It’s not officially Halloween yet, but people all over the world are already celebrating. Some white people are choosing to celebrate by dressing as people from different cultures – specifically, as black people. Julianne Hough dressed as Suzanne (aka “Crazy Eyes”) from Orange is the New Black, a fashion designer held a “Disco Africa” party, and more than a few people dressed as Trayvon Martin.
The blackface Halloween costumes provoked debate and discussion about whether or not dressing as a person from a different ethnic group is appropriate in this day and age, and quite a few people got offended and upset.
To those people, I have to say – come on. It’s just a Halloween costume. Don’t you have more important things to worry about?
There are so many bigger issues to worry about right now – health care, the environment, gang violence, rape, gun violence – just to name a few.
Don’t you have more important things to do than defend the right of white people to wear blackface for Halloween?
When people are starving, when the government is spying on us, when the capitalist system is creating a wider disparity between the haves and the have-nots – you know, the actual real problems going on – you’re going to spend your time telling black people that they shouldn’t be offended by blackface?
Every moment you spend defending the use of blackface is a moment you could be spending doing something else. You could be going for a walk. Making yourself a nice cup of hot chocolate. Taking a bath. Calling an old friend you haven’t spoken to in awhile. Knitting a sweater. Lying on the grass and drinking in the sun.
So, if you’re a white person who sees that other white people are wearing blackface and black people are mad at them, and you feel the need to jump in and defend your fellow white people – stop. Take a deep breath. Relax.
Realize that there are more important issues in this world, that no one is going to be hurt if a white person doesn’t wear a particular Halloween costume when there are thousands of other costume ideas to choose from, and move on with your life.
Because, honestly, no one cares if you’re not offended.
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“When people are starving, when the government is spying on us, when the capitalist system is creating a wider disparity between the haves and the have-nots – you know, the actual real problems going on – you’re going to spend your time telling black people that they shouldn’t be offended by blackface?”
Well to be fair, the people honestly and wholeheartedly defending others wearing blackface costumes aren’t usually the types of people who are going to see those things as actual problems.
Also, what about black people who get offended? Shouldn’t their being offended be legitimized?
Besides, what are you trying to say? That just because there are bigger problems that we should ignore microagressions?
That’s like telling people who are constantly getting pulled over because they “look suspicious” to shut up and quit whining because at least they aren’t getting beaten by the police.
I think you missed the point.
I wrote this to make fun of (mostly white) people who rush to defend blackface Halloween costumes because there are “more important” things to worry about. I used the same language they use to tell THEM that surely they have better things to do than defend racism.
Oh. Well, I don’t know much about how the mainstream reacts to blackface, so I didn’t realize this was a satire of their argument.
I reread it, and I realized I had misread it because I was skimming. I thought you said “Every moment you spend opposing blackface” and “Don’t you have more important things to do than contest the right of white people to wear blackface for Halloween?”
Sorry, I’ll read more carefully from now on.
That’s okay. The first few paragraphs are intentionally misleading to make a point, so I understand how a misunderstanding can happen.