Is This Really Racism?

[joeluke]

........or yet another case of people 'finding' racism when it's not actually there?

Would anyone have said anything if a black child had used make up etc to transform himself into his favourite white player?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2256190/El-Hadji-Diouf-Father-apologises-son-engulfed-Twitter-race-storm-blacking-face-resemble-player.html

[sp1814]

Would anyone have said anything if a black child had used make up etc to transform himself into his favourite white player?

Really difficult to hypothesise on that - seeing as I can't think of that ever happening.

The nearest equivalent I can think of is where the Wayan brothers or Eddie Murphy don prosthetics to play other races in one of their terrible films ('White Chicks' and 'Coming To America').

Perhaps there isn't the same level of criticism because there's no equivalent to 'blackface' in vaudeville, which was popular in the late 19th and 20th century.

However in this case, I'm sure it was a massive over reaction to something quite innocent.

That's Twitter for you.

[bazwillrun]

"However in this case, I'm sure it was a massive over reaction to something quite innocent."

nothing new there then

If I remember correctly nobody moaned at Michael Jackson for trying to look white

[sp1814]

bazwillrun

No he didn't.

He suffered from a skin pigmentation condition called vitiligo. It was quite widely reported at the time of his autopsy.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/michael-jackson-autopsy-report-confirms-singer-suffered-vitiligo-wore-wig-tattooed-makeup-article-1.170898

[DaisyNonna]

Will tinted foundation and sun beds now be banned in case someone gets too brown?

[naomi24]

Oh gawd! It's time people got over themselves!!

[Answerprancer]

It's in the daily mail, so chances are - probably yes. (I'll read it later)

[DaisyNonna]

Nasty shock. Daily Mail got delivered to me by mistake on Monday.

[Answerprancer]

Ok, I just read it and IMO - no it was done in innocence and the kid was just being accurate.
BUT - the Daily Bogroll, being what it is loves to jump on incidents like this.

[Answerprancer]

...as a way of getting at "the pc brigade" as AOG et al like to say.

[Answerprancer]

Burn it Daisy!

[bazwillrun]

"He suffered from a skin pigmentation condition called vitiligo. It was quite widely reported at the time of his autopsy. "

yeah, of course he did


whoosh....I just saw a pig fly past my window

[ummmm]

But he did.

[sp1814]

bazwillrun

Did you not look at the link.

He actually suffered from vitiligo. It was confirmed when they performed the autopsy.

[ummmm]

In one interview he said it was easier to make his skin lighter than it was to make it darker. That's how bad he had it.

[rowanwitch]

I think it was the most unracist act... that child saw being like Spit the striker as a brilliant thing.. whether we like it or not people have different skin tones... and to complete the image he wanted to achieve he needed to darken his skin... it was an act of respect not insult in my eyes...

[sp1814]

rowanwitch

I totally agree. However, if you look carefully through the Daily Mail report, you realize that they've blown it all out of proportion (in order to garner a certain response). If this had indeed been a massive Twitter storm, surely they would've reported the number of complaints received. Instead, only three respondants are identified.

Typical DM race reporting.

[emmie]

sp a close relative has this condition, and it goes in patches, not so much a complete colour change.

[bazwillrun]

"Did you not look at the link.

He actually suffered from vitiligo. It was confirmed when they performed the autopsy"

from a fairly early age he was having surgery to get rid of his black features and try to look white, his nose , cheeks , chin etc etc
Vitiglio was an excuse for his skin bleaching, i like many others dont give a toss what the "autopsy" said.

[dave50]

Yes they do and it's always white people who feel it is their duty to be offended on others behalf.