Worse than zombie wars, hands down:
Some of the fraternity members being auctioned off felt the need to dress up in blackface for the event.
In case you don’t know, blackface began during minstrel shows in the
past, where white performers sang, danced and wore the makeup to
humiliate and emphasize black stereotypes.
The whole Northwestern State incident reminds me of a similar one that occurred here in April.
Kappa Delta held a sorority function entitled “Opposites Attract.” At the function, College of
Basic Sciences College Council Secretary Nick Tusa wore dark makeup to resemble Heidi Klum’s husband, British musician Seal.
These two situations are on completely different ends of the spectrum.
Dressing up as a popular musician for a party and going to extremes to
look as much as a slave as possible aren’t on the same wavelength.
But the point is — whether intended or not — the image of someone in blackface almost always conveys a negative image.