I was searching for lifelike mice on Amazon today (long story) and found this unbelievably racist Halloween mask of a black man. Tiny ears, white eyes, big lips – just like the racist cartoons of the 50’s. My gut reaction was shock and I began to wonder how the seller would justify placing an item like this for sale. My guess is, they would argue it’s simply a caricature, which begs the question – are caricatures racist by nature?
I searched for white-men masks and sure enough, up popped overweight white guys with fat jowls and stupid grins (I’m white by the way). A search for China man mask produced similar results. I didn’t find them funny but rather, disturbing, dehumanizing works of art. I’m sure for the person (or race) that the caricature depicts, they’re not humorous but rather, uncomfortable at the least, at worst, can create a sort of self-hatred in the person being depicted. The seller can label them caricatures all they want – they’re still racist.
I just worked on a BIG Hollywood production last night, a club scene in San Francisco, and they used a Chinaman mask in the costumes. It was pretty hurtful, they wouldn;t dare use a Black Man mask as shown – they’d realise the sensitivity, they’d realise the Back film extras would be offended, maybe say something, they’d realise the film would get into ALOT of trouble and bad PR if it was ever even glimpsed on screen. But they were fine with the Chinaman mask, despite the dozens of East Asians employed that night, pissed off AF or trying to ignore it whenever they saw the thing.
It goes to show the sliding ruile, it goes to show that many White folk really don’t understand that people get hurt, regardless of which race, that it still projects the kind of racist attitudes and steps to dehumanisation if that’s allowable (and on film too) – or that they don’t actually care either. If they can get away with it, they still will do it.
East Asians are the demographic that suffer the most violence of all the race hate crimes, a little known fact that I and my family know intimately – as they are also perceived as the ones that are least going to fight back about it, or perhaps, which I don’t like to think about- are the least human, or least deserving of equality or respect as seen in the brazenness of them using it in a Hollywood blockbuster. Every time I saw that mask I was hurt (and there were numerous versions of yellow face costumes that night). And thus in my self defeating way I didnt say anything in a crowd of 1000 extras and crew, against a giant US conglomeration, and affirming the steroetype we’ll lie back and take it as weaklings, as subhumans.
The film was Venom 2.
so what you triggered snowflake? they sell white people masks too
in the ”head” of these mongoloid wigger everything is racist . i would nuke all these morons
But you would die in the explosion…
ffs stfu pos commies . you have no idea what is racist or not damn wigger. nothing is worst than a white commies
Oh, look. Someone let their monkey type on the keyboard…
I can’t find it anymore on Amazon, if you know where I can get it let me know.
I want one too. I find it strange that anyone would describe it as ‘racist’ when I work with someone who looks remarkably like this mask. admittedly the lips are a little large, but otherwise it’s uncanny and astonishing how close it is to real life