Comments on: Downey Jr. Bringing Blackface Back

by: Kunoichi

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:35:56 +0000

I wasn’t trying to compare blackface and whiteface. =P I *was* pointing out that the “blackface” done these days (such as Downey) isn’t the same as the blackface of the past and people needed to get over it.

by: Devin

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:36:30 +0000

And I apologize to all for mentioning that aforementioned travesty that shall never be spoken of again…

by: Jami

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:19:03 +0000

Oh gods, White Chicks was offensive just cause someone greenlit that travesty! Blech.

by: Devin

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:16:01 +0000

I think that the fact that it’s reminiscent of black face will cause negative controversy, but in actuality, it’s not really black face.

Black face was the casting of a white actor to play an african-american role, where as this is, as Jam pointed out, an actor playing an actor playing a black role. I think the degree of removal is key here.

As a black male myself I admit I was horrified at seeing the pic of Downey, but after sitting here at my computer for about ten minutes rationalizing it in my head, it actually became pretty damn hilarious thinking about Robert Downey playing such an eccentric actor…

And @ Kunoichi: Whiteface is SOOO not on the same level as blackface. While both seem on the surface to just be cosmetic make-up and a stereotyping portrayal, blackface was a technique created by the studios to deny blacks roles in movies in the early days of cinema because it was felt that blacks weren’t good enough or smart enough to pull off leading roles. No one is denying whites roles because of executives not thinking they’re not good enough for a part in Coming to America or White Chicks.

by: Michael

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:46:44 +0000

Funny is funny, it doesn’t make it any less wrong. Go see the movie. Laugh like Shell. And fell bad after like everyone with a concience. Good times are had by all!

by: Kunoichi

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:15:37 +0000

Certainly blackface has a horrible history, but that doesn’t make “a white actor is going to be made up into a black guy” evil in and of itself. Women certainly don’t complain every time Eddie Murphy dresses up as women simply because he’s playing every role in one of his movies. Or for that matter, when black actors do “white face” (i.e. “Coming to America”). If Americans can’t stop getting up in arms over every possibly racially toned thing, they’re never going to end racism.

by: Wayne

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:40:38 +0000

How about High Anxiety? It’s not a blackface movie, but certainly has racist overtones. Could Mel Brooks even make that movie these days? Probably not, but it works and people recognize it as a slam against racism, not as a racist movie.

by: tt_rage

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:21:21 +0000

I think people are reading too much into this. I think/hope they’re trying to go for the “deranged guy (the character Downey plays, not Downey himself) who’s taking his job just a bit too seriously” angle rather than the “aren’t black people hilarious?” angle.

Does anyone actually know if this movie is two hours of black-face gags?

To Frozen_Cannuck:

“Wonder if there’d be as much anger/disgust if it were a black man playing the part of a white man?”

Anyone remember “True Identity”? I recall everyone marvelling about the makeup more than anything else.

by: Frozen_Cannuck

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 10:07:22 +0000

Wonder if there’d be as much anger/disgust if it were a black man playing the part of a white man?

by: Richard "Pocky" Kim

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:35:56 +0000

“Just because it’s a theme doesn’t mean it’s not true.” >.>