Is Black Face the New Black? Sarah Silverman Thinks Its Funny
Y’all know what it is! A double post day is something se’ous around these parts.
Every Halloween time, I dread the costumes I’ll be seeing. I don’t care about the slutty ones. Do you. Your ass cheeks can be visible all in the name of ceremony. I don’t give two dambs. But then, there are usually the costumes that are Black folk or culture-focused. THOSE are the ones I typically frown at. Especially when worn by non-Black people.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we all gotta dress as the folks in our skintone but let’s be clear. Painting your face Black for Halloween as part of your costume is… well, BLACKFACE. And that is NOT the new Black.
Sarah Silverman twitpiced this the other day:
REALLY Sarah??? You got giant balls of steel. Or you’re a belligerent dummy. Or both.
Sarah, I ain’t never liked your raggelly ass not one bit. But I didn’t huff at you. Then you go and twitpic this. REALLLLLYYY??? What’s the justification behind this? Clearly you wanted shock value and you got it. As a “comedian,” you’re failing at the funny. You’re trying very hard but still… *crickets*. If the way you want to go about eliciting laughs is through the expense of Black folks, then you’re nothing but an idiot with a mic.
Ugh. I’m tired of all this foolishness. I didn’t even mention the “African Slave” costume. Yes. Really. Shoutout to Afrobella for tweeting it.
I want all these idiots to go away. *kicks sand in their faces* I just wanna mollywop all of these companies and people who buy their awful costumes. I got an attitude.
What do you all think? Is there justification as to why Sarah is rocking black face? Are you as tired of these insensitive ass Halloween costumes as I am?
Update: The “African Slave” costume has been taken off that site. *fist pump* Gooning!
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61 Comments
Le sigh. I had to remember that I was at work in order not to go in on this heifer. There is no justification for Sarah Silverman to be in black face. I’m going to leave it at that before my blood pressure gets any higher.
Right! Messing w/ Sarah, you gon find urself cussing at people around you just b/c. NOpe.
Yeah, but it’s ok for the Waynan brothers to put on white face in the movie “white chicks” and it’s considered high humor? What a bunch of self serving groid hypocrites…
What’s the history of blacks dressing in whiteface?
1. Trust me Black people didn’t consider White Chicks the crowning achievement of Black Cinema
2. There isn’t really a history of Black people dressing as White people to make fun. Where in history is it documented that Black people starred in movies to dress as a mockery version of White people. When was this popular, has there even been a recent film, reality show, etc. wherein Black people are to dress as a derogatory stereotype of White people to make money.
3. If you go for Coming to America where Eddie Murphy dressed at a Jewish man….the argument is invalid. He wasn’t derogatory, strange yes, funny yes, but not derogatory. The same as when Robert Downey Jr. was in Tropic Thunder. He wasn’t “cooning” “schucking” or even “jiving”. It was done with thought and not out of cruelty. Most Black people loved it and when the dust started to fly, it was Black people that said his performance was hilarious.
4. Black people are not stupid, we know when something is done as a joke at our expense and when it is benign. Juliana Hough didn’t really bother me, her darkening her skin to be Crazy Eyes was silly seeing as how I can be Glenda the Good Witch without going peach face. But dressing as Trayvvon, caricature African people and yes even Aunt Jemima and all the other mammies and minstrels is a joke…and Blacks expense.
5. Notice how when someone wants to defend wearing Black face they go for White Chicks, could it be because that was it? Compared to the thousands of times Whites dressed in Black face to make fun of the Black race. It’s ok, call me a hypocrite but White Chicks is nothing compared to Minstrel.
All I can manage is…THIS BETCH. if you don’t getcho deep-fried-in-privilege arse outta here wit that f*ckery…
I’m just as tired of this mess as you are, if not more so. Does anybody put on clown makeup or just randomly face paint anymore? Dang.
**Blackface is PLAYED OUT, Sarah; ask Ted D. about that one…unfunny, silly arse heaux. grr…
LMAOOOOO @ the whole comment. I LOVE IT!!! And yes… did she learn nothing from when Ted Danson and Whoopi played that game? NAW!
perfect comment.
that is all
I’m a white 40ish woman, hopefully grown and with a sense of humour and I find that picture HIGHLY offensive. It’s also offensive to see ‘white face’ on people but they are usually reserved for clowns and mime, hmm do I see a trend here? Adults, DO NOT PAINT YOUR FACES
I’m glad SOMEBODY at least knows it. Can you pull Sarah to the side and talk some sense into her for a lil bit? Clearly she missed THAT bus on the day the lord was giving it out.
@ Simit, this is where you prove that Whites simply “don’t get it”. Why is it offensive to you to see someone with their face painted white?? How does that relate to you?? Trust me, unless you’re a corpse who can also type – your skin is NOT WHITE.
