rumitoid

Here is what she said: “But what is r****t? Because you do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface for Halloween or a black person who puts on white face for Halloween. Back when I was a kid, that was okay as long as you were dressing up as a character.”

“There was a controversy on the Real Housewives with Luann. And she dressed as Diana Ross. And she made her skin look darker than it really is, and people said that that was r****t,” said Kelly. “And I felt like, ‘Who doesn’t love Diana Ross?’ She wants to look like Diana Ross for one day — I don’t know how that got r****t on Halloween. It’s not like she’s walking around in general.” Let’s not forget that de Lesseps issued an apology after the incident, telling Andy Cohen that she was “horrified.”

This is her email apology to staff: "When we had the roundtable discussion earlier today about the controversy of making your face look like a different race as part of a Halloween costume, I suggested that this seemed okay if done as part of this holiday where people have the chance to make themselves look like others. The iconic Diana Ross came up as an example. To me, I thought, why would it be controversial for someone dressing up as Diana Ross to make herself look like this amazing woman as a way of honoring and respecting her? I realize now that such behavior is indeed wrong, and I am sorry. The history of blackface in our culture is abhorrent; the wounds too deep."

From Twitter and other sources, the apology was rejected because at 47 and a journalist she should have known about the r****m equated with blackface. And her "teary-eyed" apology was just more white privilege excuses for racial insensitivity. Now my two cents.

Here is some background:
The stock characters of blackface minstrelsy have played a significant role in disseminating r****t images, attitudes and perceptions worldwide. Every immigrant group was stereotyped on the music hall stage during the 19th Century, but the history of prejudice, hostility, and ignorance towards black people has insured a unique longevity to the stereotypes. White America's conceptions of Black entertainers were shaped by minstrelsy's mocking caricatures and for over one hundred years the belief that B****s were racially and socially inferior was fostered by legions of both white and black performers in blackface.

Minstrel show entertainment included imitating black music and dance and speaking in a "plantation" dialect. The shows featured a variety of jokes, songs, dances and skits that were based on the ugliest stereotypes of African American s***es. From 1840 to 1890, minstrel shows were the most popular form of entertainment in America. White audiences in the 19th Century wouldn't accept real black entertainers on stage unless they performed in blackface makeup.

Yes, it was a terrible and debasing thing, like the N**i propaganda machine showing Jews with large noses, pentagrams etched in a devilish face, race defilers, and other horrid images. Hitler made Jews something other, as did Blackface for Afro-Americans.

Yet here's the thing. On Kelly's show, the blackface character was a white person wanting to look like a woman she greatly admired, Diana Ross. Hard to be white and pull that off. So she darkened her skin. This was not some caricature or a sign of disrespect: this was a simple desire to bring the person alive as she was. Where is the harm? Sorry, I don't see it. If some Black person wanted to dress up as Betsy Ross or George Washington or Justin Bieber, lightening their complexion is needed, or what is the point of the costume? Halloween is a fun time to take on other personas and doing it right, being particular in details, makes it great. So for me, no harm, no foul. Appreciate the ingenuity and detail, give them a treat.

As to her apology, she seemed sincere and honestly aghast that her comments caused others pain, and it was obvious there was no intention of r****m overtly or covertly. A mistake, though less like Roseanne Barr's. I could go on about the need for PC, not the overworked super-sensitivity type looking for political points, but I will simply say what happened to Megyn Kelly was overreach PC.

Wolf counselor Loc: Heart of Texas

Yeah she had blood coming out of her eyes and blood coming out of her.....wherever.

proud republican Loc: RED CALIFORNIA

What is the big deal????..Dressed up as somebody of a different race shouldnt be a big deal!!!1If it is...Should it be r****t if Black women who color their hair blonde ......After all white people have blonde hair, noy black women...Thats how stupid this is!!!!!

rumitoid

That was my whole point, if you read the piece.

rumitoid

You are too funny.

Wolf counselor Loc: Heart of Texas

woodguru

I said the exact same thing, I went with my face blacked out as Blackula 35 years ago, the costume was a hysterical hit.

My wife said dressing up as something isn't the same as the blackface they are talking about. It was a thing in the early days of cinema, it's white comedians with a black face, with big red lips like a clown. The idea was to mock and make fun of black stereotypes with emphasized characteristics designed to ridicule black people. When we looked it up I understand why it got blasted from early Hollywood, it was not meant to be complimentary to b****s, it was offensive.

That said Kelly may not have understood what was wrong with it any more than I did. People are done with r****m, it's not a good time.