Slog Comments
ECCC Update: Is This OK?
1
It's no different than a white guy in blackface trying to look like LeVar Burton. And who hasn't seen that?
Nobody? Oh, right because it's fucking offensive. Outside a Trekkie convention where nobody knows what's offensive because they all have aspergers.
Hey, I just realized what my Halloween costume will be this year! Aspergers Boy! Can you imagine the laughs I'll get?
Nobody? Oh, right because it's fucking offensive. Outside a Trekkie convention where nobody knows what's offensive because they all have aspergers.
Hey, I just realized what my Halloween costume will be this year! Aspergers Boy! Can you imagine the laughs I'll get?
3
What @1 said.
Two tips:
* Blackface is never not racist. Welcome to reality.
* If you have to ask "is this racist?" before doing/saying something, ding ding ding, it is.
Two tips:
* Blackface is never not racist. Welcome to reality.
* If you have to ask "is this racist?" before doing/saying something, ding ding ding, it is.
6
@4
Nerds are terrible at understanding racism, but they're really, really good at flooding an online poll.
Nerds are terrible at understanding racism, but they're really, really good at flooding an online poll.
7
Why is "don't do blackface" such a difficult guideline for some people to follow? Don't do blackface, OK?
9
No. Especially resonant to those of us ancients who remember Whoopi's then-boyfriend Ted Danson doing blackface.
11
Her costume bothers me more than the makeup. Guinan has two hat shapes: Teardrop and Stopsign. Also, the rest of the costume just looks cheap.
Also, Guinan annoyed the hell out of me on that show.
Also, Guinan annoyed the hell out of me on that show.
12
I don't get it. Why is it offensive? This isn't a white person putting on blackface to make ridiculous use of African American stereotypes. This isn't a minstrel a la Bamboozeled. The point here is not to look like a black person. The point here is to look like a particular scifi character played by an actress who happens to be black. (I gather that's what's going on here, as I'm no scifi fan.) That's an important distinction. This girl apparently went to town to look good, so she's likely an ardent fan. This is is just like someone dressing head-to-toe as a Storm Trooper. Jar Jar Binks is more insensitive than this fan. Option One all the way. Curb your politically correct reflex and let this girl have her day.
13
I'm assuming its use in the poll was deliberate, but that phrase "green or purple" has come under a fair bit of scrutiny over the years in the context of race, and hasn't held up very well under examination.
See here for a kinda over-labored explanation; I couldn't find a better discussion of the thing in a quick search, and I wouldn't know where to begin digging up all the standup comedy clips...
See here for a kinda over-labored explanation; I couldn't find a better discussion of the thing in a quick search, and I wouldn't know where to begin digging up all the standup comedy clips...
17
@12
"Jar Jar Binks is more insensitive than this fan."
Boy, is he ever. And so is cross burning. Unfortunately, offended people tend not to get un-offended when you tell them there's more offensive stuff available to be offended about.
The problem isn't that this woman is using blackface to portray a racial caricature (though it can be argued that the character she's portraying is, in fact, an exaggerated racial type).
The problem is that she's doing something that many people would quite clearly find racially offensive, and she's either disregarding those feelings, or oblivious to them.
"Jar Jar Binks is more insensitive than this fan."
Boy, is he ever. And so is cross burning. Unfortunately, offended people tend not to get un-offended when you tell them there's more offensive stuff available to be offended about.
The problem isn't that this woman is using blackface to portray a racial caricature (though it can be argued that the character she's portraying is, in fact, an exaggerated racial type).
The problem is that she's doing something that many people would quite clearly find racially offensive, and she's either disregarding those feelings, or oblivious to them.
18
I didn't find it to be racist, but I also didn't find it to be a great idea. "Racially insensitive" is what I would have gone with, or possibly "dumb." She has every right to do it and it's probably not going to seriously hurt anybody's feelings in context, but it's going to raise some eyebrows and it could make some people feel uncomfortable and marginalized who would have otherwise enjoyed their time there. It's a poor choice.
Oh, sorry, was that too even handed? Let me slog it up.
"OMG BLACKFACE OMG SHE IS EVIL"
"NO SHE ISN'T YOU STUPID PC PEOPLE STOP BEING STUPID"
That about cover it?
Oh, sorry, was that too even handed? Let me slog it up.
"OMG BLACKFACE OMG SHE IS EVIL"
"NO SHE ISN'T YOU STUPID PC PEOPLE STOP BEING STUPID"
That about cover it?