Why is “Blackface” offensive to US? Because there’s a painful history attached to it. Because a whole industry was built around it with the sole purpose of misrepresenting us, harming us; minstrel “performances” that were DELIBERATELY MEANT to deride, mock, and misrepresent Black people. THAT is why it’s offensive to us.
The offense has little to do with the actual color, it’s the PAIN that is attached to having to live with those who simply don’t have a sense of humanity and wish to mock anyone they perceive as different from them.
For you, you simply have a problem with the “colors” because you’re that deeply ingrained in them…you actually see yourself in white face paint, even on a clown, but you accept it because it’s a clown??? Seriously?
GTFOHWTBS
You hit the nail right on the head! Spot on!
Sarah, fuck you and bye!! Her show ain’t worth 2 piles of monkey shit anywho…Her “humor” is about as bland as copier paper and she has no class!! Why do white folks think they can get away with this bullshit in 2010 is beyond me! I wish I knew where she lived, cause I’d scrub her face with a hard, used, dried up brillo pad…bet she wouldn’t paint her face ever again…
DDDAMMMMBBB!!! You just snatched every follicle in Sarah’s head with this. Welp…
Fareal Silverman? I never liked her to begin with, not sure what all the fuss was about. She’s always been an unfunny white chick that tries to hard to get a laugh. But this shit right here? This shit right here Sarah? This shit will cause somebody to snap a bull whip across that ass & see if you still wanna play dress up.
I died laughing at this. Thanks!
You all know Silverman has done this before, right? On her wacktacular show?
Sarah gon mess around and get mollywopped. I’m TELLING you.
Luvvie let’s go ahead and suit up & mollywopp that ass! She been asking for it…silly hoe.
She has been horrendously unfunny for years. Why do people still give her attention is beyond me. *Yawn*
I’ve never found her even the least bit funny. EVER.
It’s official, I think I will need to do an open letter to white america:
Dear WPs:
How are you? (each word fully articulated). I know that when Obama was elected, many people started claiming that this was a post racial society- that Obama’s election into the White House was symbolic of this country’s ability to look beyond race. On the night that it was confirmed that he won most of the marjority of the electoral votes, and gave his speech in Chicago, many people, black and white (and all colors in between) cried because many thought they would never see this day (I know I did).
However, there is one lingering issue that still needs to be addressed: unquestioned privilege and the idea that some WPs think it is okay to imitate, mock or state things that are still very hurtful to the black community. So that we are all on the same page, please accept this as the official communication that the following are not funny or acceptable and should not be tolerated:
1) the “N” Word. I won’t go into detail here. Just google the Crypt Keeper 2.0 (Dr. Laura S.) to find out why. Throw in Bil Maher too. Just because he is a “liberal” didn’t give him the right to use it either.
2) Watermelon and Chicken. News flash, other groups of people eat it too. We don’t have a copyright, patent or trademark on it.
3) Calling black people monkeys. See Paul Mooney jokes for any explanation as to who really looks more like monkeys!
4) BLACKFACE. Let me give you a quick history lesson on Blackface. Because of the extremely racist and segregated nature of many parts of the good ole U.S of A., black people weren’t even allow to (wait for it….wait for it….) portray themselves on stage and film. Because of this legal practice of de facto segregation, many white entertainers took it upon themselves to smear shoe polish on themselves, to imitate black people. It would have been one thing if they had the the make up artists who did Eddie Murphy’s make up in Coming to America, but instead, the makeup was crude and ugly because that was (is) how blacks were perceived. Also, the entertainers of that time thought that they were being real clever when they would exhibit “qualities” of black folks (i.e. shiftless, slovenly, being uneducated, scared, etc.). It would be one thing if at that time, there were other images of blacks to counter these negative stereotypes, however, given that over 90% of blacks still lived in the south at that time (late 1800’s/early 1900’s), for many who never interacted with blacks, this was their introduction to black people. Consequently, these negative perceptions still linger even to this date.
So Sarah, like we told Ted Danson back in the mid 1990’s, blackface, even in jest, ain’t cute. You’re not funny, you’re not being clever and frankly, it’s old.
How about this…to even the score (after all, this is a post racial society), let’s get Jamie Foxx or Cheryl Underwood to be Holocust survivors for Halloween. They can walk around, with tattered clothing, with fake tatoos of numbers and have them scream in Yiddish, please don’t take me to the gas chamber. Heck, for extra laughs, let’s see if they can get some of their white comedian friends to play Nazi’s and round them up and through them on train to Auchwitz (sp). Heck, let’s even play the O’Jays love train in the background while where at it (Just jokes right?)
