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The Dark Side of 'Corking Up'

Minstrelsy may be dead, but white actors playing people of color is still a thorny issue.

By Joshua Alston | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Mar 14, 2008 | Updated: 2:26  p.m. ET Mar 14, 2008

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  • Posted By: wcarnold @ 03/21/2008 7:52:11 PM

    Comment: Imagine a book (or short story) where the narrator is Irish with red hair. His nickname, in fact, is Red. I would be outraged if they chose an African American to play that role. Oh, wait a minute, I believe Shawshank Redemption did just that. One of the best movies ever (sorry Forrest Gump, but this was the best movie that year), Morgan Freeman gave one of the best performances of his life. The makers of this film chose the best actor for the roll; they didn't force an Irish actor (or even worse, an actor with a bad Irish accent) down our throats. Go ahead, boycott SNL, I don't watch it much, but I did see Armisen's Obama. Dead on, albeit a bit boring. Of all the cast members, he was the best choice.

  • Posted By: tmboy @ 03/19/2008 1:31:11 PM

    Comment: The funny party about this was Him poking fun at Obama not at Obama's Race. Black face pokes fun at RACE

  • Posted By: TexasPride @ 03/17/2008 10:14:18 PM

    Comment: Boycott SNL because they had a white/asian man play the part of a half white man/half black man instead of a black man playing the part of a half white man/half black man? How amusing, yet oh so non-progressive. Using such trivial subjects to get all worked up about just goes to prove that we are nowhere close to having any kind of meaningful discussion when it comes to racial issues. After hearing Obama's preacher of 20 yrs and seeing the thin-skinned comments of some of our black brethren, will the liberal whites on this comment board finally conclude that their vision of a multicultural utopia is nothing more than a grand, unattainable illusion? After all, the reality is it hasn't worked ANYWHERE it's been tried. Even here in America, in the year 2008, blacks choose to self-segregate with their own organizations, predictably using the convenient excuse that "blacks were forced to segregate in the past", thereby justifying their personal choice to self-segregate now. A choice even made by many blacks too young to have ever been subjected to forced segregation. Why do they choose to do so now? Partly due to the teachings of the Jeremiah Wright's out there. Partly due to just natural instincts. Racial solidarity is not a bad thing for blacks, but likewise, it is not a bad thing for whites either. The sooner whites wake up to this fact and realize that other races feel no loyalty to you just because "you're one of the good ones", the better off you will be. Because as it stands now, your passiveness and fear of being labeled a "racist" is whats driving petty arguments such as what we see here in this SNL controversy. Grow a spine!

  • Posted By: TexasPride @ 03/17/2008 10:13:17 PM

    Comment: Boycott SNL because they had a white/asian man play the part of a half white man/half black man instead of a black man playing the part of a half white man/half black man? How amusing, yet oh so racist. Using such trivial subjects to get all worked up about just goes to prove that we are nowhere close to having any kind of meaningful discussion when it comes to racial issues. After hearing Obama's preacher of 20 yrs and seeing the thin-skinned comments of some of our black brethren, will the liberal whites on this comment board finally conclude that their vision of a multicultural utopia is nothing more than a grand, unattainable illusion? After all, the reality is it hasn't worked ANYWHERE it's been tried. Even here in America, in the year 2008, blacks choose to self-segregate with their own organizations, predictably using the convenient excuse that "blacks were forced to segregate in the past", thereby justifying their personal choice to self-segregate now. A choice even made by many blacks too young to have ever been subjected to forced segregation. Why do they choose to do so now? Partly due to the teachings of the Jeremiah Wright's out there. Partly due to just natural instincts. Racial solidarity is not a bad thing for blacks, but likewise, it is not a bad thing for whites either. The sooner whites wake up to this fact and realize that other races feel no loyalty to you just because "you're one of the good ones", the better off you will be. Because as it stands now, your passiveness and fear of being labeled a "racist" is whats driving petty arguments such as what we see here in this SNL controversy. Grow a spine!

  • Posted By: ecnusa @ 03/17/2008 7:42:19 PM

    Comment: This argument is absurd. If you'd genuinely like to learn more about the mixed race experience, try these books:
    What are You?
    Part Asian, 100% Hapa
    Mixed: An Anthology of Short Fiction on the Multiracial Experience

    There are a lot of people in addition to Barack Obama who check the less strictly defining "Other" box.

  • Posted By: LadyBugg @ 03/17/2008 1:18:10 PM

    Comment: LadyBugg continued.......
    When I was growing up, I was The ONLY person I knew who read comic books. As a black female, Storm of the X-Men was my hero because she was a strong, intelligent woman in a position of power. Imagine my disappointment when the movie comes out and Storm turned into a "girl-Friday". She loses all her authority and is turned into the cute girl with the white eyes. I was infuriated! I felt betrayed because Hollywood didn't think enough of this character, who was my hero, to make her an intricate part of the story. I have to ask myself why that is. Cyclops is a character who led the group when they were ???deployed??? in the comic books, but why is he the 2nd in command in the movies? Things like this weigh heavy on my mind when I speak to my students about race relations in America. I mean, how do I counter that? The almost non-stop image that people of color are less than, or not as important as someone else just because of their skin tone? I still watch movies that I find interesting, regardless of if I see anyone black people in the commercials. I saw ???No Country for Old Men??? & ???3:10 to Yuma??? over the weekend and thought that they were excellent movies that deserved an Oscar nod (or win). Yet I would still have liked to see movies of that caliber that have enough room to include blacks. I still have hope. I think Obama does too, which is why I am voting for him. Nothing more, nothing less

  • Posted By: LadyBugg @ 03/17/2008 1:17:38 PM

    Comment: Wow. I am truly horrified by the comments on this board. It always seems as if it is something trivial that shows us how people are really feeling. I do believe that Hollywood has a long way to go before it truly reflects the diversity of this country. I was truly "color blind" as a child when it came to TV shows and movies. I would watch anything that caught my attention. My mother would often complain about my choices, telling me that she doesn't watch anything that doesn't have a black person in it. At the time, I thought she was being small-minded. It wasn't until I started getting older that I really began to understand what she meant. African-Americans helped build this country, yet more than 150 years after emancipation, we are still given a hyphen in our title. Why am I not just an American? Africans have a culture that is drastically different than anything I have experienced growing up in the US. We have nothing in common except for the color of our skin, yet I am associated with them in every official document that I fill out. I am not saying that I am ashamed of that part of my history, I cherish it and would like to learn more about my family's past, but I am a full-blown American... nothing more. It is trivial things like this that remind me of the racial divide in this country. We live in a place where movie stars are revered, yet Will Smith, the #1 box office star in the country, is currently regulated to second place in reference to his friend, Tom Cruise. I am so sick of hearing Will and Jada answer questions about Tom and Katie's life, but it seems that is the only aspect of the Smith's life that people find interesting. They forgot all about his personal accomplishments as soon as they saw them out with TomKat. I remember the controversy over Grey's Anatomy. People were complaining that it was not an accurate reflection of an American hospital because so many people of color were in positions of power. Do you realize how insulting that is? I grew up in Atlanta, where the hospitals are full of black doctors& nurses. I grew up in a black middle class neighborhood where I was surrounded by teachers, lawyers, judges, doctors, etc, and no one was shot on the corner, nor did anyone sell drugs or prostitute themselves on the street. My neighborhood was more like the Cosby's than anything else I have seen, on TV yet that image of black families is completely absent from Hollywood. This is what upsets me.

