Comments on: Nick Cannon…in Whiteface?

By: Ave.MariaLewis

Ave.MariaLewis — Fri, 02 May 2014 04:41:08 +0000

This was really interesting for me, while I think what he did is disturbing and of bad taste; I also feel like it is a different context then what blackface is. Can it really be used to oppress the white race, I don’t think it can but I do believe it is disrespecting knowing that it comes from the practice of blackface. Knowing the context of blackface and how it has disrespected the black race for so many years and still is today; it isn’t right to do the opposite and think it is okay, it will never her okay.

By: Chelsey

Chelsey — Tue, 15 Apr 2014 22:36:20 +0000

I think Nick Cannon’s stunt is extremely shocking and disturbing, but it does not offend me the one a blackface would offend a Black person. I feel that one of the key aspects of racism is that it has a major historical presence, and the same goes for blackface. Like Annie said, there is a history of people painting their faces black making fun of Black people because they were considered inferior. But there is no such history of Black people making fun of White people in this way. It is definitely a dramatic stunt, but it is not the same thing as a White person painting themselves black. I agree with Emily, that I wish people could find a different approach to humor instead of essentializing race in every aspect of our lives.

By: AmandaRG

AmandaRG — Sat, 05 Apr 2014 20:29:02 +0000

I agree with Emily and Annie, I don’t think Whiteface is as offensive as Blackface, but it’s still not very funny to me. I watched the music video for Cannon’s song “Shake It Like a White Lady” and I can tell you that none of the White women I know dance like the White women did in that video. It was annoying to me, but I’ve found humor to be a way to cope with awkward or difficult matters, so I’m not sure how I feel about this either.

By: EmilyBlakeslee

EmilyBlakeslee — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 00:50:03 +0000

Meh. This is a tough one. I don’t think it is in particularly good taste. But I agree with you – Whiteface isn’t being used to oppress White people, so I think the cries of “racism” are inappropriate too. I think maybe we just need to find new ways of being funny? Essentializing people based on their social identity probably is never a good idea – although that is probably how a lot of humor operates.