White People, Please Stop Engaging in ‘Digital Blackface’ by Posting GIFs Featuring Black Folks

[Kamaji]

White People, Please Stop Engaging in ‘Digital Blackface’ by Posting GIFs Featuring Black Folks

By Jeff Charles
March 26, 2023

Have you ever heard of the term “digital blackface?”

If you’re a normal person who does not spend an inordinate amount of time on Twitter like me, such an idea has probably never come into your orbit. But thanks to CNN columnist John Blake, we have yet another op-ed explaining what this supposedly racist phenomenon is and lecturing us about why it is harmful to everyday black Americans who probably have never heard of the term either.

In a piece titled “What’s ‘digital blackface?’ And why is it wrong when White people use it?” Blake explains:

Digital blackface is a practice where White people co-opt online expressions of Black imagery, slang, catchphrases or culture to convey comic relief or express emotions.

These expressions, what one commentator calls racialized reactions, are mainstays in Twitter feeds, TikTok videos and Instagram reels, and are among the most popular Internet memes.

When someone is engaging in digital blackface, they might use digital media such as memes, GIFs, and emojis featuring black people, culture, and expressions to express themselves online. This can include using images of black people to convey humor, sarcasm, or other emotions, often without any regard for the experiences or perspectives of black people.

Progressives with nothing going on in their lives argue that the practice of digital blackface can be seen as a form of cultural appropriation and can contribute to the erasure and marginalization of black voices and experiences. It can also perpetuate harmful stereotypes and reinforce existing power dynamics that contribute to racism and discrimination. As such, they argue, it is important for white people to be mindful of the ways in which they use digital media and to consider the impact of their actions on marginalized communities.

Indeed, Blake notes that people criticize digital blackface “because it’s a modern-day repackaging of minstrel shows in which white actors darkened their faces to perform in front of audiences. “Put simply: digital blackface is 21st-century minstrelsy,” he writes.

The author then quotes an academic paper written by Erinn Wong arguing that “[h]istorical blackface has never truly ended” and that “Americans have yet to actively confront their racist past to this day.”

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Source:  https://redstate.com/jeffc/2023/03/26/white-people-please-stop-engaging-in-digital-blackface-by-posting-gifs-featuring-black-folks-n721685

[Kamaji]

[Smokin Joe]

Obviously, the only thing to do is eschew anything to do with black culture if you are light skinned.

But then, we're back to that being racist.

F**K IT. Homie don' play dat.

[berdie]

Interesting.

For years black people wanted to "pass".

Now the reverse seems to be true.