Discussion: Megyn Kelly Wonders Why Blackface Is Racist

TPM Article Topics
41

I dislike, despise, and am prejudiced against Megyn.

Does that make me a Megynist?

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She continued: “Because you do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface on Halloween, or a black person who puts on white face for Halloween—


None of that concerns me. But when a Chinese person dresses up as Henry the VIII, boy, that grinds my ass!
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In the recent past here, our local Gilbert and Sullivan company had to withdraw a production of The Mikado, because they were planning to get gussied up in yellowface.

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She has lots of black friends. She just doesn’t realize it, because when they’re around her they’re in whiteface.

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Kind of disappointed by Soboroff’s responses as well…

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Is she trying to get back in Fox’s good graces?

The fact that there’s a panel of four white people on the show discussing this is hilarious to me.

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Boy, I remember gettin’ into a lot of trouble one dark Halloween when I put on blackface and dressed up like Stepin Fetchit. Hell, I thought who wouldn’t want to be like Stepin Fetchit for just one day.

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That’s about as tone deaf as asking, “Why do all the bitches get their panties in a twist when I call them hoes?” You can take the girl out of Fox…

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49

Dick Weed wonders why Megyn Kelly is a celebrity show host.

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When you think about it, there are so many people with professional degrees in law, medicine, this or that,but know little else – cultural, political, or social history.

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“The widespread use of blackface in America began in 19th century minstrel shows, and was used to stereotype and dehumanize black people.”

That is not entirely a fair summary of the history of blackface. Many, perhaps most, performers were just trying to put on what they saw as a comical show. They weren’t actually trying to dehumanize anybody. The idea that black people might have actually been human never crossed their minds. That was the problem.

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52

And this woman has a job why?

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53

If you’re not dressing up as Paul Robeson just stay home and pass out fricking candy.

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54

Megyn, it’s fine a so long as you’re not doing it while wearing a Santa suit, amiright you racist asshole?

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To be fair, it’s happened before; a few of Dave Chappelle’s sketches involved him in what could be called ‘white-face’, primarily as a newscaster, but there’s obviously some massive differences between the two concepts.

As for the main topic… yeah, it’s called Wikipedia, Kelly. Look into it.

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56

Maybe someone could ask Ms. Kelly which Halloween characters she had in mind.

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I mean, who doesn’t love Diana Ross?

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One of my dear young friends, when she was eleven, wanted to dress as her hero, Neil de Grasse Tyson, for Hallowe’en. She is Irish-American, and very fair skinned. She designed her costume herself: a suit, a vest with planets and stars on it, and carried a Disney Pluto stuffed toy. Period. No blackface needed for her homage to Dr. Tyson. She figured this out by herself at eleven. Adults should have this much sense.

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The heart of political correctness is the attempt to gain power over others by controlling what speech they are permitted to use. It does so by attacking forms of speech ahead of addressing its content. White people may not costume, write, or perform as people of traditionally non-white groups. The term “illegal alien” may not be used despite the fact that the word for non-citizen is “alien” and the people referred to either came to this country or overstayed in violation of the law. Certain topics and opinions are declared “hurtful” by nature and may not be broached or argued. The former name of a transgender person who has changed it may not be mentioned.

It is certainly part of the history of blackface that it was used to mock and demean black people. But it is also part of costuming that people choose to dress up as distinctive characters real and fictional. That some blackface shows mocked black people does not mean that every person who costumes in artificially darkened skin is doing so in mockery. Someone dressing as Diana Ross is doing so presumably because Diana Ross has a distinct appearance that is easily mimicked and recognizable in costume, in the same way that someone else might choose to dress as Elvis Presley.

Choosing to take offense when none is meant may be enjoyable, and it may help to gin up outrage among true believers, but like a hit of an addictive drug, the rush soon fades and more and more targets need to be sought to maintain the high. And soon enough, people start looking at you in disgust and avoiding you.

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We all wonder why Blonde is stupid