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Teenagers don blackface and hand out gifts to children in parade in Spain
- Thread starter Deleted member 835
- Start date
Mmm... I'm from colombia and, although i'm not from pasto i have heard from this parade Blacks and Whites' Carnival .what do era think of that?
Comparing blackface to the color of clothes people wear at funerals? Oh wow.
OP
OP
Many towns in Spain have a little variation on the tradition. In this town, "the pajes" (helpers) are only black for some reason.
you know what they say about fascists and the trains running on time ;)
.
Every fucking year.
Before any of the usual suspects slither in here...
Yes it's blackface.
Yes it's racist.
Fuck your tradition.
No the movie White chicks is not a valid argument.
Neither is Tropic Thunder.
You're all fucking idiots.
They are actually seeking for this tradition to be recognized by the UNESCO in the cultural heritage of humanity list...
...people have used white chicks as a defense for black face?
....HERE?!
That'll be a no given the internet's reaction.
When did this tradition start exactly?
Curious if it's before or after americans started making fun of black people using makup.
I had to google that. Lol wtf?
It's racist but they just don't get it because they're taught that this is normal and never why it's insensitive/offensive. Many of them would probably be horrified if they had proper context or at least I hope they would. Hopefully, sooner or later, someone with some kind of authority will get the message out and those people in 20 years time will ask themselves what the fuck they were thinking.
It comes up in every thread about blackface. People think they're clever, but only shithead racists think that "whiteface" is a thing.
They say they started in 1885.
https://www.spain.info/en/que-quieres/agenda/fiestas/alicante/cabalgata_de_los_reyes_magos.html
The act of blackface itself is "mal-intent".
Edit: My bad, you weren't the first genius to do so.
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The source I got it from is in Spanish
But given that even El Pais has reported it, it's definitely and sadly not a joke post, apparently the government is the one pushing for an official recognition, while groups opposing the initiative are sending letters to UNESCO to prevent it from becoming a reality.
The best devil's advocate argument I can think of is that its ethnocentric to apply western notions of racism to traditions of other cultures
But I'm not an asshole, so I won't make that argument
Fuck your tradition, create a new one. How about don't fucking wear blackface day? Lot of other countries and people had to give up and traditions and belief because of many reasons, you can do it too.
Good thing Spain is considered part of the West or we might have a problem here
Clearly the only way to celebrate this event is to paint your skin black and lips big
Somehow, I never took a geography class so my shit is all fucked up in that department
Of course, you can easily reframe "western" to "American"
What were they thinking?
Different connotations I assume. Not TO make fun but FOR fun. Still.
Often times it's ingrained as a "cultural event" and nobody stops and thinks what it actually means. That's how a lot of harmful "traditions" are perpetuated through generations.
I'm from Spain and while of course the Three Wise Mages is a BIG deal here (national holiday and all) and Santa is considered cultural invasion, this is frankly the first time I've seen this parade. Of course Balthazar has always been depicted as black (more Middle Eastern, if you ask me), that much is true, but I'm as dumbfounded as everyone else here. Certainly no one in our media has even mentioned it.
Edit: I see El País reported about it on their English Edition. Nothing in Spanish, that's for certain. So if you're out of social media like me, it might not be rare to have never heard about this tradition. Certainly this is the first time I've seen it.
Edit: I see El País reported about it on their English Edition. Nothing in Spanish, that's for certain. So if you're out of social media like me, it might not be rare to have never heard about this tradition. Certainly this is the first time I've seen it.
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The distinction you're making is meaningless. There is no form of blackface that isn't offensive. You could spend a few seconds typing "history of blackface in europe" into google and answer your own question.
Context for the uninitiated:
REALLY bad optics aside, theyre cosplaying King Balthasar, one of the Three Kings:
Growing up in Spain I can tell you that hes beloved and everyones favorite.
However, I agree that its probably time to stop dressing up. Its not done to mock or insult, growing up in Spain (in the 80's and 90s, thats as far as I can speak to) you never heard about blackface, what it means or of its place in American society/culture. In this day and age though, we all need to learn, grown and adap because its obviously a blind spot for Spanish people who havent lived abroad.
REALLY bad optics aside, theyre cosplaying King Balthasar, one of the Three Kings:
Growing up in Spain I can tell you that hes beloved and everyones favorite.
However, I agree that its probably time to stop dressing up. Its not done to mock or insult, growing up in Spain (in the 80's and 90s, thats as far as I can speak to) you never heard about blackface, what it means or of its place in American society/culture. In this day and age though, we all need to learn, grown and adap because its obviously a blind spot for Spanish people who havent lived abroad.
In my opinion, it is more or less irrelevant if there was or still is some racist intention behind that circus, but reception changes and in our modern world that is a global network of ideas, it would be much better to stay away from the paint in the face. You can have a great event without the blackface and lose nothing essential imo.