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http://www.startribune.com/513/story/1491117.html

COLORADO SPRINGS — Four Colorado College hockey players, two of them from Minnesota, were suspended from the team for two weeks after appearing in blackface at a golf outing, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported today.

Is this a racist act? Were people actually hurt? I have no idea!



Should i be offended that Jaleel White (urkel) dressed up like a nerd and made fun of people with glasses?

Pinball wrote:Is this a racist act? Were people actually hurt? I have no idea!

Wow. I think white men dressing up in such a derogatory and disgusting costume as black face is in no way comparable to Jaleel White making fun of nerdy people. There is a little bit of a different power dynamic going on there....

And to say that since people didn't get "hurt" by it in no way legitimizes it as an act of benevolence. The KKK hung nooses from trees and burned crosses as overt threats to black populations across the nation for decades and those singular acts didn't "hurt" anyone, but it was the acts that they encouraged that killed an innumerable amount of innocent black Americans for over 100 years and still continues in some unfortunate communities.

White people in black face is NEVER an acceptable or defendable action. If you can't understand that in so simple of terms, then go rent the movie "Bamboozled" and take a look into the dirty history of black face as portrayed brilliantly by Spike Lee.

TheBearcatHimself wrote:
White people in black face is NEVER an acceptable or defendable action. If you can't understand that in so simple of terms, then go rent the movie "Bamboozled" and take a look into the dirty history of black face as portrayed brilliantly by Spike Lee.

I have seen it and know how offensive it can be, just was wondering others thoughts on it. Quite an eye opening flick.

Pinball wrote:Should i be offended that Jaleel White (urkel) dressed up like a nerd and made fun of people with glasses?

You answered your own question. Being a "nerd" is not specific to a particular race. There is a history behind the wearing of black face by white performers and it being seen as derogatory towards blacks.

Please search for the following: Little Black Sambo, Al Jolsen, minstrels, Amos & Andy, D.W. Griffin's Birth of a Nation

I think it is actually a good thing that topics like this one keep appearing on the boards. Before I really thought about it, I used to have the same reaction as pinball...just a joke, no harm no foul, etc. It wasn't until reading posts by Knoxvegas among others and really thinking about the issue that I understood why blackface is so offensive.

I had a friend that dressed as Bob Marley for Halloween a few years back. Was that racist or derrogatory? I don't think so, a lot of this has to do with intent. What was the reason? was it part of a costume? Yes! I am not offended at the movie "white girls" other than the fact it was a terrible movie, in my opinion people need to stop taking themselves and their race so seriously or they will never get over their issues, it was about comedy.

While I realize that as a white man I didn't have the historical issue at play here, how many of those kids realized that it was even an issue. At some point in life people need to get over and forget past isssues or you end up with a life of resentment.

time changes a lot but not if you don't let and help attitudes change.

This is true of people that take themselves to seriously and of racists, bigots, and idiots who also get stuck in past beliefs handed down by generations.

Save the screaming and anger for more appropriate issues, such as when a cross is put in a yard, or other real hate crimes.

These kids weren't trying to promote a hate crime, or encourage actions that would lead to more hate crimes. They thought it would be funny.

BB wrote: While I realize that as a white man I didn't have the historical issue at play here, how many of those kids realized that it was even an issue. At some point in life people need to get over and forget past isssues or you end up with a life of resentment.

You are right BB that you can't appreciate the historical, as well as the present-day issues of race in America. Racism did not disappear with the end of slavery. As a white person living in a white world you cannot begin to fathom how much race is an EVERYDAY issue to minorities in the U.S. you may read articles in the paper now and then, but until you live it, each and every day, you really wouldn't understand.
I can't even say that I have a full appreciation, but having spent a semester working in a private civil rights organization - investigating complaints of housing and job discrimination - it was very much an eye-opening experience. Not only was I made very aware of the blatant forms of discrimination ("the job's been filled" "the apartment's been rented", only to go back as the white applicant and find that they have miraculously become available again) but you become attuned to noticing attitudes expressed in "humorous" comments, reactions to the presence of minorities, etc. When you are on the receiving end of these attitudes, slights and injustices every day of your life, you might have a slightly different perspective.

"Until you've walked a mile in my moccasins..."

