Quote:
Originally Posted by Brillopad
If a number of affected people expressed grave concerns maybe people would decide against - but I don’t think it is for whites to speak on the behalf of others - some may consider that patronising.
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I suppose that's reasonable enough... So long as, I guess, so long as people would be genuinely willing to listen if a significant number of people who are directly impacted express that they don't like it. I think that's all we can really do; actually listen to people. If most black people find white people "blacking up" offensive, then we sort of have to accept that it is offensive?
I guess the only direct comparison I can make pertains to the Moana example; because there is also "Brave", which is absolutely full of "Scottish Stereotypes", and yet I doubt there are many (if any?) Scottish people who find the film offensive or who would have a problem with any child from any country dressing up as the girl from that film. From what I've read of Polynesia, people from the Pacific islands / New Zealand etc. generally feel the same way (they like / enjoy that people from around the world enjoy Polynesian culture, and wouldn't mind kids dressing up as Moana at all).
So certainly it can go too far, and there's a problem where people tend not to consider each situation as it comes and just set their opinion in stone. I will admit that I'm assuming it's inappropriate for White British people to dress as Zulu because of the history there but, being totally honest, I still don't actually know or understand the festival's motivations. If it's just "for a bit of fun" it seems like needlessly kicking a hornet's nest... But if there is some ideology behind it then that might be a different situation.
On the flipside though I think it must be all too easy to "throw the baby out with the bathwater", so to speak, and adamantly declare that ALL costumes are "fine"... There is a reason that blacking up is frowned upon - it has been historically used to deliberately mock, belittle and make fun of black people - and obviously in that context it's never acceptable.