…I can always reach for my handy-dandy “Afrikaner Schmink Set”! I found it at my local supermarket next to the “Cowboy Schmink Set” and the “Indianer Schmink Set”.
Nosebone not included.:-)
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Filed Under
…I can always reach for my handy-dandy “Afrikaner Schmink Set”! I found it at my local supermarket next to the “Cowboy Schmink Set” and the “Indianer Schmink Set”.
Nosebone not included.:-)
Comments (15)
Here in North America - the newest rude trend is the selling of “Billy Bob” teeth. Implying anyone from the south is a dentally deficient moron. If they tried to sell buck teeth as an Asian costume, they’d be brought before the Human Rights Commission for racism (which is illegal in Canada).
When do you think we as a race, the human race, are going to get over it?
Billy Bob teeth? Oy vey. Who the hell came up with that idea? Ya know, either I’m getting old…or perhaps I have more important things going on in my life…but I didn’t get as steaming mad over the Afrikaner make-up set as I usually would have. I was more saddened by the fact that some still don’t “get it” than I was angered.
And another thing. I’m sick and tired of the South getting picked on (captial “S” intentional). I met one woman who basically wanted to give me a medal for escaping, as if I spent my formative years “totin’ that barge and liftin’ that bale”. Granted, the South still has its issues, but what area doesn’t?
People take it with a grain of salt….
The Jofrika faces sofar have´not managed to deter many European kids from wanting to be Africans or Indians, for even my eleven year old daughter clearly knows that the SOUL is with our African friends, and likes to be BLACK at least during carnival.
But Rudolf, my question is “why”? Why is it “fun” to dress up as a black person during carnival? What does it mean? What is the history behind it? Also, I guess this means it’s okay for me to paint my face pink, wear some big, bucked out yellow teeth, put on a blonde wig, put a flat board down the back of my pants and pretend not to have any rhythm? To top it off, I could carry around a suitcase filled with gold and pretend to hide it in my coat. All in the name of fun right? What if that hurt someone’s feelings? What if an entire race was made fun of exactly because of those features, perceived traits or qualities that I choose to have “fun” with during carnival?
I’m sorry, my quest for fun doesn’t outweigh the effect I may have on someone’s feelings.
Dear Rashunda, I need more space therefore separate e-mail follows. I want to tell you all my personal story with clichees
Rudolf
PS Am having lunch first so please have patience
Yes what is the story behind it. yes of course you are on the right track. The story behind the Jofrika face can be deduced by the way the person is depicted and of course it serves every clichee we whites had or maybe still have of Africans I personally fit the classical picture. My first picture of a black person engraved itself upon my mind during my first visit as an approx. 4 yr old in church it was a statue of a black male, who was automatically bowing his head in a gesture of thank you whenever someone placed a coin in a slot which was carved in the figures loins. I remember to ask my mother: Mama was ist das? ie.mama what is this? My mother said this isonly the thankyou negro, and that the priest added to my mothers statement you know it costs a lot of money to help these little negroes in africa by bringing them christendom. Subsequently this picture was enforced in religious education from kindergarten. We were educated to see black people as
1 uneducated
2 stupid
3 in need of permanent help
4 as boistreous and larmoyant
EDUCATION in these days was very authoritative and took years to set right and even someone who thinks he is without prejudice is likely to slip back in old musters of thought when unaware.
Whenever you were seeing black people in olden days they were presented as clowns or best as assistants to missonaries.
The Jofrika face is an effigy of one of these American black clowns touring the continent in pre II World war Europe. But your actual question was, why Do little white girls want to be black, at least during carnival, My daughter lately has not voiced any such desires, but my neighbors daughter tells me she finds her dominican - swiss schoolmate-girlfriend so cool and so lovely with her cholatebrown skin that during carnival she wants to be her girlfriends sister. She never has spent a taught on the racialist packaging of the Jofrika makeup. By the way this firm has made it’s first money with exactly this Carneval Makeup and has never reached any acclaim with professional theatre makeup artists.
Enought for now
Rudolf
Rashunda, *gasp* I’m dying…rotfl! I can’t wait for Hallowwen!!
Rudolf - We’re getting ready for a trip. I’ll respond later today.:-):-)
Rashunda, I’m in Berlin but it’s not all that much better here. When I see that kind of thing the only thing I feel is an OVERWHELMING homesickness for a place where I don’t need to discuss with people why such a product is so degrading. The worst part is discussing it here with friends, because you almost always get some attempt to explain, but that’s always based on plain old prejudice.
Rudolf,
I have no problem with the little girl who wants to dress up as her Dominican friend as long as the Dominican friend can do the same. The Swiss girl can wear brown make-up and the Dominican girl can wear pink.
Hmmmm…have you ever wondered why you rarely see the latter? Blacks painting themselves pink (except for Michael Jackson:-)).
I understand what you’re saying in the rest of your statement but I still don’t understand the need in 2004 for people to dress up as characters depicting a racist stereotype.
I think Beth summed up how I feel. When I get upset about something over here all I get is an explanation or I’m told that I’m being too sensitive. I don’t think I’ve ever had a white Swiss person just say, “Wow, I never realized how it would appear from another angle.” (Wait, I have had one. Hi Lily.:-))
Waaay back when I first moved to Switzerland I posted a note about how homesick I was and the things I just couldn’t get used to here. Someone on a Swiss list posted a link to my site. You wouldn’t believe the awful comments I received from people who said they were Swiss. One woman told me something to the effect of that the same thing happened to her in America but she wouldn’t have dared to voice her opinion like I had. She said I was being rude. I told her that if I had known her in the States and she had voiced her opinion to me I would have:
1) Given her a long hug (if accepted) and told her that I was sorry she was having a rough time.
2) Invited her to lunch or dinner just so she’d have a kind ear.
3) Told her that she had a right to her feelings, that she’d have her ups and downs, and that she could call me when she felt lonely…or I’d call her just to check up on her.
But I understand that these actions are not part of Swiss culture just as the concept of “self-reflection” isn’t. I’m not being mean. What I’m trying to say is that for the Swiss, or for some Swiss, taking a look at how their actions may appear to another culture just isn’t a known concept. I believe this is due to the fact that until 30 or so years ago, there *weren’t* any other cultures in Switzerland. Granted, this is the same in certain segments of American society but only to a certain extent.
i hate it when they always pick on the south and you’re right rashunda all areas of the us have their issues.
lol @ this picture.
with your comment about not having any other cultures in Switzerland until about 30 years ago, you might be spoton. You know even for somewhat progressive Swiss like myself and my friends it’s sometimes dispairingly hard having to put up with the slow progress in Switzerland and even harder still to face up to and confront the continous ravings of our rightwingers.
Have a nice trip
Rudolf
Hey, have you seen the cake decorations at Migros? At Shoppyland-Bern, you can get a set of 5-one ‘black’-complete with big red lips, one ‘indian’ including a ‘beer-gut’, one chinaman, a herdie-gerdie alp type and one other, which I can’t remember at the moment.
whoa! I havent been here for awhile and look what I have missed. 11yr. old girls dressing up like “Black” and “Soul” for carnival or Halloween. Hmm. sounds like your 11 yr. old girl dresses up as my 11 yr. old for a costume? And yes I am from the South and i am tired of the silly comments too