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| If blackface is racist, does that make mimes reverse racist? |
Dear McFartnuggets: I dressed up like a mime for a party recently and someone complained that I was being racially insensitive for wearing “whiteface.” Is this this same as blackface? -- Jessie from Montana
Dear Jessie:
It’s not the same as blackface, but it could be seen as offensive. I’m not sure if albinos are offended by whiteface. I think I would be. If I was an albino and I saw some jerk in a beret and suspenders painting his face pale white and acting like a moron trapped in an invisible box I’d be upset. I suppose mimes aren’t aware that in Africa, many albinos are persecuted for the color of their skin. It’s probably not a good idea to mock them. Even if you aren’t deliberately mocking albinos by wearing whiteface, that doesn’t matter. If you have blackface on and aren’t intending to offend people, it’s still offensive.
Let’s limit the facepainting to either green or blue and leave it at that. You can be a martian or a member of the Blue Man Group, that should be enough for people. I don’t know why people are so keen to change their skin color for fun. Just be who you are, mimes! You don’t need the facepaint to make people like you. Either people like when folks pantomime or they don’t. Having a white or black or purple face isn’t going to change things.
Keep the questions coming to PizzaTesticles@yahoo.com
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