20
> "If you have to ask "is this racist?" before doing/saying something, ding ding ding, it is."
I'd suggest the converse for Stranger reporters: If you ever have to go, "hmmm, I can't tell if this is something horribly offensive or not", ding ding ding, it is not (I mean, what the fuck, if something is actually horribly offensive, you should probably be able to decide that without polling the goddamn offense brigade), and you should suppress the urge to whip SLOG commenters into a frenzy over it.
I'd suggest the converse for Stranger reporters: If you ever have to go, "hmmm, I can't tell if this is something horribly offensive or not", ding ding ding, it is not (I mean, what the fuck, if something is actually horribly offensive, you should probably be able to decide that without polling the goddamn offense brigade), and you should suppress the urge to whip SLOG commenters into a frenzy over it.
21
Apparently it took me at least 7 minutes to compose response #20 because @18 said it way better than I could have dreamed while I was pounding my monkey fists on the keyboard.
22
Only offensive if was a real minstrel/blackface character playing a stereotyped caricature of a black person. Holy crap over-sensitive people!
Are you offended by the actor on SNL that plays Pres Obama??
Are you offended by the actor on SNL that plays Pres Obama??
23
The only way it would be offensive is if they were trying to look like Chuckie Mudede - who's buttfuck ugly by the standards of any ethnicity.
24
@22 It's a half black comedian portraying a half black President so the racial purity is preserved. The American PC police has assimilated the racist theories of the White Supremacists: one drop rule, cultural preservation and all. They don't realize how racist some of that shit is, they make it sound like being black is a contagious virus.
25
I simply think that labelling every single white portrayal of a black person as "blackface" is misguided at best. Blackface wasn't merely about the makeup, it was about the humilliation and reinforcement of racial stereotypes. It also tended to use a caricature of black features, which is different from an attempt at a realistic portrayal. If someone can look at this girl, who went to a lot of effort to look as much like a loved ST character who happened to be black, and see a racist, I think you need to calm down.
26
I think Whoopi would be okay with it considering she dressed Ted Danson in black face and wrote a sketch with while they were dating...
...and at this point your mind should be completely side tracked picturing Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg getting it on.
...and at this point your mind should be completely side tracked picturing Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg getting it on.
27
I think Whoopi would be okay with it considering she dressed Ted Danson in black face and wrote a sketch with him while they were dating...
...and at this point your mind should be completely side tracked picturing Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg getting it on.
...and at this point your mind should be completely side tracked picturing Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg getting it on.
28
I don't know. It's just such a sensitive issue and for damn good reason. But I agree with the people who say Whoopie might well be okay with this. Maybe even really pleased.
Still a bad costume call.
Still a bad costume call.
29
@24, but doesn't the actor use makeup to darken his complexion? I think you're indirectly making this point with your discussion of the one drop rule, but someone who is black can still put on blackface, no?
30
@29 I have no idea, I haven't watched SNL in years. And like someone said, are we talking genuine ministrel black face or just a tan? I'm pretty sure if a black person does genuine black face in a non ironic way, he'd get a ton of shit for it. There's this deal where a white person cannot cosplay as a black person out of admiration that I feel actually racist. White people shouldn't admire or emulate black people. I think there's some hidden issues there. That's luckily mostly an American thing though.
31
"I'm assuming its use in the poll was deliberate, but that phrase "green or purple" has come under a fair bit of scrutiny over the years in the context of race, and hasn't held up very well under examination."
But in this context it's relevant--Guinan isn't a black human, she's an alien who has brown skin.
The actress playing her is black, obviously, which is what makes this a complicated can of worms.
I think the question in this poll is fundamentally dumb, though. It starts from the assumption that "racist" is an objective quality an action can have, like weight or color. It's a subjective term with no clear definition outside of various specific contexts.
Did this person get dressed with the intention to offend anyone in her heart? Probably not. Did she realize it might offend someone and blow it off as them overreacting? 50/50--she might just be that oblivious. Was it insensitive to the fact that some people, if not most people, would find it offensive? Yeah, sure. Was it a really bad idea? Absolutely.
Those are all questions we can actually answer. And in fact, probably mostly agree on. There's not any real value to be had in an argument over whether or not to deploy a specific word.
But in this context it's relevant--Guinan isn't a black human, she's an alien who has brown skin.
The actress playing her is black, obviously, which is what makes this a complicated can of worms.
I think the question in this poll is fundamentally dumb, though. It starts from the assumption that "racist" is an objective quality an action can have, like weight or color. It's a subjective term with no clear definition outside of various specific contexts.