  • Posted By: NOODLESYES1 @ 03/17/2008 9:38:37 AM

    Comment: a WHITE MAN T PLAY A BLACK MAN IS UNACCEPTABLE-- WE HAVE ENOUGH BLACKS ACTORS OUT HERE TO ACT AS SUCH--

  • Posted By: isabelspacey @ 03/16/2008 2:08:49 PM

    Comment: I suggest that Mr. Alston write an article about all this back and forth about his article and what it means about how we really feel about each other. We are so quick to call each other stupid and hypocritical and we don't even know each other. You'd think this was an article about the Jena 6 the way it's gotten everyone's blood boiling. We are so deeply divided and have such a poor understanding of each other. The worst part is people seem to be fine with that.

  • Posted By: naomigoff @ 03/16/2008 4:33:30 AM

    Comment: Armisen has both Venezuelan and Japanese ancestry, making him both the second Asian-American and second Latin-American Saturday Night Live castmember, after Rob Schneider (who is part Filipino) and Horatio Sanz (who is Chilean), respectively."
    -Wikipedia.org

    • Posted By: ppreal @ 03/16/2008 14:17:29

      Comment: RIght on, the more mixed the better... thought I heard something about the gene pool's diversity and it's relation to brightness... just a thought ;) Pepe :))

  • Posted By: naomigoff @ 03/16/2008 4:32:59 AM

    Comment: Armisen has both Venezuelan and Japanese ancestry, making him both the second Asian-American and second Latin-American Saturday Night Live castmember, after Rob Schneider (who is part Filipino) and Horatio Sanz (who is Chilean), respectively."
    -Wikipedia.org

  • Posted By: just an American @ 03/16/2008 12:09:17 AM

    Comment: Well, looks like I made a few spelling and grammer errors again. Sorry about that.
    One final comment....Can't we all get along? What a great world it would be.

  • Posted By: just an American @ 03/15/2008 11:50:02 PM

    Comment: Cazador, sorry did not check my spelling.As far as correct grammer goes, I don't care if I use correct pronounciation as long as other people understand what I'm trying to get across. I voted for Obama in the primary. The reason I no longer will support him is that when interviewded on 360, he could not explain his reason for denouncing his preacher. If and when he does, I may support him once again. We'll have to wait and see. As far as racial comments go,youhave an issue or two going. By the way, my best friend is and will always be a black man I served with in Viet-Nam. We see each other every day, and no way talk about race and who has it better or worse, as we both have put up with crap all our lives. So no way am I a racist. Once again I hope Obama can explain whats going on because I think he not as a black man, but as a human being can make a differance in this country. I also hope people ready my comment understand what I've said even if the grammer is not perfect.

  • Posted By: Donna1000 @ 03/15/2008 6:08:11 PM

    Comment: Cate Blanchett was nominated for an Academy Award for playing Bob Dylan. Why restrict an actor because of his/her race, gender or whatever? Come on, if we're going to have righteous indignation for one group, please, let's have righteous indignation for all groups.

  • Posted By: ObamaMama @ 03/15/2008 5:44:27 PM

    Comment: Mockery and denigration of a human being is NEVER ok. The sarcastic, angry, insulting humor that was ushered in by the likes of Laugh -in, Don Rickles, SNL, etc. helped set the tones of disrespect and even violence toward humankind. It's part of what's a grave ill of the world today: disrespect for human life in all its forms. It's part of the reason there's so much BULLYING in the workplace, in schools. Before Columbine and in many terrible similar incidents since, students who went berserk were victims of bullying: insults, snipes, terrible tricks that took away their dignity. It's time, TIME to work for BROTHERHOOD, neighbor!

  • Posted By: danizebra @ 03/15/2008 5:10:25 PM

    Comment: As a black man in the south and a military veteran, I am really ashamed by the ridiculous comments by Rev. Wright. Of course Hillary doesn't know what it's like to be black. Why would she? And who cares? And what's the deal with the 9/11 comments. Ministers like him need to realize that their job is to preach the word of God and have a seat. The pulpit is no place to advance personal agendas. He just lost the presidency for Obama.

  • Posted By: Nins @ 03/15/2008 3:42:54 PM

    Comment: This is a paraphrase of an earlier comment by Anthony:

    Yes, blacks are excited, this the first time in 225 years of this nation's history that there is someone they can relate to who is a serious, qualified contender for President I'm sure there will be more degrading remarks about race, which should be of no surprise to anyone. Working as a security contractor in the Middle East, I see young enlisted people of all races: hispanics, blacks, whites and others, some of whom may never live to see the US again. As someone who has been in combat, I know very well that the enemy will not attack them by race but as Americans. To sum it up: if we are qualified to fight and die for this nation, then we are also qualified to lead it. Some people have forgotten that we too have shed blood for this nation from it's birth and will continue to do so.

    Bravo, Anthony!


    And yes, I would have to agree with the people who say:

    BOYCOTT SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE FOR MAKING BLACKS LOOK STUPID AND FEARFUL

    • Posted By: just an American @ 03/15/2008 16:56:28

      Comment: If your affended, get over it already, what about Obamas preacher. Every white in America should now vote for Clinton (ick) or Mc Cain. I'm more offended by his remarks and will no longer support Obama. Every race etc. in the world has been discriminated against, but only Blacks continue to *** about it. Maybe it is the reason they still get discriminated against. Think about it!

      • Posted By: Cazador72 @ 03/15/2008 17:34:50

        Comment: "No longer support Obama"? It doesn't sound you like ever did, you know, judging by your grammar and racial comments. By the way, "your" is a possessive pronoun. What you wanted to say was "you are" or "you're" and the word is "offended" not "affended". But you made one good point, Nin is full of it.

  • Posted By: david777 @ 03/15/2008 3:26:58 PM

    Comment: BOYCOTT SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE!

  • Posted By: david777 @ 03/15/2008 3:25:52 PM

    Comment: once again, I will say BOYCOTT SATURDAY NIGH LIVE

  • Posted By: techresmgt @ 03/15/2008 1:06:34 PM

    Comment: Blackface is a thorny issue? Why would that be? Blacks have no problems making movies such as "White Chicks" and making off color and offensive remarks about "white people" every chance they get. If they can dish it, they better be able to take it. If not, please do not exercise and practice hypocrisy and double standard rhetoric to the nth degree. Many of us out here have a pretty good head on our shoulders and will no longer fall for this trickery and manipulation. Racism resides in the hearts and minds of individuals and is not determined by the relative pigmentation of their skin.

