has anyone considered the fact that they may have been making fun of the jackson five, and not the entire black culture and our countries painful points of history? if you think about it, the jackson's are a pretty f-ed up family. i don't find them in anyway to be representative of the black community, and i would not associate them with so many black people that are admirable in our society.
would i take offense if someone else dressed up like bill clinton or the back street boys. no b/c i think both are horses' a$$es, and deserve ridicule. would i be offended if someone dressed up like the pope, in order to ridicule catholics? yes.
i find when we lable everything as offensive then we lose focus on everything that is truly offensive. now the guys last year that dressed up as a lynching party, offensive. dressign up like the jackson five, probably not the best idea, but did they deserve to lose their chapter over it?

Sigh
 

People do not read before they post. Or maybe they do and choose to ignore it?

Let me break it down, real slow, mmkay?

IT DOES NOT MAT-TER ANY-ONE'S IN-TEN-TION, WHAT MAT-TERS IS THE HIS-TOR-I-CAL SIG-NIF-I-CANCE OF THE ACT IT-SELF.

Madmax, your post made no sense. First of all, it did not answer the question. Allow me to repeat it for you:

How many people find blackface INOFFENSIVE?

Also, the whole Michael Jackson thing is ludicrous and a terrible analogy. Only when a white person chooses to voluntarily darken their skin, texturize their hair and have plastic surgery to augment their features THEN you will have something comparable to Michael. But he doesn't DRESS UP as a white person.

Starang21

I really don't understand your post. I am an African-American who is quite disgusted by the behavior of these fraternity men. My post was making a point to scpiano that she was making herself out to be the victim and the free-thinker, when in fact she is not. I'm not sure how I could come off as saying anything other than that. Of course the majority isn't offended. Why would they be, when they aren't being humiliated and degraded. I'm sorry if you misunderstood what I was saying. Feel free to re-read my post to clarify our miscommunication.

Marie

that's what confused me, the first part of your post said one thing...the second said another. that's what effed me up a little.

Public Service Announcement
 

To add to what my sistah librasoul eloquently posted:

Blackface is not, nor was it ever intended to serve as a compliment towards African-Americans. It was offensive back then, and it will continue to offend us!!!!

Got it? Good!!!!:mad: :mad: :mad:

IMO all other explanations and defenses of this offensive and crude behavior is moot.

libra,
thank you. hypenating your point really made it much more poignant. wow, since you said it slowly for me i really understand your point much better.
besides, you're wrong. read immanuel kant. he proved a long time ago that it is all about intentions and not consequences.

it's all about intentions? like i've said before in previous posts, roll into a BCC with it on and proclaim you love black folks, then tell me that it's all about intentions. sorry, billy bob, you're wrong. the internet gives people big nuts sometimes.

Teke4life,

Libra's point is that regardless of their intentions their actions are still offensive. Consequence is irrelevant in this situation. Blackface has a historical significance that is obviously lost on you. That doesn't mean it's significance is lost on others.

Regarding your comments about the Jacksons, do you know any of the Jackson family? Are you familiar with any members other than Janet and Michael? Did you bother to get to know the family before saying that the whole family is "f-ed" up? FYI, the Jackson family is more than just the public persona known as the Jackson 5 or Janet and Michael. There are some really terrific people who were born into that family. Try getting to know a few of them before making classless generalizations about them.

Laura

I don't find it offensive and if one is dressing up for a HALLOWEEN party then yes it IS ok!

to be honest, no one really cares what YOU think on blackface.

Well the fact that you don't find it offensive kind of explains your prejudiced viewpoint. Not that it was unclear.

teke, immanuel kant can write 832 novels about intentions and I wouldn't care. If he writes one about blackface and its legacy of racism and oppression, then we'll talk. Until then, he really has no place in this discussion.

racism is wrong

my god, i wish everyone would just stop WHINING about some guys dressing up as black people for halloween. get the hell over it!! get a life while youre at it! historical significance my a$$, i do not care, why does anyone? should i hate all people from england cause they treated americans badly when we were a colony? everyone is just bitching and moaning and the fact that they were punished at all is REDICULOUS.