Did this person get dressed with the intention to offend anyone in her heart? Probably not. Did she realize it might offend someone and blow it off as them overreacting? 50/50--she might just be that oblivious. Was it insensitive to the fact that some people, if not most people, would find it offensive? Yeah, sure. Was it a really bad idea? Absolutely.
Those are all questions we can actually answer. And in fact, probably mostly agree on. There's not any real value to be had in an argument over whether or not to deploy a specific word.
32
12, 25 -- Yes.
sirkowski -- Fred Armisen isn't half black, or any part black. He's part Japanese and part Venezualan, and his portrayal of Obama isn't racist because it isn't intended to ridicule Obama for his race. Similarly, Billy Crystal isn't racist for the impression he does of Sammy Davis Jr. And this woman's portrayal of this character isn't racist.
@26 -- Yeah I doubt Whoopi Goldberg herself would be offended by something like this. This is the type of thing that mostly offends overly PC white people.
sirkowski -- Fred Armisen isn't half black, or any part black. He's part Japanese and part Venezualan, and his portrayal of Obama isn't racist because it isn't intended to ridicule Obama for his race. Similarly, Billy Crystal isn't racist for the impression he does of Sammy Davis Jr. And this woman's portrayal of this character isn't racist.
@26 -- Yeah I doubt Whoopi Goldberg herself would be offended by something like this. This is the type of thing that mostly offends overly PC white people.
33
Okay but can we all just get back on topic here and talk about what an awful, unnecessary character Guinan was in the first place? And how ridiculous fucking Time's Arrow was, even though it was pretty rad to see Samuel Clemens in Star Trek and it resulted in some of the funniest episodes of Jandrew Edits?
34
Seems to me, if the Wayans brothers can both don their own versions of "whiteface" and portray wealthy, blonde white women in derogatory light (look up White Girls on imdb) then the term "blackface" has officially been rendered obsolete at this period of time.
35
How about a remake of "Let This Be Your Last Battlefield" played by actors who look like Treyvon Martin and George Zimmerman?
http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/upl…
36
@34, let me explain to you the concept of "context." Or, you know what? Let me sum it up thusly: It is the same reason it is okay to shove some musclebro at a bar, but not okay to shove a frail old lady. It has to do with actual harm and the ability to get back up and/or fight back.
(Which is not to say that that wasn't a terrible, offensive fucking movie. It definitely was.)
(Which is not to say that that wasn't a terrible, offensive fucking movie. It definitely was.)
37
"To exclude black people from representation by others is rather like excluding them from restaurants or hotels; it performs, basically, the same series of reductions and stereotypes as the thing it claims to be against. " - Momus
http://imomus.livejournal.com/430761.htm…
http://imomus.livejournal.com/430761.htm…
38
"Blackface" is not simply painting your face black. It refers to a particular type of exaggerated, clown-like makeup used in minstrel shows of the early 20th century. In those shows, the "black" characters were near-universally portrayed as simple, uneducated, lazy, trouble-making, ignorant buffoons -- at best; at worst, as vicious savages.
Simply wearing black face paint is not the same as blackface. To illustrate the point, there were, in fact, *black* performers who performed *in blackface*. (Before "Bamboozled", I mean.) The reason that this was not redundant is because "black" and "blackface" are distinct -- one is authenticity, the other is caricature.
Black Like Me or Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder -- both cases of white people portraying blacks by applying black skin color. Are these examples racist? If the reason you say "yes" is because you're comparing them to blackface, the question really *should* be: is it derisive, or is it kindly?
Simply wearing black face paint is not the same as blackface. To illustrate the point, there were, in fact, *black* performers who performed *in blackface*. (Before "Bamboozled", I mean.) The reason that this was not redundant is because "black" and "blackface" are distinct -- one is authenticity, the other is caricature.
Black Like Me or Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder -- both cases of white people portraying blacks by applying black skin color. Are these examples racist? If the reason you say "yes" is because you're comparing them to blackface, the question really *should* be: is it derisive, or is it kindly?
40
See but if you're putting on makeup only for aliens and you do it for Guinan you're totally being racist. That being said though, and as a white male who doesn't give much of a fuck, I would have laughed at her and been done with it.
41
Since I find Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of a Black southerner hilarious and in good nature, I have to agree that "This Caucasian girl" is not racist. I am sure that she had no intention of offending anyone. She looks good to me.
Was there a best dressed contest at this event? Looks like fun.
Was there a best dressed contest at this event? Looks like fun.
