Monday, October 19, 2009

Blackface madness

Sisterdoc has been away for more than a hot minute, and for good reason.  First, I had to catch up on all of the work I put on the back burner while doing my very small part to help support my POTUS’ election.  Then, Sisterdoc’s students merited her undivided attention—and they still do.  Along the way, Sisterdoc got really sick, joined a gym and hurt her back, discovered that Entenmann’s chocolate donuts (app)ease back aches better than ibuprofen, and Sisterdoc got wrapped up in the reality detective series First 48 (a show that dreadfully features at least two Black deaths per episode).


Now that I’ve come up for some air, I see that madness still reigns.  Did French Vogue really feature a model in blackface!  Did Dutch model Lara Stone not see any problem whatsoever with blacking up! 




And, speaking of more blackface madness… Did ‘70s actor Fred "The Hammer" Williamson (Hell up in Harlem, Black Caesar, Original Gangsters) in a EUR.web interview really hate on the comedy film Black Dynamite, which spoofs blaxploitation-era films by complaining “how can you pay homage to me in a comedy?”  And then, did Fred Williamson turn right around and give kudos to Robert Downey Jr’s. blackface performance in the satire-comedy film Tropic Thunder: “The guy who paid homage to me was a white guy in Tropic Thunder. ... Robert Downey Jr. He did it in blackface with sideburns, looked just like The Hammer. When they reviewed the film in New York and all other venues, they said he did a great interpretation of Fred Williamson. Now, I respect that…” WHAT?!


And still more blackface ridiculouness--why do the Bubble Sisters, a Korean singing group who appeared in blackface, still have a recording contract?

Maybe I should return to my hole until this mess stops.