  • Posted By: Vegas @ 03/15/2008 12:17:41 PM

    Comment: What Robert Downey Jr. is doing IS NOT black face. He's just playing an African-American. And there aren't any "black" people who actually look like black face. There are some who resemble the way the make up was done on Downey, Jr. and that's not actually black. It's kind of bronze or some type of brown. Black face is like tar colored or like a black shoe polish. It's unrealistic. I thnk the media needs to report that he's actually just portraying an African American and is donning a bronze look for the role. Much like how Eddie Murphy used to play white or Jewish.

  • Posted By: Vegas @ 03/15/2008 12:14:27 PM

    Comment: Robert Downey Jr. is not in black face. He just has on make up to portray a person of color, a "black" man, which are actually some kind of brown instead of black. Black face is like shoe polish or a tar type color. This guy is merely wearing cosmetics that are actually slightly lighter than true bronze. Black face is like Al Jolson in the Jazz Singer. It's extremely black, non-human. As I haven't seen any African Americans who look like black face. I've only seen brownish people.

  • Posted By: ThinkRodan @ 03/15/2008 10:44:00 AM

    Comment: If the BLACK CHARACTER portrayed presents OBAMA in a POSITIVE LIGHT,it is acceptable;on the other hand if the character portrays OBAMA as a BLACK BUFFOON it is damaging to his Campaign Effort. Such portrayals are POLITICAL ATTACKS and beneficial to his opponent H. CLINTON. Such attacks are reminders of the DIRTY TRICKS CAMPAIGN of KARL ROVE and company!

  • Posted By: ThinkRodan @ 03/15/2008 10:36:26 AM

    Comment: If the ROLE played by the actor portrayed OBAMA in a POSITIVE VIEWPOINT,it is acceptable;on the other hand if it portrayed OBAMA as a BLACK BUFFFOON,it is a POLITICAL ATTACK MESSAGE,and diminishes
    his ROLE AS A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE! It would seem as though it came out of a CLINTON DIRTY TRICKS CAMPAIGN PLAYBOOK,ala Karl ROVE!

  • Posted By: THE RAVEN @ 03/15/2008 10:29:14 AM

    Comment: WOW! After reading your dumb remarks, you white people REALLY don't have a clue, do you? I would like to be in the head and mind of one of you pale faces for just a few seconds. Just a few seconds, mind you. It must be a dark, pathetic place. Full of hate and murderous rage. Confusion and fear of anyone not pale. Fuming stupidity, and idiotic reasoning with no compasion--not even for your kind. Evil plotting of disgusting behavior. No wonder you people spawn the most dispicable humans of any race.
    Let us black actors put grease and flour on our faces, and mimic some of their better qualities and charateristics:
    The white moms who drown their children, and white husbands who murder their wives, and then call to tell the police some "black man" did it!
    "Disgruntled" white teens who decide to shoot up their schools and murder their school mates because someone said their hair wasn't blonde enough, eyes not blue enough to fit in.
    Let's powder our faces and kill some people in a shopping mall or college.
    Let's murder our entire white family because we didn't get the raise we were promised from our white dad who owns the company, after he gave us the job we weren't qaulified for in the first place.
    Let's powder up and portray THEIR favorite white characters:
    Mass murderers (Remember the U.S. FIRST terrorist, red neck Tim Mcvey, who blew up the federal building in Oklahoma?), spree killers, and their favorites: the serial killers living in a whites-only suburbs.
    There are thousands to choose from, including: Dahmer, John W. Gacy, the green river serial killer, Ted Bundy (The white women LOVED this one!), Lucus, the Hillside stranglers (Yeap, two at a time!)...TOO many to mention.
    Let's portray the child-molesting priests or family man. Or the white couple cooking up meth in their kitchen, while the children sleeps in the next room.
    Let's powder OUR faces white, and let's have some laughs, too!

    • Posted By: Justmethinking @ 03/17/2008 10:23:44

      Comment: You have no idea what youare talking about. Check your facts first please.

  • Posted By: ppreal @ 03/15/2008 8:25:52 AM

    Comment: We must stop countering complaints with complaints - the fact is that Obama is not "black", he is only "half-black", so having a mixed-race actor darken his skin to play the mixed-race Senator was brilliant - if anyone was offended , well, maybe they just didn't get the joke. Barack Obama's heritage spans two continents: African father and mother of European descent; three continents if we take into account the he was born and lives in America; actually four continents if we consider that he spent a number of years in South East Asia (Indonesia) when very young... very few of us can talk of having anything close to such exposure to the world. Back to the point, the fact that the (mostly "white") media pundits persist in referring to the Illinois Senator as "black" shows how deep the roots of racism really are. Fortunately, there is a loud roar coming from the younger generations who are fed up with all this nonsense. The future of the American "melting pot" is one of mixed race, sooner or later we will all be of mixed race... come to think of it, I think we already are :))

    • Posted By: THE RAVEN @ 03/15/2008 09:20:44

      Comment: ppreal--how stupid are you? He's a black man. Any black blood in his body makes his black. This racist country said so.
      Half black people don't exsit.

  • Posted By: Abetterplace @ 03/15/2008 7:51:27 AM

    Comment: There is only one real issue here. Complaining Blacks. They are constantly looking for anything to play their trump card on. Why is it that a mixed race anything/black person nearly always ends up black. Could it be that being black offers them many more "freebies" than being white? What the heck with actors. Give us a break.

    • Posted By: Yogy676 @ 03/15/2008 09:39:15

      Comment: Uh, no. The US has (or had) a law called the One Drop Rule. If you were even 1/16 African, you were Black. That still permeates our society. That's why Halle Berry is "Black". That's why Tiger Woods is "Black". So, my ignorant friend, it has nothing to do with what Americans of a darker skin color want. It never has been. I don't know who joshua alston, the author of this article is, but he's th only person I've heard complain about this. You need to stop feeding into the media's ranting about "race" and listen to the average person, who doesn't care about a SNL skit. As a person of predominantly African heritage, I don't care. No one I know cares. So I'm not sure who your complaint is about.

      • Posted By: Vegas @ 03/15/2008 12:21:02

        Comment: You are 100% correct. America is still using old slave master laws, especially the one drop rule. There's nothing wrong with being black, but it's just more about being accurate. The old plantation rules/laws need to go, think about the men who created them. Not a good thing, especially in 2008.

  • Posted By: intimallku @ 03/15/2008 1:40:57 AM

    Comment: Whats the deal? There is no white actor playing a black polticial candidate. Unless my eyes tricked me, we have a mixed-race candidate playing a mixed race candidate. What speaks volumes to me is that we continue to speak of Obama as black and continue to talk race despite the fact that he is mixed and dexpite the fact that he continually preaches looking beyond race. It's odd that the very supporter who laud him for speaking of uniting people have some of the most divise tones in any comment board. I wonder what we would talking about if a black actor had to lighten his skin to play Obama instead?