42
@32: Exactly. The actress is a black human. The character is an alien with dark skin. The cosplayer is dressed as the CHARACTER, not the actress. And so unless it's racist to dress up as a fake alien, which is taking things so very much too far it's just funny, there's nothing wrong with this, and people need to lighten up.
43
@40
Huh?
Guinan is an alien. It's not like anyone is saying that black humans count as aliens. The character played by Whoopi Goldberg wasn't human.
Or are you saying that it was a racist decision to have an alien played by a black actress who wasn't painted magenta?
Huh?
Guinan is an alien. It's not like anyone is saying that black humans count as aliens. The character played by Whoopi Goldberg wasn't human.
Or are you saying that it was a racist decision to have an alien played by a black actress who wasn't painted magenta?
44
Whoops, that should have been @39. And now that I think about it, if this character is off limits to whitey, so are:
Klingons; usually and most famously played by blacks.
Romulans; most were pretty dusky in color, as I dimly recall, being as they were from a different planet. Perhaps they should only be cosplayed by Hispanics?
Khan; he was most assuredly played by a Hispanic man, wasn't he? There goes that character.
Now, I have no stake in this. Cosplayers usually look pretty idiotic to me no matter who they dress as. And I've never been a big Star Trek fan, preferring my scifi more realistic. But if we get into that nitpicky with scifi characters we end up running the risk of overwhelming actual, serious racial issues with this penny-ante shit.
Klingons; usually and most famously played by blacks.
Romulans; most were pretty dusky in color, as I dimly recall, being as they were from a different planet. Perhaps they should only be cosplayed by Hispanics?
Khan; he was most assuredly played by a Hispanic man, wasn't he? There goes that character.
Now, I have no stake in this. Cosplayers usually look pretty idiotic to me no matter who they dress as. And I've never been a big Star Trek fan, preferring my scifi more realistic. But if we get into that nitpicky with scifi characters we end up running the risk of overwhelming actual, serious racial issues with this penny-ante shit.
45
its not blackface. blackface is the act of painting your face BLACK with pink lips. not brown with black lips...
also blackface was used to make light of africans in america at the time, this is paying homage to the character, and considering how whoopi feels on the subject
http://theview.abc.go.com/forum/blackfac…
i say good on her. and guinan was a good character >:l
also blackface was used to make light of africans in america at the time, this is paying homage to the character, and considering how whoopi feels on the subject
http://theview.abc.go.com/forum/blackfac…
i say good on her. and guinan was a good character >:l
46
@33 I'm with you. That character was the clumsiest on the whole show. Everything about her was forced and contrived. To me, the only thing she served as was a foil to how well written the other characters were.
I read the other day where Whoopi asked to be on the show and Guinan was written in response to that request. Even if it's untrue, it says a lot that people would manufacture a reason to justify why such a shitty character would be written into that show.
Wesley was annoying. Guinan made me cringe. I have to go to Voyager to think of a worse star trek character.
I read the other day where Whoopi asked to be on the show and Guinan was written in response to that request. Even if it's untrue, it says a lot that people would manufacture a reason to justify why such a shitty character would be written into that show.
Wesley was annoying. Guinan made me cringe. I have to go to Voyager to think of a worse star trek character.
47
@13 I think the question of "green or purple" skin would be quite relevant in the context of a sci-fi convention, don't you?
48
This is not blackface. Take a look at Bing Crosby in an unedited version of "Holiday Inn" for your edification. Similarly, "niggard" is not "nigger." It's a really obnoxious thing to use that word even though it should be okay and it's a really obnoxious thing for a white person to put on makeup to become a black character.
Being technically correct frequently doesn't matter. Sometimes it makes you an asshole when there was no need for you to do what you did. You had plenty of other options. Try to be a little more sensitive. It costs you nothing.
Being technically correct frequently doesn't matter. Sometimes it makes you an asshole when there was no need for you to do what you did. You had plenty of other options. Try to be a little more sensitive. It costs you nothing.
49
@48 That knife cuts both ways. Why shouldn't people be a little less sensitive? It costs you nothing.
50
@38,
Tropic Thunder was making fun of actors who are that clueless.
This may not be racist, but it is fucking dumb. Why couldn't she just dress in a Guinan costume without the makeup? Anyone familiar with the show would recognize it.
Tropic Thunder was making fun of actors who are that clueless.
This may not be racist, but it is fucking dumb. Why couldn't she just dress in a Guinan costume without the makeup? Anyone familiar with the show would recognize it.
