Speakeasy forum: You gotta' be kidding. This is black face??

He's generally considered a good guy, but this was a really stupid idea. His own account is that he was dressing up as a black basketball player.

It may not be "blackface" in the traditional way one thinks of that, but that may only be because he didn't do a good job with his costume.

.....when white people insist that black people should not be offended by something that they say they find offensive. And you know fully well that "Tootsie" is not the same thing. Dustin Hoffman wasn't doing an insulting caricature of a woman in that movie; in fact it was quite the opposite.

You do?

Ever see anybody in church looking like that?

IF you did...would you sit next to them?

Can we expect to see a pic of you "looking quite respectable"?

...I've never really appreciated your sense of humour. Even when you put a smiley face. Don't feel bad, there are lots of comics on Comedy Central that I don't laugh at.

Are you saying that we can't dress up for parties, like Halloween, etc., because it might offend someone? The girl might offend Satanist.

Diana

like the makeup used in those minstrel shows you seem to be so concerned about either. The most famous afro was probably that of Angela Davis as it was worn in the '60s. Granted I'd not have guessed the man was trying to look like a basketball player but I'd never think minstrel from his costume. Rather I think he looks more like LaWanda Page as Aunt Esther on Sanford and Son. But really, whatever happened to the expression that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? He's out having fun and not I don't think it's meant to be at anyone's expense. We've got to get over this feeling of need to walk on eggshells for fear of offending someone.

She's even darker.

Too long in the tanning bed?

and maybe too many are too sensitive.

I know there is a difference since John Galliano had been know to be anti-semitic in the past, as related in the link, but it's a bit ironic he opened his self to such a criticism so shortly after complaining about Galliano had to be making fun of someone dressed as "Hasid with a long jacket and curly sidelocks".

I never heard of either before this link.

I don't doubt some will exploit his error for their own purposes. You would have thought as a politician though he would have recognized the possibly misinterpretation, intentional or otherwise. Even though I often get tired of PC extremism, I would have thought his outfit in exceeding bad taste even at a custome party if I had run into someone dressed like that.

dress up as George Washington or wear what's called a "jewfro"? I'd think that unless a person doesn't act in mocking manner or one that's otherwise insulting, we should learn to get over it. Why can't we try to understand a person's intentions rather than rely on visual sightings? It's the visuals that we decry as that which shouldn't elicit prejudice and bigotry...content of character rather than color? Until we learn to follow that teaching we spin our wheels in the mud.

Are they an archaic concept? They started out for mutual defense, both against animal and human predators. They expanded then into becoming centers of trade and innovation. Now they seem to have devolved into "melting pots".

Most of them are as American as you are. They just happen to observe different religious customs than you do.

Your information is outdated.

The situation is no different than when previous groups of immigrants arrived in the U.S. They still generally start out in enclaves, but once the first generation is born and marry, things change. Since you gave Polish as an example, you can use that as one to validate my point. Here in Chicago there is a significant expansion away from areas formerly considered 'Polish'. in the city. The concentration isn't nearly as pronounced. The amount of residents in statistical surveys indicating that they speak Polish as a first language has decreased quite a bit from forty-fifty years ago when it was probably highest (don't have the decade off hand.)

Besides intermarriage, there is also mobility away from the areas where such ethnic concentrations started out. It's a lot less common for generations born here to not know English since they are in either English only or (obviously less common) bi-lingual American schools. There's no way for the children to succeed and find jobs otherwise, and the parents know it. Past a certain age, it's true, a certain percentage of the parents/early arrivals will generally never know English very well, and a portion of the older arrivals might not learn it at all. There's still a bad assumption by mono-lingual American English speakers that becasue someone has a thick foreign accent that they are either deaf, or can't possibly understand the English language completely (LOL).

Successive generations most certainly do not 'refuse to learn English'. That's white trash talk. A lot of the changes to our ethnic communities happen very gradually, some more than others. It's still a melting pot with some amazing differences that we can acknowledge as a group. If you think that just because these folks are here and happen to not look like you or speak a language you do not understand, for a moment don't think that they do not appreciate having a roof over their heads, safe schools for their kids, and other trappings thought of highly by most American born U.S. citizens.

to the sidetrack here that we have many in the US who came here more as refugees who had no desire to remain here but would to return to their native country if the opportunity presented. Of course the largest settlement of these refugees was south Florida. I happen to know those, or of those, who've never become US citizens. Some I know have died here.

just enough to open a checking account and find a job (maybe)......to think that what I say is 'outdated' is ridiculous because I see it even within my own community here, Josh. Groups of the 'same' stay within their own society and very rarely socialize with the 'natives' as neighbors normally would. If there wasn't so much isolation, especially for Spanish speaking types, then why do you think we have had to change our ATM's, automated voice systems on telephone services, hospitals, doctors' offices, libraries, schools, etc. to accept Spanish as an 'option' when dealing with them? Do you have any idea how irritating it is to every single time have to press (1) for English on the telephone when I contact my bank, phone company, electric company, or even the department store?

If the biggest issue you face on a daily basis is having to press '1' to get to the English menus, well, I feel for ya' (ROTFL).

Please explain (ROTFL). Oh wait, I get it. You were either asleep that day in elementary school (but they matriculated you anyway), or simply forgot that we are essentially one giant melting pot.

Back behind the mason-dixon line you go....