In the US, there is a history of white performers using blackface to play caricatures of black people, leaning hard on racist ethnic stereotypes. From Wikipedia:

The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of theater developed in the early 19th century.[1] The shows were performed by mostly white actors wearing blackface makeup for the purpose of comically portraying racial stereotypes of African Americans. There were also some African-American performers and black-only minstrel groups that formed and toured. Minstrel shows stereotyped blacks as dimwitted, lazy, buffoonish, cowardly, superstitious, and happy-go-lucky.[2][3] Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people specifically of African descent.

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Same here! And I have the exact same questions as you. I can’t see why that’s racist or disrespectful, but I’d like to hear other points of view.

Without seeing the picture, what I can say is that when I go to African countries I dress like the people there because I identify with them.

I think it’s only bad If you mock them.

Why if people paint themselves as if they were people of type X is bad, but when men dress themselves as a women it’s not bad? That’s contradictory.

What might answer your question is that IF in a country people traditionally paint themselves as X to mock X, then the natural reaction would be to classify it negatively.

But in a country or in a time where people do this out of identification, I don’t see it as a problem.

Morals are specific to countries and times, it’s not universal and atemporal

In addition to the other comments, we should note that the photo in question is referencing the OJ Simpson murder case, a very high profile and racially charged trial among the public in the U.S.

Because of minstrel shows. These were only really in America, so it’s not part of European culture.

As a white-passing European:

• People’s skin color is not a costume
• People have different skin colors, you can talk about it there is nothing special about it
• You can disguise as someone without changing your skin color to match theirs. It’s not part of the costume or character, skin is just part of their body as a human

Quick question, why do you think this site is for US people?

Let’s start with some facts.

Race is a political concept. It has no scientific basis so it’s not possible to declare any given person as white, black or whatever.

On the other hand, it is abundantly obvious from outward appearances that some individuals genetic heritage is geographically rooted. Those differences were used to create the political narrative of racism that justified the exploitation of Africa, America, etc. Among the many colonial-era atrocities were genocide and slavery.

There’s a lot of guilt and shame around this topic for white people, particularly white Americans. I’m not convinced that black people care more about blackface than white people do. I personally don’t have a problem with blackface or whiteface but I wouldn’t do it. There’s not much to gain and I don’t want to upset people. I felt uncomfortable enough dressing up as woman (I’m a European white guy) because I looked ridiculous, dressing as a black woman might be a bridge too far for me.

Because intellectually lazy people want simple ways to decide if something is good/bad without having to actually think about a specific situation themselves.

Imo cuz people are too PC (Politically Correct) buthurt lately.

I’d even flip the tables, and call it racist if you won’t allow other races to dress up / admire your own race.

Ofc doing it to make fun / be a dick about other races is not okay.

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