  • Posted By: janek1944 @ 03/15/2008 12:00:03 AM

    Comment: Comment: When I was a child we used to use cork to blacken our faces on Halloween. My impression was we were dressing up like bums/tramps. We used to have baggy old clothes of our father's and a stick with a bandana tired around it. We never gave it a thought about being a black person. We are white and grew up in a all white neighborhood but were never subjected to racial slurs by our parents. They had some very nice black adult friends who were musicians. They used to visit occassionaly as did their other friends.

    It is a travesty that "corking" alway s seems to have a deragatory meaning to it.

    I thank God for the way I was raised - minus the bigotry.

    • Posted By: Vegas @ 03/15/2008 12:24:26

      Comment: Blackening isn't what Downey Jr. is doing. He looks brown or bronze, like a regular African American, some of them anyway. Black face is actually more tar colored or black shoe polish like. It looks nothing like a real person. It doesn't even look like some of the darkest people in the world usually found in Africa, India, and Bangledesh. I see many Indians, like the Ghandi kind, that are so much "blacker" than black people. Usually black people are bronze or some type of brown, I don't even know how they came to be called black. I used to hear them use terms like Brown Sugar, etc. The Yellow Rose of Texas is actually about Emily Rose who was "black", yet yellow, a/k/a Mulatto. It's crazy!

  • Posted By: janek1944 @ 03/14/2008 11:58:44 PM

    Comment: Comment: When I was a child we used to use cork to blacken our faces on Halloween. My impression was we were dressing up like bums/tramps. We used to have baggy old clothes of our father's and a stick with a bandana tired around it. We never gave it a thought about being a black person. We are white and grew up in a all white neighborhood but were never subjected to racial slurs by our parents. They had some very nice black adult friends who were musicians. They used to visit occassionaly as did their other friends.

    It is a travesty that "corking" alway s seems to have a deragatory meaning to it.

    I thank God for the way I was raised - minus the bigotry.

  • Posted By: vh0815 @ 03/14/2008 10:12:01 PM

    Comment: Absolutely. As a mixed-race actress (black/white), it is frustrating to see how often, particularly in legitimate theatre, minority thespians are "black actors" instead of "actors" who happen to be black. My high school just did a performance of "The Crucible", where I played Abigail Williams. To do the part, my director had me use makeup and powder to make me Puritan pale, even though we have several exceptional white actresses in our program. None of them minded; in fact, they were incredibly supportive. It is an interesting change from when this same school did "A Raisin in the Sun" in blackface during the 50s, because there were so few blacks in this particular part of Utah. Changing race for a part can be gutsy, and I have the utmost respect for an actor who is willing to go so far outside their comfort zone.

  • Posted By: vh0815 @ 03/14/2008 10:10:15 PM

    Comment: Absolutely. As a mixed-race actress (black/white), it is frustrating to see how often, particularly in legitimate theatre, minority thespians are "black actors" instead of "actors" who happen to be black. My high school just did a performance of "The Crucible", where I played Abigail Williams. To do the part, my director had me use makeup and powder to make me Puritan pale, even though we have several exceptional white actresses in our program. None of them minded; in fact, they were incredibly supportive. It is an interesting change from when this same school did "A Raisin in the Sun" in blackface during the 50s, because there were so few blacks in this particular part of Utah. Changing race for a part can be gutsy, and I have the utmost respect for an actor who is willing to go so far outside their comfort zone.

  • Posted By: Dan_Tucker @ 03/14/2008 9:16:06 PM

    Comment: Since Obama is half white and half African (not even half African American) who are you going to find to play him? If you give it to a black person, then why couldn't somebody say:"hey, he should be played by a person at least half white". The whole thing is a little ridiculous. Dan

    • Posted By: Vegas @ 03/15/2008 12:25:45

      Comment: He's just a man. He is European and African. A lovely combination. Beautiful guy. I don't think his skin should be something we focus on. He's too intelligent for that mess.

  • Posted By: Dan_Tucker @ 03/14/2008 9:13:59 PM

    Comment: Since Obama is half white and half African (not even half African American) who are you going to find to play him? If you give it to a black person, then why couldn't somebody say:"hey, he should be played by a person at least half white". The whole thing is a little ridiculous. Dan

  • Posted By: DogBitez @ 03/14/2008 9:10:54 PM

    Comment: Okay on so many points... but... there is NO SHORTAGE of starving black comedian/actors in New York or around the nation. A tiny bit of energy on the part of SNL would have netted them a new face, a REAL black face, to portray Obama. And quite possibly, they might have helped launch the career of a struggling African American actor in an industry with limited possibilities. Instead, they took the easy (and awkward) way out.

    • Posted By: Vegas @ 03/15/2008 12:28:30

      Comment: The SNL actor isn't in black face. Al Jolson was in black face. Black face is like tar or black shoe polish. It's not brown or bronze cover girl makeup. The SNL actor is just doing like Eddie Murphy when he plays white or Jewish. He's not dipped in white flour or anything. That would be white face. He's just wearing a Caucasian make up. Black face is unreal. I've never met a black person that looks like that in my life. They just look brown or bronze. I don't even know how they got the name black. I used to hear terms like "Brown sugar" which is more accurate if you ask me.

  • Posted By: MSEBZDC01 @ 03/14/2008 8:42:55 PM

    Comment: I agree moorejo but we shouldn't have to flat out state we are black before we make our point lol....I almost did but thought that doesn't even matter.

  • Posted By: YabbaDabbaDoDo @ 03/14/2008 8:42:04 PM

    Comment: This whole world must be inside-out. I cannot turn on the TV or go to the movies without finding a 'black' in leading role after leading role. I am sickened and disgusted by all this pandering to an ethnic group that has now given new meaning to the phrase 'Tail wagging the dog'. Blackface? Hell, it won't be long and they'll have to use 'Whiteface' to get anybody in a leading role that logic would dictate needs a Caucasian actor. McCain, baby, all the way. You Dems have handed the White House to the Repubs inspite of everything!

    • Posted By: THE RAVEN @ 03/15/2008 09:24:05

      Comment: Yeah, I want to know what channel he's watching, too. Couldn't be BET--Whitey owns it, now.

      • Posted By: Justmethinking @ 03/17/2008 10:25:16

        Comment: Whitey 'has' to own it, since the 'black' man who did own it ran it into the ground.

    • Posted By: MSEBZDC01 @ 03/14/2008 20:47:31

      Comment: What channels do you watch?

      • Posted By: DogBitez @ 03/14/2008 21:18:44

        Comment: I would sure like to know. I only get the channels with all the white people. Once in a while I see a black or Hispanic... Asians are so rare, they're like truffles. Don't get me started on the portrayal of redheads in films (okay, I'm one... so I'm a bit biased).

