The kid was only in black face because it's impossible to find any black people in North Dakota.

People who attended said a pageant contestant from Saddle and Sirloin dressed as a woman from the Internet video "I Got a Crush on Obama" and performed for another student who was wearing dark makeup and an afro wig.

In the background, two male students dressed as cowboys simulated anal sex while holding an Obama sign that one student ripped at the conclusion of the 30-second performance.
...
In a written apology, Saddle and Sirloin President Jenna Schmidt said the students were trying to re-enact the YouTube video and did not mean to be offensive.


Um...did not mean to be offensive? WTF?

And you wonder why black folks get nervous when all those white folks get together late at night and start drinkin'.

In their defense, black kids in blackface would just be silly.

. . . two male students dressed as cowboys simulated anal sex . . .

If they had done that around a group of real cowboys they would have been in for more than simulation.

/unavailable for comment
//obscure?

wejash: Um...did not mean to be offensive? WTF?

Hey, if it was in a theater in New York or San Francisco no one would bat an eyelash.

My daughter is in F.F.A., and even I got a kick out of "saddle and Sirloin Club".

staplermofo: wejash: Um...did not mean to be offensive? WTF?

Hey, if it was in a theater in New York or San Francisco no one would bat an eyelash.

So which theather in NY or San Fran is doing this? Please enlighten the masses.

NDSU must be an amazing university of forward thinking and educated discourse.

I'm just here to post that it would be ok if it were black kids in whiteface.

thebouleoffools: black kids in whiteface.

Mimes? That would not be ok.

How about straight people playing gay people?
Or men dressing up in drag?
Or a blonde playing a brunette?

kolledge kids is smart and edumacatid, so is me

Russell Danielson... He said he plans to talk to NDSU's diversity officer about arranging sensitivity training.

This scares me more than a skit. You vill comply!

Barack started pretending to be black first.

scrowdid: How about straight people playing gay people?
Or men dressing up in drag?
Or a blonde playing a brunette?

There's a different history to blackface. It's the same reason the n-word is not okay for a white person to use, but "cracker" is not as frowned upon for a black person to use. The reaction might not be fair, but it is what it is.

Number41: scrowdid: How about straight people playing gay people?
Or men dressing up in drag?
Or a blonde playing a brunette?

There's a different history to blackface. It's the same reason the n-word is not okay for a white person to use, but "cracker" is not as frowned upon for a black person to use. The reaction might not be fair, but it is what it is.

I'm familiar with the story behind blackface. I think it's incredibly lousy, I also think it's unfortunate that it has so greatly stigmatized transracial artistic expression.

Yogimus: Barack started pretending to be black first.

This.

FarkProudly: Russell Danielson... He said he plans to talk to NDSU's diversity officer about arranging sensitivity training.

This scares me more than a skit. You vill comply!

And This.
/Diversity officer?
//Teacher! Jimmy's getting white all over me!!!

Why is white guys painting their faces black and impersonating a black man so horrible, but if a black man painted his face white and impersonated a white man the uproar isn't near as big if it even exists at all?

Headline: "white kids in blackface perform a skit about Barack Obama getting a lapdance"


Coming soon.. to FarkTV.

Moonbarker Osbourne the Rainbow Wolf not gay: Why is white guys painting their faces black and impersonating a black man so horrible, but if a black man painted his face white and impersonated a white man the uproar isn't near as big if it even exists at all?



Approves.

/I'm in rehab, biatch! *honk honk*

Moonbarker Osbourne the Rainbow Wolf not gay: Why is white guys painting their faces black and impersonating a black man so horrible, but if a black man painted his face white and impersonated a white man the uproar isn't near as big if it even exists at all?

Like I said upthread, there's a history behind blackface. If you feel strongly about it, try to get opinions changed.

Number41: Moonbarker Osbourne the Rainbow Wolf not gay: Why is white guys painting their faces black and impersonating a black man so horrible, but if a black man painted his face white and impersonated a white man the uproar isn't near as big if it even exists at all?

Like I said upthread, there's a history behind blackface. If you feel strongly about it, try to get opinions changed.

