[Ant.]

I'm all for debating but I don't see how this could go any further than, 'blackface is bad'? Blackface is racist, irregardless of whether the intent is racist. (this was my initial thought on the subject - after writing a response I've came to the conclusion that you can't truly have good intentions when it comes to blackface)

I think a good example which, while is still hypothetical (as its fiction), illustrates the point I think parm is trying to get at is last season in Ackley Bridge. After a Pakistani girl bleached her skin to be 'white' (under the impression she's ugly because of her skin colour), her best friend darkens her skin and goes to school with her in an act trying to say, "brown is beautiful! Be comfortable in your own skin!" and practically all the Pakistani students were upset by her actions irregardless of her intentions. And that's because blackface as a whole is offensive. A person can claim they've darkened their skin to appreciate black people, but even if that were true, there's so much racism and history behind blackface it's disrespectful and ignorant to do blackface knowing the implications. Are people really appreciating Bob Marley by painting their face black knowing the history of it? Or are they being disrespectful, knowing full well the intent is obsolete and outweighed by a history that simply cannot (and shouldn't) be ignored? Would celebrating black people not include recognising blackface as racist and bad and respecting that, while expressing your love in an inoffensive way? I started this post trying to see an argument for which "blackface is racist irregardless of whether the intention is good" but, can people really have good intentions with blackface given how ignorant and offensive it is to do it in the first place?