Another look at the Megyn Kelly debacle
Ahhh, Halloween! That revered holiday, filled with demons and ghosts, where we engage in rituals rooted in paganism. So how can Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Hindus celebrate a day that goes against the major tenets of their religions?
Easy. Because the intent of Halloween festivities is completely different from those centuries ago. As a result, no one (of sound mind) is offended, because the focus is on the benign “here-and-now” – not past practices.
So is dressing in “blackface” (where non-black people darken their skin as part of making an authentic costume, and vice versa, with whiteface) really all that different? According to MSNBC, which just fired daytime host Megyn Kelly after her comments about wearing blackface in the ’70s and ’80s, yes. But ask many average Americans – white, black and every other color – and you’ll get a starkly different take. No pun intended, but this really is a simple black and white issue gone awry.
Let’s take an honest look at the Megyn Kelly situation:
Intent. Intent. Intent. That is the key. And it’s precisely what PC thought police cannot comprehend. This debate isn’t about “defending” blackface, but much more important, it’s advocating a more tolerant society where we act like rational adults instead of pouty third graders.
Things change, and people evolve for the better, and nowhere more than America. Much of what was offensive or taboo in the past – such as Halloween, which was banned by Christian religions –eventually loses its stigma, and in fact becomes embraced.
Likewise, if a person darkens or lightens his skin to complete the authenticity of a Halloween costume, that isn’t a bigoted act (and therefore the person isn’t a bigot) since, in virtually all cases, there is no racist intent in doing so. Sure, there will always be idiots who have racially themed parties in a warped effort to be “cool and funny,” but society usually roots out such morons and shames them appropriately.
It’s not insensitive, nor should it offend. It’s time we grow the hell up and start seeing things for what they are – in the here and now.
Has it occurred to the critics that darkening one’s skin today does not remotely carry the same intent as the blackface skits of the early- and mid20th century? Unquestionably, many of those skits deliberately portrayed black people negatively. That’s why such performances no longer exist. They were wrong, and they had clear racist overtones. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. Old skits and today’s costumes are apples and oranges.
Truth is, the respect that non-blacks have for the blacks they are emulating via costume is immense! That’s the whole point, and it is the farthest thing from bigotry.
President Obama, LeBron James, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Robinson – all icons of American culture. Real life heroes, they captivate and inspire millions. The fact that people want to emulate them – and yes, that includes looking like them – is the ultimate gesture of goodwill. Why some place such negativity on those who simply want to walk in their champion’s shoes for just a day makes no sense.
So if costumes involving race are offensive, then how about gender? Religion? Animals?
Is it anti-Semitic for a Catholic to dress as a rabbi? And should a Jewish kid be condemned for donning a pope costume, because it could be viewed as making fun of the church’s sex scandal? Or can only Catholics wear priest outfits? Should Irish be offended by those dressing as Englishmen? And is it now inappropriate or even “xenophobic” to be a Saudi Arabian oil sheik, genie, or Aladdin?
Halloween is already being ruined by the coddled generation. After all, trick-or-treating for those over 12 is already illegal in some places. Others think it should occur during the day (undoubtedly to protect against non-existent razor blades in candy), and be moved to a Saturday, since it’s just “too difficult” during the week for some dysfunctional parents.
It’s no coincidence that prior generations never had such issues, and everything went smoothly.
It’s time to rip the masks off those masquerading as moral crusaders to expose them for their true colors: political agitators and thought police.
What a Halloween-week treat that would be.