A Third of Americans Say Blackface Is Acceptable

[DonViejo]

Source: PoliticalWire



February 11, 2019 at 8:38 am EST By Taegan Goddard

A new Pew Research poll finds 53% of Americans think it is generally unacceptable for a white person to use makeup to darken their skin to appear to be a different race as part of a Halloween costume, including 37% who say this is never acceptable.

Meanwhile, 34% say this is always or sometimes acceptable.

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Read more: https://politicalwire.com/2019/02/11/a-third-of-americans-say-blackface-is-acceptable/

[Maxheader]

1. Stum[]pys 30%ers mantra is of course white people first...

Some do as they please...

[Soxfan58]

2. About the same as trumps approval rating

Coincidence? I think not!

[MissMillie]

3. I was going to say...

… "I'll bet I know which third."

[PeeJ52]

4. That's about what I thought. 30% of American's don't give a damn about another person's feelings...

... and of those 30%, there are probably 5% that actually enjoy stepping on others.

[doompatrol39]

6. You are too generous

I'd say of that 30% more than half are rooted in some degree of emotional sadism that brings them joy at the misery of others, as long as they are others who those people don't like.

[PeeJ52]

7. So I'm an optimist...

Explains why I have to keep picking myself back up every day...

[Chickensoup]

5. Here we go again, Trump base in action. so what else can we poll for. Do you believe that Jews

control Hollywood and the banks? or the majority of 1.6 billion Muslims are terrorists or the majority of Latinos in America are illegals or the majority of African Americans are on welfare. I guess every one of the above will get the same 35%.
Now, who,s fault is it, and is that a goal that is worth a serious campaign to win their hearts and minds through education and nonstop press campaign against the fake news and ignorant myth.

[Firestorm49]

8. A third of Americans. Hmmmmm??? His lowly base of idiots?

[BlueIdaho]

9. 30% of Americans are Racist

Trump Humpers...

[Politicub]

10. America's dependable third Reich

Always standing by their fellow-traveler Trump and racism.

[0rganism]

11. i wonder which 1/3 that would be...

i'm guessing the Venn diagram overlap of these very fine people and Trump supporters and racists looks pretty much like a single circle.

[Greybnk48]

13. LOLOL. My thoughts exactly! n/t

[LakeSuperiorView]

12. Probably the same third that accepts spraying orange paint on one's face to try to appear human...

[jcmaine72]

14. Is that the same third that thinks Trump is doing a great job?

Or is it the third that believes in Bigfoot? Actually, I think that's the same third.

One third of our population is really, really stupid.

[Stuckinthebush]

15. I'd love to see that crosstab

Blackface OK: Yes No
Republican: 99% 1%
Democrat: 1% 99%

[rogue emissary]

16. They must have polled DU members.

[Honeycombe8]

17. What do you mean? nt

[rogue emissary]

18. There are quite a few posters on here condoning blackface.

[Honeycombe8]

23. No, there aren't. Can you link to any?

Maybe you're equating not ousting Northam to condoning blackface? The two things are different.

[rogue emissary]

25. Sorry it took so long. Quite a few were removed, but here's one.

Sorry but I just don't give a damn about something Nothram did 35 years ago.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211786158

[Honeycombe8]

31. That's not someone condoning blackface. I still await all the links of DUers who condone blackface..

which is what you said. That the 34% have a lot of friends on DU...that they condone blackface.

You need to produce links for all those DUers who condone blackface.

(That link you sent is just someone complaining about all the press coverage on the Northam matter.)

[rogue emissary]

33. I'd be here all day trying to unhide or search google to find post removed.

If you are saying blackface is a stupid mistake, or a relative of yours did it. I consider that condoning blackface.

Also, that post which he titled "Sorry but I just don't give a damn about something Nothram did 35 years ago." is a perfect example.

[Honeycombe8]

34. What ARE you talking about.

You said that DUers condone blackface. Since I read DU every day and haven't seen any such posts, I asked you to justify your remark by proving it. Since your accusation isn't true, to my knowledge.

I offered no opinion on the subject myself. However, if merely asking for you to prove an accusation means, to you, that I condone blackface, then I can see why you thought so many DUers condone it. You read that into anything anyone says to you on anything related to the subject matter.

The post you linked to was complaining about the media coverage concerning Northam. Stating that what Northam did 35 years ago one time is something he doesn't care about does not condone blackface.

Saying someone made a mistake once 35 years ago is not condoning anything. You have a very low bar. I wonder who is pure enough for you? Accepting someone's mistake in the far past in no way condones the action.

[rogue emissary]

36. Never said you did, and honestly apologize that you thought I did.

It's hard to go through the dozen of Northam threads to find those individual posts.

I pointed out talk points that I considered condoning blackface. For example, DU Poster saying stuff like they had relatives that did blackface or it was a long time ago. As if those statements mean we shouldn't demand he step down.

To me making those excuses reeks of condoning that action. Just like all the Reps talked themselves red in the face saying what Kavanah did was when he was a young man. An excuse that many on DU dismissed as disingenuous.