  • Posted By: MSEBZDC01 @ 03/14/2008 8:41:16 PM

    Comment: Uhhhh it didn't look like he darkened himelf at all to me or am I missing something....since Obama IS lightskinned anyways. I seriously didn't notice any color change.

  • Posted By: MSEBZDC01 @ 03/14/2008 8:40:50 PM

    Comment: Uhhhh it didn't look like he darkened himelf at all to me or am I missing something....since Obama IS lightskinned anyways. I seriously didn't notice any color change.

  • Posted By: darndes @ 03/14/2008 8:30:20 PM

    Comment: Fred Armisen is doing a really great job capturing and satirizing all of Obama's mannerisms. It's not about race, it's about the ability of the actor and I think SNL has the perfect man for the job.

  • Posted By: newage_lightbulb @ 03/14/2008 8:19:47 PM

    Comment: Here's a more pertinent comment - who cares if it's offensive to black people? The problem is that there will always be some black person who gets offended at something a white person does, largely because we allow people like Al Sharpton to continue to manufacture and sell fake black outrage to bolster their own power. Have you not heard of free speech? The intent is not to insult, it's to get the best man for the job.

  • Posted By: ladytina32 @ 03/14/2008 7:23:52 PM

    Comment: Why isn't anyone talking about the upcoming Ben Stiller Movie, Tropic Thunder. Tropic Thunder centers on a group of actors (including Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., and Jack Black) who get dropped into the jungle by a director (Steve Coogan) who is tired of their canned performances in his Vietnam War film. Downey plays a white actor who dyes his skin black for his role ??? and recites the theme song to The Jeffersons for added authenticity. I challenge anyone to say this is not going to be offensive to African Americans.

    • Posted By: Yogy676 @ 03/15/2008 09:46:27

      Comment: It won't be offensive to me. I'm of African heritage. Please stop painting all brown-skinned people of African heritage with a broad brush. AL Sharpton does not speak for us. The media allows him to.

  • Posted By: moorejo @ 03/14/2008 7:19:19 PM

    Comment: I agree cajundawg....I'm a black male and I think it's all about intent, taste and the "spirit" of it. If it is "mean" spirited, meant to offend or just plain tacky then use common sense and dont do it. That goes for white and BLACK comedians, etc. I dont usually like watching shows that show people of another race portraying another-whether it's meant to be funny or not-I just think it looks silly but there are exceptions. Angelina Jolie darkening her skin to play Ms Pearl is completly appropriate as she is black (i think) and it is a portrayl of a real woman regarding a serious matters. The Al Jolsons and Wayans (White Chicks) are ridiculous and embarassing more to themselves than the ones they are making fun of. Personally, I thought the SNL skit w/ Barack looked humerous as did Clintons character. It's really a non-issue.

  • Posted By: cajundawg @ 03/14/2008 6:45:04 PM

    Comment: Why does the press CONTINUE to publish articles that stir up non-existent racial divides??? There would be no racial issues if there were no more dividing articles like this one. And as for "black-face" ever being ok, come down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras and see the Zulu parade. You just might combust at the shock: white AND black people in REAL black face having a great time!

  • Posted By: realdogmatic1 @ 03/14/2008 6:43:12 PM

    Comment: First of all, I don't think this article was written by an African American. You whites that are real quick to say double standard, etc. Nobody what to heard that NONSENSE everytime the media bring up an issue. There is more importance thing that need to be change in this country, but you like to waste your energy and time whinning about how great African Americans have in this country. Lets see IMUS comments (defended of course), KRAMER from Seinfeld (defended of course)...and how you ask. Like little kids stating...but mommy...mommy....they do it too. GROW UP people and get a REAL LIFE.

  • Posted By: knightfrogger @ 03/14/2008 6:29:20 PM

    Comment: I TO JUST WATCHED THE REMARKES THE SEN. BARACK H. OBAMAS PREACHER MADE! OUTRAGEOUS CONSIDERING THAT AS A HALF BLACK MAN WHO WAS RAISED OUTSIDE THE U.S.A. UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL AGE SAYING THAT HE IS WELL TRAVELED ...HE WENT TO HARVARD LAW SHOOL ...HE LIVES IN A LARGE LAVISH HOME...HOW IS HE AN UNDERPRIVILEGED BLACK MAN! i WILL BE STICKING TO MY WORD THAT IF HILLARY IS NOT THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE I WILL BE VOTING FOR M MM MC MCCAIN!

    • Posted By: wildechild0815 @ 03/14/2008 22:30:20

      Comment: Just because someone is biracial and wasn't raised in the US doesn't mean that they haven't been disadvantaged. After all, Many children of interracial unions do suffer because they are cut off from their extended family members who have issues with interracial marriages. People all over the earth have a share in the heritage of Africa--black AND white. To discount that heritage would be to refuse to see the whole picture, which is what leads to misunderstandings like these.

  • Posted By: tired and old @ 03/14/2008 6:25:03 PM

    Comment: In life we meet all kinds of people with diverse views.

    One individual I knew at work and associated with off duty was a KKK bigot. He was not always slamming blacks. I also verbally disagreed with him on occasion.We stayed friends despite our differences.

    I personally trained and associated with black friends off duty.

    Diversity is fine; just stay away from bad people that get in trouble.

    I listened to some of the preachers sermons on the news and agreed with some things and disagreed with other things. Objectiveness dictates that one listens to both sides before reaching conclusions.

    Those that condemn Obama because of a preachers views are wrong. If Obama says these things than condemn him.

    I am my own person, don't unfairly attack others for what I may say, don't attack me for what I did not say.

    I do know that I would go to a church where they preach the love of mankind and not the hate for mankind.
    Preachers should represent the teaching of god, not the word of man.

  • Posted By: dr doug @ 03/14/2008 6:19:43 PM

    Comment: Sat NIte Live is a sketch comedy show that uses the actors available in the cast - always has and probably always will. So the choice of Armisen to play Obama was a natural. There's nobody else to do it? Who, Amy Poehler? And Armisen did a good job. Gees, this is so unimportant.

  • Posted By: weneedtostop.com @ 03/14/2008 6:15:35 PM

    Comment: Blackface? This is hardly what I would classify as blackface.

  • Posted By: Cazador72 @ 03/14/2008 6:12:56 PM

    Comment: "The other has to do with the dearth of substantive roles for actors of color." This is valid?

    African American actors have been racking up Oscar nominations and wins substantially for the last several years. Jamie Foxx even had TWO nominations during the same Oscar year! If anything, the argument can be made that their nominations are considerably over-represented as much as they were underrepresented from 1960 to 1990.

    As far as Berry and Washington winning Oscars on the basis of "questionable characters" that's just ludicrous. One, they were amazingly played and two, most Oscar worthy performances are based on flawed characters:
    Robert De Niro (Raging Bull) a thug
    Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas) an alcoholic
    Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas) a prostitute
    Al Pacino (Scent of a Woman) A womanizing drunk
    Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs) a serial killer
    Michael Douglas (Wall Street) an unethical business man
    Paul Newman (The Color of Money) a hustler.
    and Marlon Brando, the Godfather himself!
    A long, long etc.
    Need I go on?