51
Why couldn't she just dress in a Guinan costume without the makeup?
Because it would be white washing.
52
@51: Yep. And no one's really answered why it's still racist if it's a black alien being portrayed, but why it wouldn't be for another skin color. Guinan might have been an awful, awful character and tv-trope, but she wasn't a human of African descent. Nothing in her wikipedia article suggests different ethnicities on her home planet or any issues with race relations. It does say they live for hundreds of years and come from an alien world, which suggests to me she's not a black lady.
So is it the skin color of the actor or the character he\she portrays that matters? Can whites only play pale species, blacks play dark ones, and our other human races play something inbetween? Doesn't that encourage the creation of caricatures rather than fully imagined characters? I'd prefer to avoid that, if at all possible. It's no different than people being closeminded and pissy that Rue in Hunger Games was played by a black girl because she was only described as 'dark skinned' in the book.
So is it the skin color of the actor or the character he\she portrays that matters? Can whites only play pale species, blacks play dark ones, and our other human races play something inbetween? Doesn't that encourage the creation of caricatures rather than fully imagined characters? I'd prefer to avoid that, if at all possible. It's no different than people being closeminded and pissy that Rue in Hunger Games was played by a black girl because she was only described as 'dark skinned' in the book.
53
@52
Because that's a distinction that presumes people in general think it through to that extent. Most folks probably see her as a black woman (or even as Whoopi the person since she's so well-known) and forget the whole alien context. Visceral reactions to the make-up are predictable and avoidable.
@49
Thus the debate on whether people are being thin-skinned in this case. There are times when people need to lighten up and times when people should think through the consequences of their actions better.
Because that's a distinction that presumes people in general think it through to that extent. Most folks probably see her as a black woman (or even as Whoopi the person since she's so well-known) and forget the whole alien context. Visceral reactions to the make-up are predictable and avoidable.
@49
Thus the debate on whether people are being thin-skinned in this case. There are times when people need to lighten up and times when people should think through the consequences of their actions better.
54
#53 People do think these things through, as clearly evidenced by this thread, You don't know what "most people think" about the Guinan character, you're making an assumption. Star Trek fans may be many things, but uninformed on charcter background and plot, they are not.
This discussion is farcical. We are left with these two questions "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" and "What color are they?"
This discussion is farcical. We are left with these two questions "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" and "What color are they?"
55
To all of you sensitive people that have visited this thread, You are the ones that make a costume a hate crime. Don't be ridiculous. I am sorry but all these comments remind me of the reverse racism bit Dave Chappelle did a number of years back. You create the problem. Get off the internet if you feel so offended by a costume. When Chappelle does the white tight butt reporter does that offend white people? Do you need to be called Caucasian to keep your feelings from hurting? Give me a break and mind your own business. Let the offended tell me what is offensive. I care not what you think may offend another person.
56
Contrast wearing black makeup with the female costumer portraying Kirk: That doesn't raise an eyebrow with anyone here because you're all inured to cross dressing. I'd say that the Guinan costumer has more in common with the actor she's emulating than the sexual impostor to her left.
That said, William Shatner had some sweet man-boobs going: http://trekmovie.com/wp-content/uploads/…
That said, William Shatner had some sweet man-boobs going: http://trekmovie.com/wp-content/uploads/…
57
For the record I fully support cross dressing trekkies who want to paint their faces the colour of their favourite character be they black, white or green skinned alien. Also, I meant costume-wearer and not costumer though they both probably did make their own costumes.
58
As a cos-player/costumer I think she did a good job trying to portray a character she obviously likes. Yes she didn't get the hat shape to match exactly, but she made a really good attempt. It is obvious which character she is portraying, and to do that she does need to have brown skin. It isn't racist as she is not being derogatory, nor oblivious folks (and Aspies aren't the only ones with that issue Commenter #1).
If you are going to portray a specific character, unless deliberately changing it for a theme-like the overdone "undead/zombie X", or the steampunk/noir concept, do it well. That means paying attention to the details folks or it just doesn't look right. For Haith from Wayfarer's Moon, it means walking on hoof stilts to get the right legs, Gambit has red contacts, Data has yellow ones, Captain Atom and the Silver Surfer are silver all over and the Hulk or She-Hulk are green. The Joker without his white face and makeup-no matter which variation (cartoon/Health Ledger...) isn't the same.
Lighten up folks, people dressing up at these cons are generally doing it for fun and because they enjoy the characters they are portraying. (just remember, spandex is a priviledge,not a right!)
