CVK
Oh hell no. The trend of white boys in literal or figurative blackface continues. First we told you about the Kill Whitey parties. Then we told about the rash of “thug” or “gangsta” parties spreading across predominantly white high schools and colleges. Now comes perhaps the worst case of this flaunting-of-white-privilege-disguised-as-hipster-irony bull. Sorry everyone, but this is gonna be a long rant. From Hip Hop Blogs:

Ok, let’s talk about this guy-

He calls himself “Blackface Jesus”.

Now, who cares what his motives are or how he justifies rocking blackface at hipster parties in New York. The problem I have is not with his existence, but the passive acceptance by the other party goers who are with him, and the recurring big-ups he’s been getting from Gawker, a blog about NY media.

Nichelle had this to say:

“When I first saw the “Blackface Jesus” on Gawker last week, it was just another “Blue States Lose” thing and I just rolled my eyes. Now in their third or fourth post of the guy, the weak joke is turning to be really offensive. An image of a white guy in black face is what got frat boys and Ted Danson in trouble. Now, this kid gets glorified as a symbol of coolness. WTF?!”

Jay Smooth, though he was addressing a different situation said something I think fits here:

“I’ve been saying for years that irony is now the last refuge of a coward. A singularly dishonest and deluded sort of coward who imagines his behavior a mark of courage, as he fearlessly refuses to take anything seriously. Cowardice is the root of all hipster irony. And this is never more obvious, or more ugly, than when issues of race are involved.”

Again, the issue I have is how others react to this guy. For me, this is an example of White male privilege being flaunted at it’s worst. He rocks blackface because well, he can. And Gawker can highlight him as a funny ironic joke over and over because they can. Even in New York where Whites are the minority.

It’s like saying, “F– your sensitivity and the history behind this symbol. Even when outnumbered we can do what we want without taking seriously any critique”. Well, this is my critique.

This kind of racist hipster ironic douchebaggery (to steal a term from Jon Stewart) is EXACTLY what I was ranting about in episode 10 of Addicted to Race. People (even people of color, not just white people) really seem to believe that we’ve come to a point where racism is over, where it’s passe to get mad about social injustice. And it’s now become cool to be “politically incorrect.” But what the hell does “political incorrectness” actually mean? In my rant I quoted Debra Dickerson on her definition:

The rhetorical cul-de-sac where white hate went—in goes racism, out comes political incorrectness. Use of this phrase is a tactic designed to derail discourse by disguising racism as defiance of far-left, pseudo-Communist attempts at enforcing behavior and speech codes. However, vicious, brainless, knee-jerk, or crudely racist a sentiment may be, once it is repackaged as merely “un-PC” it become heroic, brave, free-thinking, and best of all, victimized.

So in other words, just because this guy considers himself a part of the downtown hipster set, just because he thinks he’s sooooo ironic and clever, just because he’d classify his costume as “un-PC” rather than “offensive,” doesn’t make this any less racist! There is absolutely no difference between Blackface Jesus and the blackface minstrel performers so popular at the turn of the century. It’s just as offensive as Mickey Rooney’s yellowface getup as Mr. Yunioshi in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

White people like “Blackface Jesus” think that they have somehow “transcended” racism. Maybe because they hang out with black people, have black friends, or even fuck [excuse my French] black men or women, that means that they couldn’t possibly subscribe to the same racist notions as did the less open-minded previous generations. Sorry to disappoint, fellas, but you guys grew up to be EXACTLY like them. “Blackface Jesus” and “Kill Whitey” and “thug parties” all promote the exact same kind of racist tripe that minstrel shows did. There is no difference. It’s the same stereotypes, the same messages, the same costumes, the same images. Just because you’ve repackaged it as “political incorrectness” to make yourself seem like a brave, free-thinking individual doesn’t mean crap. You’re just deluding yourself - and we see right through it.

Related Links:
Top 10 List of Yellowface Roles
Wikipedia entry on “blackface”
PBS American Experience on Blackface
Spike Lee’s 2000 film Bamboozled

UPDATE:
Jay Smooth from HipHipMusic.com decided to go to the source and ask “Blackface Jesus” what the getup was all about. Read their chat here.