    Let's not forget that Javier Bardem (A European/Spanish not Hispanic actor - talk about underrepresentation of Hispanics) won by playing a psychopath.

    • Posted By: THE RAVEN @ 03/15/2008 10:40:49

      Comment: You still don't get it! Berry's and Washington's other characters also deserved an Oscar. But you whites prefer the negative stereotypes. Not the positive images. Each white person you mentioned won or were nominated many times for POSITIVE characters.

      • Posted By: Cazador72 @ 03/15/2008 17:41:32

        Comment: So not true! And not all of their other characters "deserved" Oscars. Did you see Cat Woman? Should we give Halle Berry an Oscar for that? Your comments that all whites prefer negative stereotypes is a load of bull. Seven out of ten times ALL Oscars are given to compelling, flawed characters, but what do I know, I've only been acting for 22 years! And how many times were "all those other actors" I mentioned were nominated for "positive characters"? You don't know what you're talking about, do you?

        By the way, I'm neither white nor black, so stop assuming you know what you have no knowledge of.

  • Posted By: angiw @ 03/14/2008 6:01:55 PM

    Comment: After watching the derogatory and unpatriotic remarks made by Mr. Obama???s preacher, I no longer support the Obama campaign. My understanding is that Mr. Obama likened the preacher to an uncle who you may not agree with all the time. To that I say, that is not an accurate comparison because you do not ???CHOOSE??? your uncle, yet a Pastor is chosen. Furthermore, a Pastor is chosen because she/he reflects a person???s individual ideas and philosophy. The preacher???s unpatriotic and derogatory comments about the US coupled with Michele Obama???s previous statement about not being proud of the US is a clear indication of Mr. Obama???s true thinking and feelings. Yes, millions of Americans have been hoodwinked but I am confident that the millions of Americans who have not yet voted will see through the sheep???s clothing and vote for a Democrat, Hillary Clinton, who really loves America and will fight for its people.

  • Posted By: knightfrogger @ 03/14/2008 6:00:30 PM

    Comment: I agree so much with many of the thoughts below! If I a white woman had made a fuss about "White Chicks" would I have not been brushed aside?? I see nothing wrong with someone portraying or charicterizing someone of another race or gender for that matter! It's comedy people! Where do you cross the line of just plain rude and completely inappropriate! Honestly I am over having to tip-toe around other peolpes feelings...If just for a moment we were to look at all the stereotyping that is done by blacks towards whites would you not hear "Ahhhh Poor Whitey" or something to that affect? Think and answer truthfully!

  • Posted By: pinkietoe @ 03/14/2008 6:00:07 PM

    Comment: I hate discussions like these, because they bring up specters of "racial purity". The world is fast approaching a time when most people will be able to trace their ancestry to europe, africa, and asia. Will it be okay for someone of 20% african heritage to play someone of 40% african heritage? Can we agree that this is a stupid question and stop needlessly affixing color labels to every public figure?

  • Posted By: Hypocrisy hater @ 03/14/2008 5:54:45 PM

    Comment: What a load of bunk. Black people are the biggest racists in this country and hide behind their collective past as justification for their racism. In the prominent city where I live a black pastor said "he can't be represented by a white man" in regard to an incumbent white man running for the house of representitives in his district. This was a Baptist pastor for Christ sake, if a white person had said that of a black man like, oh, let's say Barack Obama, there would have been a black uprising demanding that person step down. It's just as racist to vote for someone because they ARE something as because they aren't. Get the chip off your shoulder and put your shoulder to the wheel and we'll all be better off.

  • Posted By: CalexanderJ @ 03/14/2008 5:51:42 PM

    Comment: Wow, it appears most of the commenters didn't bother to actually read this article. The difference between a black actor playing white person (or even a white actor playing an asian), and a white actor playing a black person is in this country there were minstrel shows where white actors would dress in black face and mock and degrade every single aspect of black identity, this was done at a time when there were no countering positive images of blacks in mainstream entertainment and this served to re-inforce highly negative stereotypes. Fortunately that practice has ended, but the enduring effect of it has been whenever a white actor goes black, it reminds many of this era. Now it's easy to say, why don't black people just get over it, but that is a lot easier said than done.

    • Posted By: Cazador72 @ 03/14/2008 18:32:13

      Comment: Most posters here are not claiming this is a minstrel show or applauding it. They are saying, rightfully so and much like the article itself, that the criticism about Fred Armisen playing Obama is baloney.
      Is there an unsavory precedent? Yes, but in the age of "White Chicks", Eddie Murphy and Dave Chappele (bring the show back, please!) these criticisms need to be put into perspective. Surely, there is a difference between a minstrel gay man representation and Tom Hanks' Philadelphia. As an American citizen with an accent and non-white I can tell you that for racism to be overcome in this country a consciousness has to be created (and it's working - ask Obama himself) but by applying different standards the media is alienating the very same people they need to make "Us" overcome this problem. Like I said, this is only news-worthy for the media and for people, both black and white, who make a living out of the politics of resentment.

  • Posted By: Cazador72 @ 03/14/2008 5:40:14 PM

    Comment: Why do they keep resurrecting this story? I thought Obama was half-white and half-black, why is it OK then for him to be played by a black comedians only? Fred Armisen had a recurring character named "Cerecito" who was supposed to be a Venezuelan comic, I didn't hear an uproar then (no "Speedy Gonzalez" type outrage), so how is this any different? Like Cerecito, Armisen's Obama is funny and tastefully done. This is not an insult to African Americans, this is a celebration of our rainbow heritage and the mixed face of America; which both Obama and Armisen himself are part of.

    This is just another example of a story that nobody but the media cares about.

  • Posted By: Justmethinking @ 03/14/2008 5:33:09 PM

    Comment: Why don't we ask the question, 'Is whiteface ever ok?" White Chicks anyone? Give me a break! Until 'African Americans' lose their inherent racial prejudice, this country will never be whole.

    Also, why don't we call Barack white? After all his mother is white. What makes the black half of him the most important half? Black prejudice, that's what.

    I am sick of it.

    • Posted By: MsCjay @ 03/14/2008 18:29:16

      Comment: My children are bi-racial, there father is white and I'm black, they identify with being black. Since the days of slavery anyone with an ounce of black blood was considered Black. Unlike the majority of black america, who call themselves African American, Barack Obama is truly an African American because he father was from Africa and not bought over on slave ships. It is amazing how people seem to overlook and forget this fact. The race and gender card is getting very old, let's stick with the real issues.

      • Posted By: THE RAVEN @ 03/15/2008 10:44:13

        Comment: MsCjay, your comments were sooooooo stupid, illogical and mindless, they don't deserve a rebuttal!

