Blackface: When Nuance Meets Taboo

“One of the first lessons my students of undergraduate literary studies learn about text analysis is to distinguish between internal and external communication.”

While no one denies the racist history of blackface, the recent wave of scandals, cancellations, and mea culpas in connection with this controversial performative practice suggests a cultural taboo of religious proportions.

However, there is, arguably, a moral difference depending on whether blackface serves to portray a generic black identity or racial stereotype, to impersonate a specific black individual, or to provide ironic commentary on the practice itself. Yet these tend to be painted with the same brush, indicating a troubling lack of nuance in our public discourse.

This is not to mention even instances of perceived blackface that have nothing whatsoever to do with race, such as the much-reported case of a supposedly offensive photograph of Welsh coal miners covered in soot. Epitomizing woke hyper-sensitivity, such cases are analogous to the word “niggardly,” which has led to a number of controversies despite having nothing to do with the N-word.

Another parallel between the N-word and blackface is that they both seem to defy conventional forms of detachment. They cannot even be used ironically or meta-discursively without arousing controversy. Being taboo, they tend to be taken at face value.

I remember reviewing an article for a cultural studies journal entitled “How to Get Away with Blackface: Performances of Black Masculinity in Tropic Thunder.” The article problematized, among other things, Robert Downey Jr.’s use of blackface in the 2008 Ben Stiller movie. Downey’s performance, however, involves multiple layers of detachment.