So Jeff was wearing a Delicious Vinyl shirt on Unproffessional Fridays last week ( http://deliciousvinyl.myshopify.com/products/mensdvlogowhite ) and I thought it was wicked cool so I rushed to order one, sans context. I realised post order that... It kinda looks like a minstrel. I showed it to my friend and that was her first impression. Now, I'm wondering if this is cool to wear in public (I am white/Irish) or if it's best that it be relegated to the back of the wardrobe. As a giant bomb user, lord knows I've had my fair share of 'could this t-shirt be taken as racist?' inner conflict, but is this one just too...much?
Is this t-shirt racist?
Blackface illustrations have a tendency to wildly exaggerate a few specific phenotypes associated with African Americans, none of which I really see represented on that shirt.
It's just a hideous fucking illustration, I guess.
No. Not in the slightest.
That was exactly what I was gonna write. Freaky..
Came for the racism, left disappointed...
Dang, better put my pitchfork and torch away.
Blackface illustrations have a tendency to wildly exaggerate a few specific phenotypes associated with African Americans, none of which I really see represented on that shirt.
It's just a hideous fucking illustration, I guess.
Yeah, that's the impression I got.
@vinny_says: Well, that's suppose to be racist. That's the point.
As for the shirt, no, I don't think it's racist. I wouldn't have even made the connection if you didn't bring it up. And if there's one thing that us here at Giant Bomb are good at, it's defining racism.
Came for the racism, left disappointed...
Only good part of this thread...left in a good mood...
I'm black and I'd say it's borderline.
I say that because, yes, a lot of people will see it that way.
The illustration with the giant lips and whatnot is very close to classic racist imagery. A lot of younger people will be ignorant of the history of images like that, but many people will be aware of it. The shirt is likely intended to be worn by black people.
"Why is okay for black people to wear something and white people not to?" Because it's comedic irony. Just like gay men calling eachother "F***s" and sorority girls calling eachother "b*****s" or servicemen calling our military bad. It's lacking ironic content when white people do it.
So, I'd say wear it if you're comfortable with it. Especially if you're into urban stuff. But, be aware that more than a few people are likely going to take it as racist.
That t-shirt's potential racism falls under the "he who smelt it dealt it" clause from the department of common sense.
that's stupid.
If you produce a shirt that is very similar to iconic racist imagery, it's not only "Racists" who are going to be offended by it. That's like wearing a swastika shirt where the crimson is a little bit pink and going "what? If you're offended, YOU must be the racist!"
@mrcleantrousers: You would think that if it was racist it probably wouldn't have been used as the logo for a rap record label. Your more likely to get punched by someone who doesn't like The Pharcyde (in which case I suggest you punch them back). Anyway the guy doesn't even look like a Minstrel, he looks more like a Malteeser.....sorry...... :/
I don't know, maybe his teeth are like that because he's been eating vinyl. Guess it's just how you interpret it.
I could see an awkward line of questioning from a particularly sensitive passerby stemming from that shirt, but that's almost unavoidable. I've been accused of all sorts of unsavory lifestyles for wearing logos/designs that the accuser thought looked vaguely like a thing they think they saw once in a negative light.
I could see an awkward line of questioning from a particularly sensitive passerby stemming from that shirt, but that's almost unavoidable. I've been accused of all sorts of unsavory lifestyles for wearing logos/designs that the accuser thought looked vaguely like a thing they think they saw once in a negative light.
I doubt anyone would ever say anything about it.. I think they would just think he was a racist. The odds of anyone ever confronting someone about something are incredibly small. It's like when you see people down here in Texas driving around with confederate flags. Nobody says anything, but the lines are drawn. Even white people observing other white people.
I could see an awkward line of questioning from a particularly sensitive passerby stemming from that shirt, but that's almost unavoidable. I've been accused of all sorts of unsavory lifestyles for wearing logos/designs that the accuser thought looked vaguely like a thing they think they saw once in a negative light.
I doubt anyone would ever say anything about it.. I think they would just think he was a racist. The odds of anyone ever confronting someone about something are incredibly small. It's like when you see people down here in Texas driving around with confederate flags. Nobody says anything, but the lines are drawn. Even white people observing other white people.
Yeah, probably not, just drawing from local experience. People tend to speak up when they take offense to something around here. To be fair, they ask questions more than they jump to conclusions (as somebody who sometimes wears unusual clothing when out and about, I get both a lot), but knowing the people of this area, that shirt would draw some unwanted attention, especially down in the city where it seems like everybody's itching for a confrontation.
I could see an awkward line of questioning from a particularly sensitive passerby stemming from that shirt, but that's almost unavoidable. I've been accused of all sorts of unsavory lifestyles for wearing logos/designs that the accuser thought looked vaguely like a thing they think they saw once in a negative light.
I doubt anyone would ever say anything about it.. I think they would just think he was a racist. The odds of anyone ever confronting someone about something are incredibly small. It's like when you see people down here in Texas driving around with confederate flags. Nobody says anything, but the lines are drawn. Even white people observing other white people.
Yeah, probably not, just drawing from local experience. People tend to speak up when they take offense to something around here. To be fair, they ask questions more than they jump to conclusions (as somebody who sometimes wears unusual clothing when out and about, I get both a lot), but knowing the people of this area, that shirt would draw some unwanted attention, especially down in the city where it seems like everybody's itching for a confrontation.
Where do you live so that I may avoid such an area.
It doesn't really look like classic blackface imagery to me, but I haven't seen many examples.
I don't think blackface was the word he was looking for. Blackface is a theatre concept, as is the Minstrel show. The image is more similar to caricatures. Basically, back when it was "funny" to go "Look what big lips they have!" "Look what white teeth they have!" "Look how dark their skin is!"
I could see an awkward line of questioning from a particularly sensitive passerby stemming from that shirt, but that's almost unavoidable. I've been accused of all sorts of unsavory lifestyles for wearing logos/designs that the accuser thought looked vaguely like a thing they think they saw once in a negative light.
I doubt anyone would ever say anything about it.. I think they would just think he was a racist. The odds of anyone ever confronting someone about something are incredibly small. It's like when you see people down here in Texas driving around with confederate flags. Nobody says anything, but the lines are drawn. Even white people observing other white people.
Yeah, probably not, just drawing from local experience. People tend to speak up when they take offense to something around here. To be fair, they ask questions more than they jump to conclusions (as somebody who sometimes wears unusual clothing when out and about, I get both a lot), but knowing the people of this area, that shirt would draw some unwanted attention, especially down in the city where it seems like everybody's itching for a confrontation.
Where do you live so that I may avoid such an area.
York, Pennsylvania (or "Shit Towne", as the painfully accurate song by Live calls it). It really is an awful city. Ugly, smells bad, dangerous as hell.
It is the logo for a notable hip-hop lable, so no.
If someone you're hanging out with immediately thinks that is racist, stop hanging out with them.
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