      • Posted By: Justmethinking @ 03/14/2008 22:29:42

        Comment: Wait a second... Your children identify with being black, but their father is white, AND, Barack's father was from Africa so that makes 'him' (Barack) an African American...? First, you are comparing apples to oranges, since the parentage is reversed, and second, since Barack's father is from Africa, 'he' is the African. Barack is an American.

        The sooner people get past the tone of their skin and the faux attachment to the last identified country (or continent, as Africa is not a country) in their lineages, the better off the entire world will be. (Yes, I know that is ending a sentence with a preposition, I just liked that way it sounded, so sue me).

        What does it matter what skin tone someone is? (again) ;^)

        We are all Earthlings, human, and in dire need of uniting for a common good. Wake up people! You must stop choosing sides based on pitiful things like color. Man! I am shaking just typing this! Just stop it! How can I get it through the heads of people, no matter what their color, that racism is just wrong and doesn't do a freaking thing to make this world a better place. And this world really needs to be a better place. We all know that...

        Instead of fighting physically and emotionally among ourselves; all people who are basically good, why aren't we just fighting evil? And I don't mean evil, as in, oh no, he just sang in a minstrel show, or oh no, she just said she likes Kwanza, not Christmas... Who cares!?!

        While this piddly stuff is keeping all our attention, people are murdering, raping, burning, stabbing, stealing, there are wars that are continued because the people we are trying to help don't even like each other (and they are the same skin tone!), a nut in another Middle Eastern country who is hell bent to build a nuclear weapon so he can use it on Israel, and here we sit with our pouty faces on all mad because someone imitated someone else of a different race, and we are all just waiting to hear the latest load of horse hockey about Britney/Lindsay/Paris/Whitney/Janet/J.Lo/YOU pick the flavor of the day!

        Oh my! Give me a break.

        Love you all, and I don't give a 'rats behind' what color you are. So there.

      • Posted By: MSEBZDC01 @ 03/14/2008 20:46:17

        Comment: You're serious?

      • Posted By: MSEBZDC01 @ 03/14/2008 20:45:35

        Comment: Majority of America calls us African American....don't think it's most of us calling ourselves that.

        • Posted By: TexasPride @ 03/24/2008 20:45:00

          Comment: From Answers (dot) com: "Though by no means a modern coinage, African American achieved sudden prominence at the end of the 1980s when several Black leaders, including Jesse Jackson, championed it as an alternative ethnonym for Americans of African descent."

          Hmmm! Apparently it was one of your own (Jesse Jackson) that made the term so mainstream. Now that you have been shown the true culprit behind the label, you can go back to blaming whites for this. As I'm sure you do regarding anything negative within the black community. Disproportionate criminal behavior within the black community? White cops fault. 30,000 black-on-white rapes per year compared to less than 100 white-on-black rapes per year? Whitey's fault. Drug use? Whitey's fault. 70-80% out of wedlock birthrate? Whitey's fault. 50% dropout rate? Whitey's fault. The term "African-American"? As you have already implied, Whitey's fault.

  • Posted By: kdizzle @ 03/14/2008 5:27:27 PM

    Comment: As a black American I don't think that there's anything wrong with playing a character from another race. I mean if (like in the years of blackface) you were mocking the person or stereotyping a people with your performance, then something could be said about it. But that's not the case here. It's not Sambo or Charlie Chan. He (Armisen) was just able to portray Obama in a more accurate fashion. I don't find that offensive .. sorry.. Nothing offends me more than one who tries to mock me or try to talk to me in the way they think "we" talk. But I also don't believe that we should go "out of our way to be offended" . Oh by the way sista Amalfia in naming black actors you forgot Terrence Howard, Don Cheatle, Will Smith, Forrest Witaker .. Hell even Tyrese Gibson, Wesly Snipes, Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson (Who by the way is BLACK", Eddie Murhpy. Jaime Foxx..and Ice Cube(Cop the New Alblum) and I could go on (who just so happens to own a major movie production company.. The Barbershop series was NOT a sterotypical storyline and was a mainstream success).. Who ALL had meaningful critically acclaimed (Yes even Tyrese) roles.. and that's just off the top of my head. Yes black actors have to work harder to get to the same place, but stop complaining about it and get your money. If they can do it, so can you.. Tell your Director friends to do movies that cross color barriers. Maybe then we will stop typecasting ourselves in the lower budget films and show Hollywood our versatility in them.. Don't complain about a problem.. be a solution. Don't let Hollywood tell you that "You can't" do something.. let that be up to you.. ask any one of those actors I listed above.. Yes Hollywood is segregated and even racist sometimes.. but if you are gonna let that stop you then you need to get out of the game and give your contacts to an actor or actress that will change the status quo instead of complain that we are not were we should be.. Oh Last let's not forget Queen Latifah, Eve, Angela Basset, Ruby Dee still in blockbuster movies, Nona Gaye, Jenifer Hudson, Nia Long,Thandie Newton, Tamala Jones, Vivica Fox, LisaRaye.. etc etc...GET ON YOUR GRIND..

  • Posted By: Lee Holmes @ 03/14/2008 5:25:51 PM

    Comment: Yeah. Must be why African Americans have been raking in Oscars right and left. I recall with no mean loss of memory that it was African American actor Forest Whittaker that took home the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Idi Amin in ''The Last King of Scotland'' only last year with Sidney Poitier being recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Oscar. Of course,the idea that ''there are so few roles'' in a dramatic area is ludicrous. Top box office material and Oscar nomination nods[and wins],goes to these African Americans among others.

    Morgan Freeman
    The late Ozzie Davis
    Denzel Washington
    Forest Whittaker
    Ruby Dee
    James Earl Jones
    Jamie Foxx
    Kerry Washington
    Wesley Snipes
    Samuel L.Jackson
    Ving Rhames
    Oprah Winfrey
    Lawrence Fishburne
    Halle Berry
    Cicily Tyson
    Djimon Hounsou
    Andre Braugher
    Queen Latifah
    Spike Lee

    Collectively,these actors and actresses have earned billions of dollars in their dramatic portrayals for film companies and their directors,and are among the most sought-after in Hollywood,with most working on new projects as we speak.

  • Posted By: lbdmt11 @ 03/14/2008 5:14:54 PM

    Comment: Geezus, Mary and Joseph...don't we have anything more important to talk about...something like, .let's see, health care, $3,50+ gas prices, jobs going overseas, people dying in Iraq amid billions being spent there every month, etc., etc? Give us a break!

  • Posted By: lagringa2 @ 03/14/2008 5:08:39 PM

    Comment: Wait a minute! Obama is biracial, so following the reasoning of this article, should we have a biracial actor portray him? Maybe that shows how ridiculous this is.

  • Posted By: lagringa2 @ 03/14/2008 5:07:12 PM

    Comment: Wait a minute! Isn´t Obama biracial? So following the article´s reasoning, shouldn´t we have to have a biracial actor to portray him? Maybe it shows how ridiculous this is.

