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Cowboys cheerleader, FAIL

Spaceman Spiff

By Spaceman Spiff
in The Tailgate

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SnyderShrugged

SnyderShrugged

Posted
Posted
This is as good a time as any to tell this tale, so here goes.

21 years ago I moved into my neighborhood. My neighbors are overwhelmingly black. (There's one other white family on the street. Way down the other end.) I moved in June, and the entire Summer I got looked at out of the corner of eyes, no one would talk to me. Barely ever got anyone to smile and say hello.

So come Halloween, I told my ex that they were either going to talk TO us, or they were going to talk about us, and one way or another we'll force people to deal with the fact we're in the neighborhood...

so I dressed up as Aunt Jemimah and answered the door for trick or treaters with my costume on. I'd say "Law d lawd! Lookit all these chill'uns!" and I'd give them candy.

Kids laughed, parents stared at me with their mouths open.

The next day I got invited over to pitch horseshoes with my neighbors. They all clapped me on the back and laughed like hell, called me one crazy SOB, and ever since I've been as snug as can be in this neighborhood.

The moral of the story: People typically understand what is going on, and it's mostly outside influences that cause the unease. We can make fun and have fun with each other without it being hate based or anything like that. And most of us do actually enjoy poking fun at ourselves.

~Bang

OMG!!! I'm still laughing at my desk. Awesome story and great results!

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Califan007 The Constipated

Califan007 The Constipated

Posted
Posted

Not bothered by it, but it was in poor taste. There are some things that deal with race that you just don't **** with...darkening your skin to appear "blacK" starts to cross over into that category. If this was just some anonymous person out of the billions of anonymous people on the planet, it would be a little different...still in poor taste, but differnt. But when you are a celebrity (or semi-celebrity as in here) and represent your company the way the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders represent that franchise, you should make MUCH better decisions.

And, no, you don't have to alter your skin color to go in costume...I agree with Ghost that there are SOME out there who feel they can't really go in costume as someone who's black unless their skin is dark, which is insulting...and which usually points to what they see in a person first and foremost. I'm black, I went to a costume party with a roommate years ago as the Blues Brothers. The idea that I might need to make my skin look white in order to make sure people "got" the costume never once crossed my mind...because I didn't see John Belushi's character as "white" or as a skin color. I saw him as a short, round, doofy-yet-cool guy who wore a black suit, a black hat, and black sunglasses all the time lol...and I figured that's what everyone else saw, too. So that's what I put on.

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Califan007 The Constipated

Califan007 The Constipated

Posted
Posted
Well, now I can understand people not wanting this:

As this is a demeaning caricature of an entire race.

This is also nearly 100 years old.

This is also a demeaning caricature of an entire race, yet it's only 5 years old.

Not the same.

The second example, the guys dressing up as "white chicks" was part of the storyline, FBI agents going undercover to impersonate the women they are assigned to protect.

The first example, there's no "plot" that requires the performer to appear black...they only did so in order to mimick how they saw blacks during that time (ignorant, lazy, foolish, big lips, big buggy eyes, etc.).

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Ghost of

Ghost of

Posted
Posted
How about Dave Chappelle going "whiteface" as a news anchor for the reparations skit.

I draw a line between sketch comedy and film where the idea is to recreate reality (to some degree) in order to draw out laughs.

Halloween costumes are not the equivalent of a Dave Chappelle skit.

I asked for examples of Halloween costumes that necessitated people whitening their skin. You won't find many.

BTW, the cat who said he was Asian and went as Indiana Jones--was that supposed to be a relevant response? Did you whiten your skin in order to look like Indy or did you just wear the hat, bullwhip, satchel and leather jacket?

I'm glad Califan chimed in. You guys know that I'm not some racial grievance monger. I'm telling you that a bunch of (mostly) white people saying it's not a big deal doesn't make it so. It's not the end of the world but it's ignorant. It's not equivalent to a movie where someone is trying to look like a particular thing or a sketch comedy where depiction is part of the game.

if you showed up with your skin browned/blacked to imitate a black person at my house, you're not getting in.

"Hey, I'm your grandfather, Nick! See, I have a briefcase here, a suit. But it wasn't complete without the blackface!"

GTFO

As I said numerous times, no one would even think of whitening their skin to look like a famous white person. Because it's not the first thing people see. If I were dressing up as Kanye West, wouldn't it make sense to get my hair a certain way, wear big stupid sunglasses, pastel sweater vests and maybe carry a big Taylor SWift cutout with me and a microphone? Would I have to darken my skin?

If someone wanted to dress up as Joe Gibbs would they have to whiten their skin? Would they even think to?

What you don't see is the subtle way in which racism OR racialist thinking can occur. And this goes the other direction---I'm one of those guys that points out black-on-white racial violence and discrimination on this board. I simply describe what I see and what I've experienced, whether it puts me with the "in crowd" or not on a given topic.

