Chinese State-Run TV Loves Blackface
The CCP may be sensitive about calling Chinese New Year by the "wrong" name, but they certainly don't mind doing a little blackface!
Comments (3)
What is wrong with "stereotypical"? Stereotypes make things recognizable. It's an idea at least as old as Plato and a normal cognitive function. Without it, you would be constantly walking into mud puddles. It's a function necessary for categorization and, unless you're an amoeba, you would not survive without it.
One slight qualification: The pursed lips in the photo above are not great. That's a bit stereotypical and not too nice.
A lot of what's shown here is indeed shockingly racist, but I am not sure that the first instance qualifies as such. The reason is that I don't think it really qualifies as blackface. It's just makeup to have the actors look African, and it looks very natural and well done. Blackface is by definition an ugly caricature, whereas the makeup used here was natural looking to the point where the actresses might have passed for African. If the actresses had played their roles without the makeup, it would have taken the way from the verisimilitude of their presentation, no matter how well they might have played their parts. If there is nothing wrong with using makeup to look like any character an actor might be playing, that should include a character of a different race, as long as the makeup is very realistic, and is done very well and with sensitivity.