Could be that's what these young'uns are trying to do, in their own clumsy way, by trying to get dialogues opened up about these societal taboos.

/And here on Fark too

Number41: Moonbarker Osbourne the Rainbow Wolf not gay: Why is white guys painting their faces black and impersonating a black man so horrible, but if a black man painted his face white and impersonated a white man the uproar isn't near as big if it even exists at all?

Like I said upthread, there's a history behind blackface. If you feel strongly about it, try to get opinions changed.

My problem equating many modern examples, some considerably more racist than others (this skit just seemed like they couldn't find a black guy), to the original black face, is that not only are they usually not very similar in technique (ie, not trying to be black face as it was), they lack the truly freakish racism of old black face.

Black face's point was explicitly to mock black people...apparently for people that'd never seen/met black people, whereas these guys where just making a caricature (I assume--are there pictures? I haven't seen any yet).
If they had the big lips and everything, it'd be a different story.

scrowdid: Could be that's what these young'uns are trying to do, in their own clumsy way, by trying to get dialogues opened up about these societal taboos.

Well, there's a difference between biatching about it on Fark, which comes up in every thread about race and feminism, and doing it. I've got nothing against darkening skin for simply playing a black person - it's a taboo worth breaking. SNL is using a non-white Obama, and they don't seem to be taking a whole lot of flak for it.

Number41: SNL is using a non-white Obama

Non-black, I mean. (And non-white, too, I guess.)

Number41: Number41: SNL is using a non-white Obama

Non-black, I mean. (And non-white, too, I guess.)

He's totally Italian. Or maybe some kinda Spanish.

I was there, I saw the skit, and I think people are over-reacting in my opinion. I can't believe this even made it to the newspaper. At face value, yes it may be offensive to "some" people, but from my point of view it's just a bunch of college students having fun; however, I will say that the two men dressed as cowboys whom were riding each other like a horse should have saved it for the after-party. The only thing that shocked me was that they did it in a public place. Dancing for Obama, though, I did think was hilarious, although I have yet to see this YouTube video they speak of. I see nothing wrong with the face paint in a high white population like North Dakota has. It's farking makeup! A lot of these skits are made-up on the go and have almost no practice before hand. The skit was maybe 30 seconds long, at the most. Get over it.

The comment: "If they had done that around a group of real cowboys"; well I am no cowboy, but there were many "real" cowboys present. S&S Club is the biggest student organization on campus, largely due to the school's well-regarded agricultural programs as well as the agricultural community it was founded on.

Where do you even buy blackface? Tubes of it should come heavy warnings for white people.

Barakku: My problem equating many modern examples, some considerably more racist than others (this skit just seemed like they couldn't find a black guy), to the original black face, is that not only are they usually not very similar in technique (ie, not trying to be black face as it was), they lack the truly freakish racism of old black face.

I'm not defending the outrage. Unfortunately, past actions have made different standards for what black people and white people can get away with. The NAACP is okay, but the NAAWP would have different connotations. A lot of white people, though, are not willing to put forward the effort for equality that some black people did in the past. Personally, not being able to put on blackface just isn't important enough for me to start protesting over, but then again, I'm not complaining about it.

The Black and White Minstrel Show
This show was on prime time Saturday television in the United Kingdom for 20 years. It regularly had 18 million viewers (a massive audience back in the 60's and 70's), and was seen a wholesome family entertainment. I remember watching it regularly as a kid.

As a young child being subjected to white people in blackface playing stupid and credulous fools on prime time television on a weekly basis, in no way affected the way I view black people.

Actually it didn't.

Seriously.

Number41: Number41: SNL is using a non-white Obama

Non-black, I mean. (And non-white, too, I guess.)

Heh. I wondered if you meant that.

I guess the difference between biatching about it on Fark and actually donning some blackface, for me, is because Fark is here for me right now, available to me at 5:30am when the topic has come up for some provocative and perhaps taboo-breaking discussion. Also, since the stigma of throwing some makeup on and performing on stage is so great (and for some, simply getting on stage is difficult enough), that aspect of "doing it" might be foreboding.

