Cultural Appropriation in role-playing games (draft)

[billd91]

You know, for all my involvement with "black culture" - my Nigerian ex husband btw begs me to ask you what exactly that is, as there are probably more different black cultures than there are nations in the world - the first thing I heard about "blackface" was when there was all this online bashing going on of this poor young star (forgot even who it was, as it didn't seem to matter) because she applied make up to look like her fav char of some show last Halloween. After picking myself up from the floor nearly dying of laughter, I read up on it and had so many facepalm moments I would really have needed an extra pair of hands.

Absolutely seriously. You don't screw around with some issues here in the US because of our history of racism - and that includes something as seemingly innocuous as wearing blackface. In earlier days of entertainment - throughout the 19th and early 20th century - if a black person was performing on a stage, it was usually really a white person in blackface makeup portraying an insensitive caricature of blacks as dim-witted, happy-go-lucky (as slaves, right), lazy, and superstitious. To pull from Wikipedia: "Frederick Douglass described blackface performers as "...the filthy scum of white society, who have stolen from us a complexion denied them by nature, in which to make money, and pander to the corrupt taste of their white fellow citizens.""

So before you think that people are being ridiculous about blackface, realize that the history of black slavery and racism is a pretty serious issue in the US. You may think it's an overreaction but there are plenty of countries out there with their own hypersensitive issues that other countries don't have and probably think are overreactions as well.

 

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

Absolutely seriously. You don't screw around with some issues here in the US because of our history of racism...

Yes, Lwaxy... billd91 is correct and this is important to understand for how it influences all conversation about race and race relations in America and with Americans. And that kind of black face play, though no longer culturally acceptable, is part of the historical framework that pop culture is viewed through today by minorities - and that will include RPGs.

Also, African American culture - though composed of many subcultures - is distinct from other African and/or black cultures of the world, such as Sudanese, Nigerian, etc.

 

[Bagpuss]

I noticed you uploaded some other videos of a panel at ChupacabraCon, and I do like Ken Hite's reply to I guess your question about cultural appropriation.

[video=youtube;XJaS50WqkG4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJaS50WqkG4[/video]

 

[Lwaxy]

Doesn't make it any less ridiculous. As I said, there is a big big difference between dressing up as someone and making fun of someone, and if people in the US can't get that, it is very very sad. It is even more sad if those activists are trying to enforce those weird views on the rest of the world. It makes absolutely no logical sense. At all. It's like you are being held hostage by your history. There is quite some ridicule about it at least in the Nigerian community over here, including jokes about whether they will see it as "blackface" if a white guy gets a good tan.

But that's getting off topic by now.

As for RPGs, have you ever come across someone who takes the stereotypes in the fake cultures seriously? Because I haven't, not once. I've seen a lot more difficulties when people are trying to play the other gender than playing out a fake culture as they can make a lot more stuff up.

 

[Bagpuss]

As I said, there is a big big difference between dressing up as someone and making fun of someone, and if people in the US can't get that, it is very very sad.

The US is a very particular culture, blackface in the US is pretty much always tied up with making fun of blacks. They assume it is therefore racists even in other cultures that don't have the same assumption. Yes it is sad, but understandable. Unfortunately the US activists are basically involved in cultural imperialism, expecting their values to be accepted by the rest of the world.

 

[Ovinomancer]

The US is a very particular culture, blackface in the US is pretty much always tied up with making fun of blacks. They assume it is therefore racists even in other cultures that don't have the same assumption. Yes it is sad, but understandable. Unfortunately the US activists are basically involved in cultural imperialism, expecting their values to be accepted by the rest of the world.

Careful with the broad brush, there.

 

[Grumpy RPG Reviews]

I will disagree with some of the posts here, I am comfortable with the discussion and want to thank everyone for participating in it. The next video/episode I produce will be less controversial. It is just about 5E D&D...

...which is the exact same thing as cannibalistic Satanism. 8P

 

[mythago]

Lwaxy, do you really not understand the irony of your ordering Americans to think about blackface in a particular way that matches your thinking - based on the views of your Nigerian ex-husband (nice twist on the 'black best friend' btw!) and some random German nationals - and then flipping out that Americans have views on Zwarte Piet? How do you get from your lecturing Americans being a simple view on free speech, but (some) Americans' disapproval is "forcing their views on European countries"?

That "international pressure", btw, does not simply come from the US, and the belief that all Germans and Nederlanders are united in their love of blackface is laughable.

 

[Lwaxy]

Uhm, I'm not "ordering" anyone to do anything. I have no idea how that should even be possible. Also, I don't base my views on those of my ex - we just happen to agree on a lot of things. Not so much on others, obviously. He's also not my best friend, I don't know where you got that from. Neither was I "flipping out" about anything. Especially as it wouldn't matter to me either way what traditions the Dutch are gonna keep and which they won't - I was merely pointing out the intrusion. Also, did I say "all Germans" anywhere? I haven't even mentioned any views of Dutch people, as I wouldn't know. Asides, I am talking about makeup for costumes, not "blackface" - might be the same for some people, it is not for me, and most people over here will never have heard the word in their life. I tried to explain the concept once and was just met with blank stares.

Of course pressure doesn't come only from the US, but that's where it originated, and that's where the main pressure comes from. Strangely, hardly anyone ever talkes about "whiteface." It seems to be fine for Eddy Murphy for example to play a white person, and I can see absolutely no difference in who puts on what make up.