If you are going to portray a specific character, unless deliberately changing it for a theme-like the overdone "undead/zombie X", or the steampunk/noir concept, do it well. That means paying attention to the details folks or it just doesn't look right. For Haith from Wayfarer's Moon, it means walking on hoof stilts to get the right legs, Gambit has red contacts, Data has yellow ones, Captain Atom and the Silver Surfer are silver all over and the Hulk or She-Hulk are green. The Joker without his white face and makeup-no matter which variation (cartoon/Health Ledger...) isn't the same.
Lighten up folks, people dressing up at these cons are generally doing it for fun and because they enjoy the characters they are portraying. (just remember, spandex is a priviledge,not a right!)
59
As a cos-player/costumer I think she did a good job trying to portray a character she obviously likes. Yes she didn't get the hat shape to match exactly, but she made a really good attempt. It is obvious which character she is portraying, and to do that she does need to have brown skin. It isn't racist as she is not being derogatory, nor oblivious folks (and Aspies aren't the only ones with that issue Commenter #1).
If you are going to portray a specific character, unless deliberately changing it for a theme-like the overdone "undead/zombie X", or the steampunk/noir concept, do it well. That means paying attention to the details folks or it just doesn't look right. For Haith from Wayfarer's Moon, it means walking on hoof stilts to get the right legs, Gambit has red contacts, Data has yellow ones, Captain Atom and the Silver Surfer are silver all over and the Hulk or She-Hulk are green. The Joker without his white face and makeup-no matter which variation (cartoon/Health Ledger...) isn't the same.
Lighten up folks, people dressing up at these cons are generally doing it for fun and because they enjoy the characters they are portraying. (just remember, spandex is a priviledge,not a right!)
If you are going to portray a specific character, unless deliberately changing it for a theme-like the overdone "undead/zombie X", or the steampunk/noir concept, do it well. That means paying attention to the details folks or it just doesn't look right. For Haith from Wayfarer's Moon, it means walking on hoof stilts to get the right legs, Gambit has red contacts, Data has yellow ones, Captain Atom and the Silver Surfer are silver all over and the Hulk or She-Hulk are green. The Joker without his white face and makeup-no matter which variation (cartoon/Health Ledger...) isn't the same.
Lighten up folks, people dressing up at these cons are generally doing it for fun and because they enjoy the characters they are portraying. (just remember, spandex is a priviledge,not a right!)
61
What if she dressed as Wharf? ALL the Klingons on STNG had dark makeup. So, there for they were ALL in "black face." Are you guys really going to make the case that Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry, of all people, was a racist? Really. Jesus. Talk about Sci-Fi. It's like context doesn't exist in the world of some SLOG posters. We get it. You really hate racism HARD. What do you want? A medal?
And Mary should have never posted this. It was a fucked up thing to do. In the age of the internet that poor girl is now probably being hounded by some self righteous posse of internet cowards. Way to go, Mary.
And Mary should have never posted this. It was a fucked up thing to do. In the age of the internet that poor girl is now probably being hounded by some self righteous posse of internet cowards. Way to go, Mary.
62
@61: If she were dressed as Worf, she would have forehead creases. I'm not a TNG expert, but as far as I can recall there isn't a single alien race that didn't have physical signifiers of their alien-ness. That's why this is racist: Guinan is meant to read as human. Ok, sure, she's an alien, and the only alien we meet of her race, but come on. Guinan reads as a black human for the same reason Worf reads as an alien with dark skin--because she's meant to, because she lacks the signifiers given to all other alien races that mark her as such. (Micheal Dorn is African American, fwiw.)
63
@62 Betazed have no external distinguishing features. You can't tell a Betazed from a human and they can breed with humans but they are humanoid not human.
64
So. Dressing as "Wharf" (yes, I know) isn't racist. Even though you'd have to don black face. But Guinan IS?
Riiiiiiiiight.
Welcome to the planet Nokontext. In the star system of Owootrage.
Riiiiiiiiight.
Welcome to the planet Nokontext. In the star system of Owootrage.
65
@62: For what it's worth, there are probably fifty alien races on TNG that don't look much different from humans. Sometimes they ran out of ideas / budget for new Rubber Forehead Aliens, and just went with the old "normal-looking-guy in a weird outfit" route.
P.S. If we want to talk about Star Trek and racial insensitivity, let's talk about the Planet of Black People episode, "Code of Honor."
P.S. If we want to talk about Star Trek and racial insensitivity, let's talk about the Planet of Black People episode, "Code of Honor."
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