Posted on 02/02/2023 11:04:59 PM PST by blueplum
wearing blackface is not illegal. It is just socially not acceptable to the point it would ruin a person who chose to do it. A man wearing a dress used to be socially unacceptable to the point it would ruin him as well, but it has never been illegal.
If Gov Huckabee can convince a judge (once this law gets challenged) that men dressing up, putting makeup on, etc etc…. is a form of adult entertainment akin to a sex show, the law will be constitutional. But, if it’s just about how a man is dressing, it won’t fly. It’s that simple.
Drag has been around since before Shakespeare. It’s a common shtick among comedians everywhere from Uncle Milty to V. Zelensky, with Benny Hill, Bob Denver as Gilligan in drag, Max Baer as Jethrene, Flip Wilson as Geraldine, Fred Flintstone and Barny Rubble in between. Of course, none of them twerked, and certainly not in front of kids.
Drag is no different than blackface. So why is blackface universally condemned for mocking black people, while drag mocks women?
Worst part of that is, the original Jazz Singer was a great movie, lots of artistry even in the black face scenes, but all anyone ever talks about is the black face scenes as black face scenes, not the resolution of conflict between an estranged son and father at the latter’s death bed, the incomparable performance of Yossel Rosenblatt in the cantorial scenes, or the congregation president saying of a weeping Al Jolson still in black face “he’s just a shadow of his former self”. But noo. Black face black face black face.
Black face, too, was used in a couple of Shakespeare plays, and was around long before Al Jolson was born.
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