But nonetheless, interested in having The Discussion, lots of Farkers wander into the fray. Some might seek to troll or taunt - I suspect many have a serious taboo-breaking discussion in mind even if they aren't equipped with the faculties to carry it off.

I agree it's a taboo worth breaking, I wonder how we can get over it. And then I wonder if the klutzy attempts at discussion on Fark might not just be part of the solution.

Number41: Barakku: My problem equating many modern examples, some considerably more racist than others (this skit just seemed like they couldn't find a black guy), to the original black face, is that not only are they usually not very similar in technique (ie, not trying to be black face as it was), they lack the truly freakish racism of old black face.

I'm not defending the outrage. Unfortunately, past actions have made different standards for what black people and white people can get away with. The NAACP is okay, but the NAAWP would have different connotations. A lot of white people, though, are not willing to put forward the effort for equality that some black people did in the past. Personally, not being able to put on blackface just isn't important enough for me to start protesting over, but then again, I'm not complaining about it.

I wouldn't fight for it, but if legal action is taken against people because of it...it just became a cause worth fighting for.

/First they came for the blackface, and I said nothing
//Then they came for the self-deprecating jewish humor
///When they came for redneck jokes, there was no one without knotted panties left to speak up.

Megazoid: The Black and White Minstrel Show
This show was on prime time Saturday television in the United Kingdom for 20 years. It regularly had 18 million viewers (a massive audience back in the 60's and 70's), and was seen a wholesome family entertainment. I remember watching it regularly as a kid.

That's actually incredibly pathetic, but since I'd rather shoot myself than watch just about any Brit TV beyond Monty Python, MI5 and BBC news, I don't blame you.

Shvetz: Where do you even buy blackface? Tubes of it should come heavy warnings for white people.

Warning: If you are white do not attempt to use Blackface^TM. You will be written up by your local newspaper in a story which will eventually be picked up by news aggregator websites allowing faceless trolls to tear you apart mercilessly from the anonymity and comfort of their mom's basement. Just go buy a freaking Obama mask.

Can't we all Just Get (It On) along.

There's a big difference between someone putting on makeup to try to look black and blackface. Blackface looks like the makeup guy on the original Star Trek series ran out of ideas.

JonnyBGoode: /unavailable for comment
//obscure?

Are you actually asking if Taco Ockerse's use of blackface in the original uncensored video of Puttin' on the Ritz (as seen here) is obscure?

That was a rhetorical question.

gund: So which theather in NY or San Fran is doing this? Please enlighten the masses.

The Bank Street Theater in New York and The Lab in SF.

see. I knew when they outlawed farking your livestock that you people would not know what to do with yourselves.
Here's an idea. read a book. preferably something that doesn't have pictures on every page or Ann Coulter on the cover.

There's a difference between blackface and putting on makeup to appear black. Blackface is a performance style, a caricature of black stereotypes done for comic affect that is seen as racist today. But a white person putting on makeup to appear as a black person is someone simply playing a part. As long as it is done for real acting then I don't see what the problem is. In this case, it seems that the intention was to mock Obama himself, not his black heritage. The makeup was simply an attempt to make the person appear as Obama. It was poorly thought out but I think the intent was harmless and people need to relax.

You know I'm more insulted by the laziness than the black face. An afro wig? Really? No one there ever look at a picture of Obama? At least try to look like the guy.

/doesn't mind the occasional racist joke
//but make it clever dammit.

so how exactly would/should a white actor portray a black character?

I wonder if the gal was a pretty muthaf***ka?

(NSFW, NSF cynicism Language)

Moonbarker Osbourne the Rainbow Wolf not gay: Why is white guys painting their faces black and impersonating a black man so horrible, but if a black man painted his face white and impersonated a white man the uproar isn't near as big if it even exists at all?

Uh, slavery ring a bell?

Are we dumb much?

Pontus and the Nail Drivers: Uh, slavery ring a bell?

Great.

Now I'm drooling.

Skleenar: Pontus and the Nail Drivers: Uh, slavery ring a bell?

Great.

Now I'm drooling.

Oh, sorry.

Pontus and the Nail Drivers: Oh, sorry.

Well you should be.

Where's the kibble, anyway?

Our almost all white population is why I love living in North Dakota.