  • Posted By: Anon90 @ 03/14/2008 5:02:03 PM

    Comment: For the record, Armisen is also Venezuelan. It's interesting that Armisen is considered "white" in the context of his playing Obama on SNL. Why don't we talk about how Obama is considered wholly black when he's also white. Let's call both Obama and Armisen what they really are..multiracial.

  • Posted By: ThinkAgen @ 03/14/2008 5:00:03 PM

    Comment: This type of artical is dumbing down the United States... or at least playing into the dumb.

  • Posted By: underdog @ 03/14/2008 4:59:15 PM

    Comment: So when Dave Chappell put on a white face and the audience laughed, both white and black, were they wrong. What about the Wyans Brothers movies "White Chicks" . were they wrong. What about when Billy Crystal dressed up in black face and did Sammy Davis on SNL. Didn't hear or see any complaints there. Newsweek can find racial issues opening a box ox Kleenix. Please find something real to report, the cost of the Hillary / Obama health plan, the cost per day our occupation of Iraq and why can't the Iraq's pay their own way?

    • Posted By: C. MacLean @ 03/14/2008 19:35:45

      Comment: I also thought Whoopi Goldberg's portrayal of a white, vapid Valley girl was one of the funniest things I ever heard, because, let's face it, white, vapid Valley girls are funny. Saturday Night Live is about comedy, about satire, and therefore, about us. ALL of us.

      And frankly, if Obama isn't insulted, and he certaily doesn't seem to be, why do the rest of us even care?

      This is such a non-issue.

  • Posted By: copchicker @ 03/14/2008 4:56:09 PM

    Comment: Eddie Murphy paints his face white to play a white man, and nobody bats an eye. So what's the difference?

  • Posted By: copchicker @ 03/14/2008 4:54:46 PM

    Comment: But, it is OK for Eddie Murphy to make his face white to play a white man? I don't understand...
    Come on, people!!

  • Posted By: david777 @ 03/14/2008 4:51:07 PM

    Comment: No, blackface is never okay. BOYCOTT SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

  • Posted By: TCHALLA88 @ 03/14/2008 4:42:49 PM

    Comment: To be honest in the past, when white actors put on blackface it was to make fun of skin, facial features, and stereotypical behavior. But when you are making fun of Obama are you really hurting him? A stong, smart, and confident man whose not held up by his heritage. Why are we? People are always going to judge you on how you look and how you carry yourself. Some will be positive and the latter negative. It's important to see So we can learn that in the end what's matters is how you live and the choices you make. Let no one, and I that in this world words do hurt but we don't have to let them. Those who are out to put down others reveal their own weakness and are unable to stand on their own. So they hide with hate and bad taste comments. Let no one, I mean no one, take away what's important. The heart and the desire to change things and make it right.

  • Posted By: cpogordon @ 03/14/2008 4:41:43 PM

    Comment: If the media didn't love Obama so much this wouldn't even be an issue, or another chance for the Obama crowd to yell racism.

  • Posted By: Amalfia @ 03/14/2008 4:32:47 PM

    Comment: My question to all of you is, why use a white actor in blackface at all, now that the supposed color barriers are down in Hollywood? You cannot tell me there are not any black actors out there willing to do the job. This matter is especially worse when you think of black female actresses. Name 3 major black actresses that star consistently in crossover major motion pictures (meaning not films with predominantly black casts which would have to cast a black female for sake of plot and believability). I bet you can only come up with one or two. And I'd bet money that Halle Berry is the one most of you picked (Halle is also half white/ half black). Name me 3 high grossing movies in the last 5-years that starred a black female where the lead role could have been given to either a white or a black person. I can't even think of any off the top of my head. How many black men can you say that for either? There's Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington and Laurence Fishburne. The rest of black actors are predominantly frozen into stereotype roles where the role was specifically written for a black character and most of the time they're in that role to be a complete buffoon.

    Also, the comparison of what the Wayans brothers did in "White Chicks" doesn't really apply. The whole premise of the movie was to show the total air-head quality of VALLEY GIRLS not just white girls through two UNDERCOVER FBI agents. They had to be in "white face" or the whole plot didnt even work. Furthermore, it wasn't just about black versus white it also showed that the two men themselves didn't have a clue about the whole upper class culture that included both white and black people (there was a rich black athlete in that movie that they made ample fun of as well) and positive as well as negative aspects (the girls hosted charity events and were shown to be extremely human with their own legitimate problems even in their limited social world). From that perspective the movie was more about culture than about race as any race can be involved in a culture, especially one that's born out of money.

    • Posted By: Amalfia @ 03/14/2008 23:07:12

      Comment: I'm not surprised anyone cant' answer my questions. There's no way to answer it because black actors in the sorts of situations I challeneged don't exist. America wont admit it's too rascist to accept black people and black women in particular in serious, non-racial and ethinically stereotypical roles. It takes the ability to admit a problem to FIX a problem. You don't see black people even on major hit sitcoms like Friend's because no one wants to see them fot whatever reason. In all the years Friend's was on the air there was a black woman on it for about half a season and she was more an afterthought than a main character.

  • Posted By: Sean of the Dead @ 03/14/2008 4:31:56 PM

    Comment: I am Legend, Rising Sun, Daredevil, Batman (1989) and The Green Lantern (coming in 2009, played by rapper Common), are just a few examples of remakes/adaptations in which the white original character (mostly positive roles) was changed to a black one. In the end does it really change anything about the narrative or the plot? No. As an aside, let me just say for the record that as a white man, I was in no way offended by films like "White Chicks" or the various times that Dave Chappelle has appeared in "white-face" and spoken in a clipped, rhythm-less tone. It's humor, it's fiction, it's art. (OK, maybe not "White Chicks", but you see what I'm saying!) Why do so many people spend so much time worrying about things that other people are doing? If it offends you, don't watch it. I understand that it's out there in the media and there's no way to escape it, but it only offends you if you let it. Race is still a very touchy subject, but I firmly believe the only way people of all nationalities will ever truly get past the whole race thing is for people to QUIT DRAWING ATTENTION TO IT.

  • Posted By: Braes @ 03/14/2008 4:31:26 PM

    Comment: And who went Nuts when Sascha Baron Cohen pawned off himself as a rapper, or as the guy from one of the -stans to make a buck?
    Both were, btw, Hilarious. They were also denigrating to a degree. I think Fred Armisens work is brilliant. I have been an SNL fan since the 70's. Comedy is where we get to break the rules and dig our first amendment to it's fullest.
    The problem is in the traditional media that won't lay a glove on the Black R (HUD Secretary) who gave up housing money in Mississippi for casino dredging, instead of to the poor it was intended for, or lay the smackdown on Dr. Rice for her abysmal failures in national strategy and diplomacy. It's not the minstrels man, it's the Ministers of Madness who can hide behind the race barrier that does exist.