We disagree on what constitutes condoning blackface on DU.

"Accepting someone's mistake in the far past in no way condones the action."
Fair point, but many on DU not only accept it. They decided that there shouldn't be any repercussions for this action. That anyone like me who voted for the man. Should also allow that he did it and we are just stooges of Republican "Ratfuking" since we think he should resign.

We've gone after a lot of Republicans for bad if not criminal behavior in their past. Have you seen many DU poster accepting that behavior?

[Honeycombe8]

40. Someone can decry blackface, but forgive one instance of it done 35 years ago.

Not caring what someone did 35 years ago (assuming it wasn't murder or physical violence) does not mean condoning whatever he did. A person can both hate it, but not care about that particular instance from decades ago by a person who doesn't have a history of such things.

My position is that it is a matter for Virginians to decide. He and the Lt. Gov. & AG are elected officials in a state. That isn't national politics. They were democratically elected. That means it must be decided by the voters of that state what to do about all of them.

That in no way means I condone it. It's the way it is in our democratic country. Virginia is capable of handling its own affairs, and legally, no one from outside the state can interfere.

The Dem Party can require Northam or Fairfax or anyone not belong to its party. But it can't interfere with their positions that the Virginia voters elected them to.

[Polybius]

39. Why can't we see removed posts anyway?

Every time I see "post removed" I get curious. Wish there was an option to see it.

[Honeycombe8]

24. The poll shows that 99% of Democrats do not condone blackface. nt

[rogue emissary]

27. That 99% isn't on DU. I was referring to the 34%

that thought blackface was acceptable and they have allies here.

[Honeycombe8]

30. Those 34%-ers are Republicans. Can you send your links to all the DUers who condone blackface?

I await your links.

[Judi Lynn]

32. People posing as Democrats DO butt in here until the right people spot them.

If they didn't we wouldn't need someone to show them the door.

You are absolutely right.

Too many poseurs at any given moment, some have managed to fly just beneath the radar for years, and have even been spotted boasting about it at conservative sites in passing years, very proud of themselves.

[jmowreader]

19. What they didn't say

A Venn diagram with “people who think blackface is acceptable” and “Trump supporters” would have one circle.

[kwassa]

20. 50% of Republicans think it is always or sometimes acceptable

here is the chart to breakdown

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/02/11/about-a-third-of-americans-say-blackface-in-a-halloween-costume-is-acceptable-at-least-sometimes/ft_19-02-11_blackfacehalloween_whiteadultstwice_2/


?w=840

[Paladin]

21. trump's hateful idiot base. End of story. (nt)

[BHDem53]

22. The same ones

that say orangeface is acceptable.

[Takket]

26. makes perfect sense based on drumpf's poll numbers

[sfwriter]

28. I'd say just say "Trump's Base" but judging from Virginia...

...apparently not.

[Pope George Ringo II]

29. I've actually talked to some of the 30%. "White Chicks" is apparently sufficient justification.

Just like we need a "White History Month" to offset "Black History Month." You know the drill.

[muntrv]

35. That would be Trump's base.

[andym]

37. A lot of progress since 90 years ago when blackface was not just acceptable

but the mainstay of the first American superstar entertainer Al Jolson. But sensitivity to racial identity remains a work in progress in the USA.

[Progressive Jones]

38. One Third of Americans are apparently racist trash. But, we knew that already, didn't we?

[appleannie1943]

41. That is trumpery's base.

[Marthe48]

42. I have mixed feelings

I didn't grow up when blackface was a vaudeville stunt. I grew up when men dressing like women was considered humorous. I never thought that it was that funny, but it was a popular schtick for everyone from Milton Berle to Monty Python.
I noticed that rather than embrace the actual people, whites co-opt cultural properties. Black musicians, by and large, introduced jazz, blues, and rap to American and world culture. Rather than hire the black artists from whom the music flowed, white musicians learned how to play jazz, blues and rap and they got most of the gigs. I think black face is a bad effort to co-opt black humor, or at least black presence on stage. Some humorless whites didn't want to work with black people, so they made their own. The image of white men painted black, or men wearing women's clothes, remains for some an image of old-timey entertainment. But neither were funny to thoughtful people then, and moving forward, both become unfunny anachronisms.
I am not ready to judge the politicians who might have been clueless enough to use blackface. First, I want to be sure this isn't a dirty trick set up to destroy Democratic leadership in Va. Next, I need to learn more about the men involved. Are they like Sen. Byrd? Have they experienced personal growth so that if they were insensitive enough then, are they the same now? Or are they cringing because in their formative years, they were jerks? I don't want to be insensitive or pragmatic. If Northrup, et al, are self-serving hypocrites paying lip service to advancing civil rights, then they need go. If they are the victims of a dirty trick, or if by their public service have atoned, maybe we can forgive their past bad behaviour and let them continue on their paths.

[MineralMan]

43. A Third of Americans are Asses!

There's always a third who will support the unsupportable and cheer for the worst possible things.

There is no news here.