Blackface and Drag Queens

“I presume you’re a big admirer of the history of the feminist movement?”

“Of course. Women had been oppressed and subjugated by men and the patriarchy forever. This was a great movement of liberation. How could I not admire and support it with all my being?!”

“And similarly the civil rights movement for black people?”

“It goes without saying. Of course! Again, this was a movement of progress out from oppression by the white patriarchy, which, like with its attitude towards women, will resist all such liberation.”

“And what do you think of blackface - are you glad it’s now a no-go area?”

“You must be joking! It was absolutely disgusting. The level of condescension of the white oppressors lampooning the black sub-species - as they obviously believed. Getting their cheap laughs, just being black was funny - I’m getting angry just thinking of it! It’s unimaginably racist and demeaning! Oppression through caricature . . .”

“I can see you feel very strongly about it all. And so what do you think of drag queens? The same angry feelings, I presume?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I presume you feel rage for the same kind of reasons - male oppression and gender appropriation under the guise of comedy, belittling misogyny, and so on.”

“No, no, no, no. You’re confusing things. It’s totally different. . . .  We should have things like drag story time for children . . .  Drag queen sex shows for kids as part of education.  . . . It’s beautiful. You’ve got it all wrong . . .  You’re confusing totally different things! . . . “

“Just take a few deep breaths. Here’s a sip of water. Calm down. And bring back blackface too so while we’re at it.”

“I supppose so. Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Blackface story time for kids, and heavily sexualised blackface shows put on in schools - we should have  all that kind of thing? Maybe we could have men competing as women in sports in blackface?”

“I just want to be consistent. I’m not sure.”

“I know. We all aspire towards consistency. Anyway, it’s all a lot to think about. Take another sip of water. You’ll be fine.”