On 9/26/19 2:56 AM, M. L. wrote:

That said, I'm a little fed up with the whole "blackface" thing

Not surprising that a non-black would get fed up with the whole
"blackface" thing, since it's no threat to you. But I'm more concerned
with your dismissive use of the word "thing."

What kind of threat is it to anybody to put on some makeup?

It's a devaluation of the target's ethnicity and personhood, which can
result in actual harm in complex ways.

If I were to put on brown makeup, which specific target would be actually
harmed?Â* A billion brown people who don't know I exist?

Cindy Hamilton

The danger isn't necessarily instantaneous, it's insidious and happens along with the many other degradations that, over time, allows non-targets to condone or ignore bigger threats against the targets. The results are clearly present today.

I don't think we need to continue this debate because your dismissive attitude shows that you really have a hard time putting yourself in other people's shoes.


I have black shoes and brown shoes and even some white sneakers. No matter what pair I wear in public, I'll likely offend someone.