does not matter who says it.
Yes, it does matter. It’s not WHO votes that counts. It’s WHO COUNTS the votes! MAGA!
I am beginning to think that I am talking to a robot instead of a human. There is no logic here.
I guess that just went over Your head. Look it up. Who writes the Rules on Race? Caucasians. MAGA!
No, God writes the rules on race. And there is only one human race.
Which God? MAGA!
There is only one.
Says who? MAGA!
Says God.
Says you!!! Again, Which GOD is it that You refer too? Their seem to be a lot of them. MAGA!
There is ONLY ONE God.
Again, Says You! Again, I ask: Which GOD? MAGA!
When there is only one of something it does not make any sense to ask which one.
Didn’t realize their was only ONE Religion. Since, there isn’t just ONE. It makes total sense to ask: Which GOD are You referring to? Right? MAGA!
I thought the question was, “Which God?”, not “Which religion?”. There are many religions; there is only one God.
Dude, You have NO POINT here. Their are so many Religions and GODS other then Yours. You need to stop proselytizing Your singular Religiousness and open Your eyes to the rest of the Planet. You are not alone, and that doesn’t mean Aliens! MAGA!
Yes, there are many religions, but there is ONLY ONE God. I am not singular. The one true God has millions of believers. He calls Himself, “I Am”. He is self-existent. He is the Creator of the universe. Anyone else claiming to be god is NOT.
So You are saying there is Only ONE RELIGION? The ONE YOU Practice? Is that what You are saying? Because, just a superficial look into Other Religions. Others seem to believe in Other Gods. Again, making my question to You relevant. Which GOD are You referring too? It looks like Other Religions seem to believe Their GOD is the true God. Well? MAGA!
Religion is any belief system that tries to answer life’s major questions. Where did we come from? Why are we here? What happens to us after we die? Therefore there are many, many religions, all with different answers to those questions. But there is only one God. The One who created it all. Anyone, or anything else which claims to be God is a counterfeit. The promise has been given that if you truly want to know answers to those questions and are willing to believe, then you will know. I was born and raised as an atheist and went through a long journey to discover.
So Yours is the Only True Religion then? Hmmmm, where have I heard that before? MAGA!
I guess new ideas are difficult to understand. I am not talking about MY RELIGION. I am talking about the one true and only God. He is totally transcendent to humanity. He is there and true even if not a single human believed, or understood. This has absolutely nothing to do with me.
‘Period” does that mean you are suffering PMS?
No, it’s Post Minstrel Symbolism Syndrome or PMSS, to You. MAGA!
I’m black! I note that there may possibly be one black in this whole crowd! We’ve evolved into a culture with a misdirected youth…and may I ad an uneducated youth!!!
The sad part about this whole thing is that the whole bunch will not be hired because their “college degree”, based on their level of ignorance and entitlement will amount to a middle school education..AT BEST!!!!
The sad ending of their story is that they will be lifetime slaves of financial aid with less than worthy “college” degrees!!! OR, maybe that’s a good thing with this bunch, will keep them job focused and less entitled = GROW UP!!!!
The sad thing is they will eventually win and no one will dare mention anythng about slavery. Soon slavery will become unknown to the future so anything about it unknown. Slavery will just drop out of history and disappear. Good or bad slavery is the history of many blacks and nothing will exit. Future will wonder why anyone even mentions slavery because it clearly was not imporant enough to remember
Isn’t it interesting that the history of slavery is being wiped out, but the Holocaust is considered untouchable.
No, history is history its not racist to dress in blackface, if thats racist then for blacks to straiten there hair is, which its not, these protesters are fools…
Sadly history is what is remember and recorded. If you remove sections then you have a big blank. After we destroy the native american we ran schools which was designed to eliminate all the culture. Soon generations will look on slavery in old Roman. Nothing will be known so unless it is in a movie it will just be nothing
These people protesting are way beyond stupid.
It’s OK to submerge Christ in a jar of urine and call it free speech protected art,
but a little (lol) blackface and everyone is all a titter, swooning with (gasp) fakery.
America, land of the free as long as you don’t say these 259 words, or even think them..
Pathetic laughingstock is what it is..
All wildlife and insects are disappearing at an alarming rate. We don’t have time to be wasting on these stupid issues like make believe racism.