Oh Wait! Did I go too far! You mean that wasn’t funny? Damn right it wasn’t funny, nor is making fun or painting yourself in blackface. Sarah, you weren’t being informative, you were not making a point, you appropriated a very painful part of black america’s history for your corny dry joke (not laughing).
Please do not read this as some people in our community not being able to take a joke. Heck, it is through the power of laughter that BPs survived slavery, Jim Crow, lynching, and the ass whoopings of the civil rights movement. However, some things, even in post racial america, are not funny.
Signed,
BP
♥s the letter! Thank you!!
*checkmate*
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Thank you.
WELPPP…
*sends this comment to be notarized.*
Love this. Although we know this is not how all white people think, I feel that it addresses the way SOME white folks generalize/stereotype all black folk. Ion even like watermelon.
You are absolutely correct that not all white people think that this is okay (and I should have clearly articulated that better; wouldn’t want the Tea Party chasing my ass, ready to throw me into the Boston River). I’m sure this blog has many readers of different races so if anyone was offended by any unintended generalizations, my apologizes.
There are some who do stand up and call this foul behavior for what it is. On the other hand, it seems that there a significant number out there who remain in a state blissful ignorance and when we do explain why this is all types of wrong (even in an articulate matter), there is still the response of, “I just don’t get it!” “What’s the big deal?” “Can’t you take a joke?” My responses to each of those questions are as follows: 1) You don’t want to get it because you would rather revel in unchecked, societal privilege 2) The big deal is that when actions of this nature are not called out for what they are, they tend to spiral into something greater and more ominous in nature and 3) Just because you consider it a joke does not obligate me to think it’s funny. Just how some claim it’s their right to make jokes, I counter claim that I have the right to give you finger and tell you to kiss my behind if you say same real ill Sh*1t (#imjussayin).
Words and negative images hit just as hard as physical violence. If these things are not called out for what they are, they soon germinate into real actions that lead to into people getting hurt or killed. We have too many examples of this happening in history and it’s happening right now as we speak (I’m sure you all have read about that woman in KY that was attacked by a Tea Party supporter).
Yes, some may accuse me of being oversensitive. The issue is not sensitivity, but the absolute refusal for some people to acknowledge the humanity of others who are different (regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, age, size, etc.). Continued marginalization of people puts people in a second class status and those in power (or perceived power) feel entitled to mock, degrade, bully or humiliate with no consequences to their actions.
Well I don’t think you’re oversensitive…and if anyone else says you are, I’m more than willing to throw the watermeloon that I’on even like at them.
I’m white, and I think you nailed the whole comment,..it made my day…
and saved me some typing.. 🙂
*applause*
This. Letter. Was. Everything. That. Is. Right. With. The. World.
*daps SweetTee*
Watermelon is an African fruit that we eat in the US with pleasure. I’m proud that we’ve held on to these parts of our culture, even under the worst of circumstances.
YES, we eat chicken. Chickens were used in the Americas (and still are) and in Africa during worship for sacrificial offerings. During and after worship, we’d cut up and eat the foods we sacrificed. TO THIS DAY, WE EAT CHICKEN, BUT THESE ARE ITS ROOTS.
Take a look at voudoun/syncretism in Louisiana, Brazil, Haiti, etc and you will see the exact same practice.
I eat chicken and watermelon and I’m PROUD OF THAT. It’s part of my AFRICAN CULTURE. Don’t like it or feel embarrassed by it?? Get over it.
I still don’t see why Blacks feel they have to be ashamed of their heritage – culinary or otherwise.
A Frenchman is not ashamed to eat a baguette. An Italian is not ashamed to eat some pasta. But we’re allowing ourselves to feel ashamed for eating our own African foods.
Please!
I am also a fan of chicken and watermelon.
That is all.
Beautifully, perfectly expressed,
I love you for this
signed,
white lady who has made it her life’s mission to “get it” because my Hubby of 20yrs, 3 kids, best friend and dearly loved relatives are all Black.
ANNE!!! Hey girl! I’ve been wondering where you were. You won my giveaway from the beginning of the year but never claimed your prize! Email me: Luvvieblog@gmail.com
OMG GURL!!
this could not have come at a better time, Hubby got laid off at work due to the company going under (Economy BS)
and the little luxuries of life have taken a “very unhappy about it”, backseat…
I never win anything xept speeding tickets :-/
emailing u NOW!!
I remember seeing this the other night, and it prompted me to write a sleep-induced rant, also. I never thought her or that Handler broad were much funny. Seeing ish like this just prove it.
Pretty much. Her and handler can go dougie in a crackhouse.
Silverman has never been funny. At worst she is a bigoted hag, at best an insensitive idiot. She needs to go saddown.
This comment is so awesome that I want to buy it dinner.
This site is on straight goon status because it appears as if every time you blog about your dislike of something IT EFFIN DISAPPEARS.
