26 Mar 2023 4:41 am
I'm the Al Jolson of social media. A walking, talking, tap-dancing, one man minstrel show.
What’s ‘digital blackface?’ And why is it wrong when White people use it? (msn.com)
Maybe you shared that viral video of Kimberley "Sweet Brown " Wilkins telling a reporter after narrowly escaping an apartment fire, “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” Perhaps you posted that meme of supermodel Tyra Banks exploding in anger on “America’s Next Top Model” (“I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!”). Or maybe you’ve simply posted popular GIFs, such as the one of NBA great Michael Jordon crying, or of drag queen RuPaul declaring, “Guuuurl…”If you’re black and you’ve shared such images online, you get a pass. (WHY? -Punch) But if you’re White, you may have inadvertently (or purposely - Punch) perpetuated one of the most insidious forms of contemporary racism. You may be wearing “digital blackface.”
Digital blackface is a practice where White people co-opt online expressions of black imagery, slang, catchphrases or culture to convey comic relief or express emotions. These expressions, what one commentator calls racialized reactions.
Digital blackface involves White people play-acting at being black and laughing at exaggerated displays of blackness, reflecting a tendency among some to see “Black people as walking hyperbole.”
Mammy!