KnoxVegas wrote:
Please search for the following: Little Black Sambo, Al Jolsen, minstrels, Amos & Andy, D.W. Griffin's Birth of a Nation

Little Black Sambo- 1935
Al Jolson-1925-1935
Minstrels- 1910-1940
Birth of a nation- 1910

Are we just too sensitive to this because we know how offensive it was in the past? Al Jolson's intent was to mock, someone dressing up like bob marley or the famly matters charcters has no intent to mock the race as a whole.

Serious question, is painting your face black for a halloween costume only racist in America because of minstrel shows? Meaning a black person can paint their face white since there weren't "white-face" shows?

I have not walked a mile in the shoes of a minority, and I agree with you, there are slights, and stereotypes out there as well as current racism. This was not racism, this was pure comedy. They weren't doing it to rip on, call out, make fun of anyone.

My point is save your anger for those issues you have witnessed. Not for a bunch of kids that were clearly joking around. Please look at the intent behind things, this world has become too PC.

I understand that racism is alive and well, not a question. But these kids weren't being racist. I have no issue with them and don't think they did anything wrong.

At some point you have to realize it is there and just get over it in instances that are no longer offensive. If a black actor and actress hadn't just won and academy award and "blackfacing" was still a big issue in the cinema I would understand your point. But it isn't, and this generation really doesn't know anything about it so let it be a dead issue. I believe bringing it back and reliving it now does more harm than good personally.

It's all about intent now.

As anger and resentment needs to be let go at some point, or they will perpetuate this anger and these emotions for all of time. I would prefer they dissappear and the next generation be even more removed, and have less racism than even we have today. And I think that happens by calling out a true issue rather than reacting to a non-issue.

I would also argue that much(not all) of the "racism" today is more "Classism, or culturalism" as it isn't skin tone that puts people off its music, clothing, and linguistic habits(some not all). But that in itself is another argument.

I have to disagree, BB. I DO think they did something wrong by invoking the minstrel tradition.

An incident like this happened at a frat party at Whitman last fall, and when the pictures of two gents dressed as 'natives' surfaced on facbook 2 wks later. we ended up calling off a day of school to have a college-wide symposium on the issue followed by small group discussions about the implications with individual professors. Guess that's what you get at a small school.

What I am trying to say here is that the moment we stop condemning actions like this (regardless of the intent) is the time when our passivity and apathy reach disgusting levels. Please don't stop caring, BB. We all gotta take an active role to make this a better world.

Matt,
I appreciate that you care as well and am hope I am not coming off as too argumentative. People dressing as Native Americans is not the same though. I just have a viewpoint which I personally feel makes more sense than adding fuel to fire, to obtain the same objective.

These kids were joking around with popular culture a TV show. They knew it was funny, like dressing like a girl is sometimes funny for guys on halloween. That you are being someone different not that you are trying to make fun of traditions.

They were not perpetuating incorrect stereotypes and/or mocking ethnnic dress. Which is what the issue you are speaking of.

I really think people need to get a sense of humor in general and realize that everything in this world is not supposed to be a rip on certain traditions. I hate the need to tread lightly about something other people that looked like me 200 years ago did to some people that you have in your family's past.

Deal with what is happening today and forget the past. Look at the hate groups that are out there and try to prove them wrong by teaching, learning and acting in appropriate manners, and tackle real issues.

(edited for redundancy)

the link to the article is broken.

did they dress up as something (like bob marley as previously mentioned)?

or did they just do blackface?

i dont' think it is amusing either way and find it particularly hard to justify innocent intentions if it was the latter.

http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2 ... nsions.php

Per College Hockey News

The incident occurred at the team's annual preseason golf outing on Sept. 8 at Valley Hi Golf Course. The party had a theme — TV shows — where the players were to dress up. This foursome chose the TV show "Family Matters," about a black family, to be their theme, and wore wigs and makeup.

If the perpetuation of stereotypes is not a "real issue," then what is? I like the dialogue that has been opened as a result of this issue, and if anything that is reason enough to bring it to light.

As for intent (I know this is going to come off as ridiculous, but) there is not intent behind vehicular manslaughter, yet our society has deemed it necessary to have a punishment for it.