Nick Cannon Wears Whiteface, Sparks Internet Debate So Nick Cannon sparked a race debate by wearing 'white face' Any thoughts on this?
It's no different than when Julianne Hough dressed in Blackface for Halloween. (to portray a specific TV character, at that). Some people will find it offensive and racist, others will think it's fine. However, if you say one is offensive and the other isn't... just no. That's being a huge hypocrite. For me, both are inappropriate.
Actually speaking of that. Towards the end of the article it says that Nick Cannon actually dared someone to wear 'black face' and see what happens.
If blackface is offensive, so is whiteface. I don't think the whiteface was the most offensive part of his White People Party Music album though, and I think it's pretty funny. #FarmersMarkets? I love farmer's markets. :lol:
lol why is he even making a 'White People Party Music' album? Maybe he's been on nickelodeon too long and it's gone to his head? That or eminem crushed his fantasy about being a decent rapper xD
Well that's the thing...I don't find either one offensive...I'm just saying if one is offensive then both should be
The actual act isn't the offensive part, it's the implications behind the act. Blackface is offensive because it stems from the idea that black people are less intelligent and therefore it is funny to mock them for being less intelligent. Whiteface is obviously meant as a parody of this practice, and is therefore not on the same level at all. If a white comedian was wearing blackface in an obvious parody of these attitudes I would say the same thing.
That doesn't make whiteface okay. And in what way do you KNOW why someone would wear Blackface? Just because it was done for one reason long in the past does not by any means mean it was done nowadays for the same reason. That said, I'm with Foxface. I don't tend to find either offensive, but if you find one offensive, you should find the other as well. People went off on Julianne Hough for wearing Blackface as part of a Halloween costume, in which her character was Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" from Orange is the New Black. That wasn't done because she thought she was less intelligent, she did it because the character is a black woman. But people went off on her, called her racist, etc. I've seen quite a few of those same people say what Nick did is okay, funny, and not racist at all. No. It works both ways.
The whiteface on its own is kinda funny. Partly because it's so damn realistic, which must have been extremely hard to do, since, as we learned in art class, it's a lot harder to make dark colours light than light colours dark. The difference, I think, is that white people were never comically portrayed as like a lesser species in history. Plus, it's hard to not be funny when making fun of white people. Even white people do it. They may not realize it, but they do. I am a honkey and I approve this message. LOL
I disagree. Have you seen the hate people have gotten for blackface before? I'd agree if they were like ( and I'm making an example of something a racist person would say ) "Look at my blackface I'm a dumb N-word" <--- that would be racist and wrong. Also Nick Cannon is being racist really. He's wearing white face and then stereotyping white people.
I'm obviously in the minority here but I'm not offended by this at all. Nick Cannon is an okay guy, today's society is too eager to find a find a scandal and turn it into something it's not. I'm white btw if it even matters. *hides* i'm ready to get flamed.
Nor am I. There are historic reasons for black face being outright offensive - it was always intended to cause offense. I don't think Nick Cannon is trying to offend anyone - and I doubt the majority of people are even aware he exists. I wasn't until I stumbled upon this thread.
As a white, I don't find it that offensive. Is it a double standard? Probably. But blackface was used to portray blacks as unintelligent buffoons in minstrel shows and were treated as such when society was very racist and oppressive to them (and in many ways, still is.) White people aren't oppressed and this won't affect how they're the majority and most privileged. I do agree it's a bit inappropriate, but it can't be held to the same height as blackface or dressing up in feathered headdresses when you're not of that tribe (which needs more attention brought to it because white people really like to dress up as stereotypical Native Americans but for some reason it's not as inappropriate as blackface is.)
This concept is very new to me, but if it's offensive for him to wear whiteface, it's probably equally offensive for me to wear grey makeup while cosplaying as a troll. I think he might be conducting some sort of experiment. To that, more power to him.