#blackface

A Canadian journalist is defending his decision to travel the U.S. in blackface and write a book about racism, after facing a storm of criticism online.

"Last summer, I disguised myself as a Black man and traveled throughout the United States to document how racism persists in American society," Sam Forster, who is white, posted Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter. "Writing Seven Shoulders was one of the hardest things I've ever done as a journalist."

The reaction was swift and brutal, with X users expressing anger, amusement and confusion, and telling Forster he should have simply spoken to Black people to understand their experiences.

"It's hard to simultaneously draw the ire of black people, white people, conservatives, AND liberals… But I think you've just done it," rapper and podcaster Zuby replied on X.

Several Black scholars who study race relations and write about the Black experience told CBC News that Forster's use of blackface is dehumanizing and troublesome, regardless of the context. Forster himself defended the book and the methods he used to write it in an interview with CBC News. [...]

Institutional racism (the anti-Black variety) is effectively dead," Forster concludes in the book. "Most of what's left of racism in this country are the few, socially narrow opportunities for soft interpersonal racism: shoulder racism." [...]

Continue Reading.

I wanted to explore an emerging trope in horror media and the...interesting history it stems from.

00:00 - Intro

02:22 - Minstrel Horror

06:17 - What Lies Beneath

12:41 - A lil Tangeant about Ice Cream

17:22 - Dark Shadows

24:25 - Firestarter

36:51 - The [White]Devil's Rejects

56:39 - plug

58:00 - Conclusive Thoughts

1:05:32 - Outro

If you're expecting him to apologize, he won't. If you're expecting Viv to drop him from her shows, she won't. If you think that he will face any significant consequences for this, I wouldn't hold your breath.

He has built his entire channel off of making edgy, extremely offensive humor and has brought that humor into Helluva Boss for two seasons now. If Viv really had an issue with this kind of offensive content, she would've let him go ages ago. At the very least she'd show some restraint in the number of misogynistic slurs Blitzø constantly uses. (At least some of this is coming directly from him, if the behind-the-scenes info is to be believed.)

michigan j. frog is inspired by blackface vaudevillian Bert Williams. He was a Black man who performed in blackface, (No, that does not make it okay for you, white people, or make the practice of blackface any less racist, then or now). White blackface performers hated him and he was just as oppressed as any other Black person. He was a pioneer for Black performers in what was a socially accepted and very popular type of theater at the time.

I found an essay that does a deep-dive specifically into the association between Black performers and frogs, and it is fascinating. Please take this as an opportunity to learn something interesting rather than getting defensive and telling me "its just a joke" or whatever and you shouldn't have to use your brain.

"It’s Not Easy Bein’ Green”: Greenface and the Jazzy Frog Trope" by Paulette Richards

"American animation is rooted in blackface minstrelsy.

In The Colored Cartoon: Black Representation in American Animated Short Films, 1907-1954, Christopher P. Lehman notes "from the outset of sound synchronization, animators relied heavily on the minstrelsy tradition for their music. Disney was among the first to do so." He cites Mickey Mouse’s jet-black color and white gloves as typical features of minstrel performers.

According to Lehman, "former studio animator Mel Shaw recalled that because of their large mouths, frogs were considered suitable animals to depict as African Americans."

And when they say Gyaru they're specifically referring to the sub styles of Manba and Yamanba, but their defense (or rather excuse) doesn't hold any water because one the character is black stop the gaslighting, and two Manba and Yamanba are controversial sub styles since it involves darkening your skin tone so much you're basically doing blackface, like this ain't a normal tan if you're darker than a black person, it's not "cute", it's not "stylish", it's straight up racist

I have so many issues with gyaru culture, and no one seems to be able to give a consistent answer to explain why you have to darken your skin to such a degree

"Its to combat beauty standards" why do yall view dark skin as ugly??!?! And then give yourselves bright lips in the process?!?!?!

It's like claiming how everyone should accept their ugliness as a way to fight against beauty culture, and you are refering to people's noses and hair texture and skin color. Anything van be critizced on beauty culture BUT makeup

It doesn't help when gyaru characters are usually the most annoying people in anime cuz darkskin/brown = aggressive in these stories

Like I can't stand this character and everyone saying she's Black

"But what about Marina, she's very mellow"

Like anon said, Marina isnt gyaru. That's just a Black girl

The girl is either Black or gyaru, these twitter folks need to make up their mind