She has no knowledge of social or historical context. She is ignorant about race and racism. The alien is not offended. They mean nothing. The human explains that on this planet there are some people who are fair-skinned and others who are dark-skinned.
All of them are equal. But over time, the fair-skinned group created an economic system that took labour, resources and land from darker-skinned people with little compensation. This lasted hundreds of years and had terrible effects on the darker people and their environments.
A photo of a person in blackface was found on Northam's personal page in his medical school yearbook. Here's why these incidents and others like them are so offensive. They have a long, painful history. The first minstrel shows depicted black people as lazy, ignorant, cowardly or hypersexual. Negative representations of non-white people date back to the midth century. White actors performing in minstrel shows would darken their skin with polish and cork to look stereotypically "black.
Read More. The shows were intended to be funny to white audiences, but they were hurtful and demeaning to African-Americans because they reinforced white people's notions of superiority. The characters were so widespread that even some black performers wore blackface, historians say, as it was the only way they could work. White audiences didn't want to watch black actors do anything but look foolish on stage.
However, we are aware that it can reappear every now and then. Sometimes people who are criticised for darkening their skin claim they didn't know it was offensive or didn't mean it to be. But critics say that not understanding the painful and shameful history of blackface is not an excuse.
Throughout history in many countries, black people have not been treated the same as white people. They have not had the same rights and many have been persecuted and discriminated against simply for the colour of their skin. Some argue that the whole idea of blackface and mocking black people allowed white people to think less about horrors that they inflicted on black people - for example, slavery.
It also allowed white people to feel superior to black people, which many believed they were. As movements to stamp out racial discrimination grew, blackface entertainment faded and is now something that is looked on shamefully. But it has not stopped blackface from still being an issue to this day. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologised in after an old photo appeared of him dressed up like an Arab prince.
In the photo, Mr Trudeau had darkened his skin on his face and hands. Mr Trudeau admitted the photo was racist and said that although it was many years ago, he "should have known better". I was saddened when it was brought to my attention that it was being compared to painful images reminiscent of blackface. Our intention was never to inflict any pain. We have immediately removed them.
Earlier in , singer Katy Perry removed two items from her shoe range after many people complained that one of the designs was racist. The shoes in Katy's collection are said to resemble blackface images, with black leather, blue eyes and red lips. Katy has said that she is "saddened" by what has happened and that she never wanted to cause anybody any pain.
Ben Holman explained: "It is unlikely that Katy Perry intended to cause offence with her shoe designs and Show Racism the Red Card thinks she has made the right decision to remove them from the online shop and in store. In December , Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann was criticised for painting his skin to dress up as a black basketball player.
Griezmann initially defended his decision saying that it was a tribute to the Harlem Globetrotters. He eventually took the picture down and did apologise.
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