"digital blackface"

Father Heathen · Mar 26, 2023

What's 'digital blackface?' And why is it wrong when White people use it? | CNN

If you're White and you've posted a GIF or meme of a Black person to express a strong emotion, you may be guilty of wearing 'digital blackface' -- a modern-day term for an insidious form of racism.

www.cnn.com

What are your thoughts on this?

kadzbiz · Mar 26, 2023

Just more fuel to keep the rivalry fires going. Heaven forbid we have anything that might unify people.

Saint Frankenstein · Mar 26, 2023

More total stupidity that promotes segregation. Oh, of course it's CNN doing their best MSLSD impression.

I remember when CNN used to be somewhat respectable. That was many years ago now. I tend not to waste my time reading anything that capitalizes "black" or "white" since that's a racist thing.

9-10ths_Penguin · Mar 26, 2023

They have a point.

I've definitely seen memes that rely on racist stereotypes for their humour.

Secret Chief · Mar 26, 2023

Maybe in America? Seems like total ******** to me. (Oh, wait that's excessive emotion, I'm digital blackfacing).

Heyo · Mar 26, 2023

Ain't nobody got time for that.

Revoltingest · Mar 26, 2023

Yet another excuse for SJWs to get the vapors.

Father Heathen · Mar 26, 2023

exchemist · Mar 26, 2023

Bloody ridiculous - people looking for something to be offended by, or to point fingers at.

If I reference a pithy comment, or an apposite reaction, by somebody as a way of signalling my own views, it does not matter a damn what racial group I am, or they are.

God preserve us from the dead hand of identity politics.

But actually I suspect this whole story is just Sunday wind-up journalism by Phil Space.

Debater Slayer · Mar 26, 2023

I don't think using memes showing black people, or any other group, is a problem unless the memes specifically utilize racist stereotypes or depictions. Black people are a part of society, so of course some photos of them are going to end up on the internet and be used as memes.

Augustus · Mar 26, 2023

Up there with “it’s cultural appropriation for non-Mexicans to cook burritos” in terms of dumb****ery.

Let’s go out of our way to manufacture completely artificial things to get offended by that nobody whatsoever is intuitively offended by. That will help build tolerant, multicultural communities…

Twilight Hue · Mar 26, 2023

The same ones who think AL Jolson was a racist.

Kfox · Mar 26, 2023

Is Digital white face wrong as well? Is it only wrong when white people do it to black people? Or is it also wrong when any race does it to another race. Needless to say; I'm a bit skeptical of this report due to the way it was presented.

Colt · Mar 26, 2023

Both white and black rednecks are funny stereotypes. It celebrates Americas diverse culture. Talladega Nights, a hilarious spoof on Southern culture. We need to stop taking ourselves soooooo seriously!!

Rachel Rugelach · Mar 26, 2023

I can't say because I'm not Black and so I'm not affected by it. I think that, if Black people are saying that this thing is offensive to them, then perhaps we ought to listen to what they have to say. But I'd first have to hear from a lot of Black people about it before I'd take this "funny meme" thing seriously.

In the meantime, the Black people I'm familiar with seem to be dealing with far more pressing issues, such as voter suppression, deadly police encounters, white women (a.k.a. "Karens") who become indignant when seeing a black man in overwhelmingly white spaces and attempt to initiate police intervention, etc. Those are things that go beyond any mere irritation, and which merit serious attention, IMO.

Saint Frankenstein · Mar 26, 2023

Which black people? There isn't an official spokesperson of all black people. People are individuals. Sometimes people find petty crap to be "offended" over. Just because their skin color is a certain shade, doesn't make them some expert.

Interestingly, I'm not worried about any of the issues you've mentioned. Sure, there's rude, entitled white people just as there's rude, entitled black people. I'm always around both. (I don't like people in general, personally.) As for police, I find my local police to be generally kind and caring, even if they couldn't officially help me in the way I wanted. My vote has never been suppressed, either. I vote absentee and my ballot has always made it in.

Evangelicalhumanist · Mar 26, 2023

Actually, it's quite nice to see how many members recognize that the relentless attacks on how we speak, how we make references, how we think are just plain stupid. I'm glad so many of us know that language is always going to be problematic, and require some flexibility and leeway from all of us.

fantome profane · Mar 26, 2023

Interesting. I am trying to think back if I have ever done this. I can‘t actually remember doing it, but I certainly have been known to use memes to express my thoughts, so maybe I have - I probably have.

I will keep this in mind going forward.

Saint Frankenstein · Mar 26, 2023

Why? It's stupid. If a meme expresses what you feel, who cares. Do you enjoy feeling ashamed of yourself for no reason?

Debater Slayer · Mar 26, 2023

I don't agree with the article in the OP, but I don't see this as a "relentless attack" either. I lived in a country where the wrong kind of speech could literally lose people their heads, so I see this one as just an inconvenience at most.

"digital blackface"

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