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cjcdaman

cjcdaman

Posted
Posted
I draw a line between sketch comedy and film where the idea is to recreate reality (to some degree) in order to draw out laughs.

Halloween costumes are not the equivalent of a Dave Chappelle skit.

I asked for examples of Halloween costumes that necessitated people whitening their skin. You won't find many.

BTW, the cat who said he was Asian and went as Indiana Jones--was that supposed to be a relevant response? Did you whiten your skin in order to look like Indy or did you just wear the hat, bullwhip, satchel and leather jacket?

I'm glad Califan chimed in. You guys know that I'm not some racial grievance monger. I'm telling you that a bunch of (mostly) white people saying it's not a big deal doesn't make it so. It's not the end of the world but it's ignorant. It's not equivalent to a movie where someone is trying to look like a particular thing or a sketch comedy where depiction is part of the game.

if you showed up with your skin browned/blacked to imitate a black person at my house, you're not getting in.

"Hey, I'm your grandfather, Nick! See, I have a briefcase here, a suit. But it wasn't complete without the blackface!"

GTFO

As I said numerous times, no one would even think of whitening their skin to look like a famous white person. Because it's not the first thing people see. If I were dressing up as Kanye West, wouldn't it make sense to get my hair a certain way, wear big stupid sunglasses, pastel sweater vests and maybe carry a big Taylor SWift cutout with me and a microphone? Would I have to darken my skin?

If someone wanted to dress up as Joe Gibbs would they have to whiten their skin? Would they even think to?

What you don't see is the subtle way in which racism OR racialist thinking can occur. And this goes the other direction---I'm one of those guys that points out black-on-white racial violence and discrimination on this board. I simply describe what I see and what I've experienced, whether it puts me with the "in crowd" or not on a given topic.

Wow. :doh:

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Bang

Bang

Posted
Posted
Not the same.

The second example, the guys dressing up as "white chicks" was part of the storyline, FBI agents going undercover to impersonate the women they are assigned to protect.

The first example, there's no "plot" that requires the performer to appear black...they only did so in order to mimick how they saw blacks during that time (ignorant, lazy, foolish, big lips, big buggy eyes, etc.).

You don't get how the plot itself is a vehicle for a singular broad racial joke?

Did everyone go see that movie for the mystery, or because the Wayans dressed up as "White Chicks"? The whole point of the movie was to put the Wayans in front of a camera so they could make cliché jokes about "White Chicks".

That's why the movie isn't called "FBI Undercover", or "The Transvestite Detectives"

Trust me, when their brother pitched it to the studio, he didn't play up the dramatic angle, and no one ever expected Academy consideration for the screenplay.

Surely we can't be so blind as to not be able to call a spade a spade.

~Bang

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Ghost of

Ghost of

Posted
Posted
Wow. :doh:

It's substantive contributions like that which have made you famous, CJC.

What exactly is controversial in what I'm saying? It may even be something you disagree with ultimately, but are you really telling me I'm wrong.

I still haven't heard anyone's example of a HALLOWEEN costume where a person felt compelled to whiten their skin to resemble the person they're dressing up as.

I think my points are not only valid but true. I've heard people argue why offense should not be taken, that there's a double standard (that is something you can argue, I think) and the like but I haven't heard them addressed. The closest maybe was herrmag in addressing the more substantive points.

Also, can I point out how many people are confusing this costume and opinions on it with the entire realm of racial humor? Where have I ever given the impression I don't enjoy racial humor, mockery or that I hew to political correctness?

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cjcdaman

cjcdaman

Posted
Posted
It's substantive contributions like that which have made you famous, CJC.

What exactly is controversial in what I'm saying? It may even be something you disagree with ultimately, but are you really telling me I'm wrong.

I still haven't heard anyone's example of a HALLOWEEN costume where a person felt compelled to whiten their skin to resemble the person they're dressing up as.

I think my points are not only valid but true. I've heard people argue why offense should not be taken, that there's a double standard (that is something you can argue, I think) and the like but I haven't heard them addressed. The closest maybe was herrmag in addressing the more substantive points.

Also, can I point out how many people are confusing this costume and opinions on it with the entire realm of racial humor? Where have I ever given the impression I don't enjoy racial humor, mockery or that I hew to political correctness?

You didn't need to write all that, Ghost. Simply :doh: is all I have to say.

To find this racist in any way possible is a complete joke.

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Destino

Destino

Posted
Posted
I love how everyone is offended, but no one cares about the people dressed up as Mexicans.

This is a great point. She is dressed like an actual celeb. A person. Not a race. An actual human being. The two dressed as mexicans however are enjoying a stereotype costume.

Interesting where the "outrage" goes though eh?

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