Now, what do I have to pay you to blog about my roommate’s cat? o_O
LMAO!!! I do be gooning a lil bit, huh?
*whispers* Slide me 50 dereon dollars and I could blog that cat’s disappearance. Meet me behind the fourth tree in the fork on the road at midnight.
LMAO!!! I do be gooning a lil bit, huh?
*whispers* Slide me 50 dereon dollars and I could blog that cat’s disappearance. Meet me behind the fourth tree in the fork on the road at midnight.
I posted my comment on that pic earlier… It’s NOT funny & sad when you have to stoop to this level for “humor”.
I will add this, THIS is not how all “white ppl” think, act, or whatnot so any open letters need to be addressed appropriately.
For some reason, I actually watched an episode of “The Sarah Silverman Program” (where the picture is from) It’s more stupid in full context. I’m sure it’s online, but I don’t feel like Googling it.
Either way, it was a tragically unfunny show.
[…] shout out to Luvvieig and Afrobella for the tweets on these joints. You can check Luv’s post about it here […]
It’s becoming more “OKAY” for whites or in this case a Jew to poke fun at, put down and violenty attack Blacks. Just ask the Police offocers in America. I wonder if this tramp would like it if I dressed up as a Jew with his ribs sticking out looking like i just ran away from a death camp.
Two quesitons:
What is a mollywop?
What is a twitpic?
I thought it was a ripping good laugh. People shouldn’t be able to censor others because some may find something offencive. Trying to control public opinion is known as facism.
Omg this is terrible. I laughed.
She actually took this from her tv show. I remember this was on an episode and a black guy made a bet with her that it’s harder to be black than jewish. ahahah
Growing up through much diversity, I believe Sarah’s comedy is a product of self hate as an INDIVIDUAL, not as a Jew. The Jews I know don’t think like her 4 real, though like any other culture, race or creed; we have a few open minds that let anything fill some space to invite foolishness and inconsideration toward others. I just finished watching her interviewed by Piers Morgan and she admitted she’s not religious, but she exudes Jewishness is a discredit to those of us who are not exposed to any Jews cause she came off to me as “i’m the Poster Girl of Jewishness”. She’s just obnoxious like many immature people out there. Foolishness is like Sex in society today…IT SELLS sadly.
I’m a young, female white teenager who has lived in central Florida my whole life. Because of this, I was raised going to school with equal numbers of white people, black people, and Hispanics. Subsequently I made friends with people from all different races. In my opinion, black people are historically one of the strongest and most resilient races and one of the most inspiring. I have always loathed Sarah Silverman for her popularity because I think she is horrendously not funny. This, however, goes beyond that. It’s damn ridiculous. She’s always been “funny” on the basis that she’s this unconventional, edgy white girl with spunk and attitude, but she comes across as trashy, slutty, and egotistical. Maybe she’s lost some of her fanbase and that’s why she’s gone to such desperate measures as this to get attention, but I think this will ultimately push her further into the comedic rut she’s been in for the past decade or so.
Even if you just assume this isn’t offensive, I have never gotten how anyone thinks blackface is funny, cute, appropriate, etc. Okay, we can quit pretending it isn’t offensive, now. Luvvie, just like you say not to judge black people by some of the stuff on your site, I’ll ask PLEASE don’t judge white people by people like this. I’ve never thought she was funny. I may have laughed three times in my life at anything she ever did. I think she should get with Tom Green and they can have annoying non-funny kids together. Then we can put them on an island somewhere where they can’t annoy anyone else. 🙂
As if I needed more reasons to be ashamed of my race… =/
Lol at all the sterotypical blacks who got mad at this <3 dumb ass people.
There are some people who don’t get the bigger picture. All they ever see are the racial aspects of a topic and create divisions between the races because they can’t get past the color of someone’s skin. There are those of us who aren’t tricked into these divisive tactics of people who always scream racism at every chance they get. The real tragedy here is that people aren’t talking about how Sarah Silverman was never funny.
Same shit two years later…what a shame.
Girl, THREE years later. Isn’t that just a mess?
Lord these shenanigans are messing with my ability to count. I can only imagine next years BS…
But its ok when black folks paint their faces white and imitate. White people? Its ok that at almost ever black comedian show they joke at white people. I am not racist one bit. I think racism, no matter what color is promoting it is.fucking discusting. But I don’t think we are the only race that has a racism issue. Being a white male in bedstuy I have experienced my fair share of racism. And it id unpleasant. To say the least. Fuck racism of any kind. And yes, Sarah silverman, you are a CUNT
I got one more thing to say bout this;
she needs to get the memo that being “shocking” is not clever, interesting or funny….
it just makes you a pathetic dysfunctional attention seeking child who can’t tell the difference between “good & bad” attention.