CNN faced ridicule after accusing white people of engaging in “digital blackface” when sharing memes and GIFs featuring black people. According to a CNN writer, “digital blackface” is “one of the most insidious forms of contemporary racism.”
CNN’s senior writer and pro-segregationist, John Blake, stated that black people who share GIFs of other black people “get a pass,” but that white people are not allowed to do the same. In his article, Blake wrote, “But if you’re white, you may have inadvertently perpetuated one of the most insidious forms of contemporary racism. You may be wearing ‘digital blackface.'”
As per Blake, “digital blackface” is the act of white people adopting black imagery, slang, catchphrases, or culture online to convey humor or emotions.”
He referenced an article by Lauren Michele Jackson in Teen Vogue from 2017, in which she claimed that the “internet thrives on white people laughing at exaggerated displays of blackness.”
As per Jackson’s description, “digital blackface” refers to “displays of emotion stereotyped as excessive: so happy, so sassy, so ghetto, so loud… our dial is on 10 all the time — rarely are black characters afforded subtle traits or feelings.”
Blake stated that “Many white people choose images of black people when it comes to expressing exaggerated emotions on social media – a burden that black people didn’t ask for, she says.”
Jackson further explained, “No matter how brief the performance or playful the intent, summoning black images to play types means pirouetting on over 150 years of American blackface tradition.”
Jackson recommended that instead of using images of black people, white people should use Taylor Swift GIFs.
In Blake’s article, he contended, “But critics say digital blackface is wrong because it’s a modern-day repackaging of minstrel shows, a racist form of entertainment popular in the 19th century.”
He referred to an essay by Erinn Wong, stating, “Historical blackface has never truly ended, and Americans have yet to actively confront their racist past to this day. In fact, minstrel blackface has emerged into even more subtle forms of racism that are now glorified all over the internet.”
Wong accused digital blackface of “culturally appropriating the language and expressions of black people for entertainment, while dismissing the severity of everyday instances of racism black people encounter, such as police brutality, job discrimination, and educational inequity.”
Blake also quoted marketing director Elizabeth Halford, who claimed that black memes “are the most effective, because white people are so boring.”
The CNN article that accused white people of racism for using black memes and GIFs provoked thousands of Twitter reactions, with the majority of responses mocking the article. Additionally, there were hundreds of Twitter users who replied with GIFs of black people.
Chad Prather, host of BlazeTV, remarked, “Go to time out and think about what you said.”
Emmanuel Rincón, a writer, said, “Congratulations, this is the stupidest thing I’ve read in all of 2023. You guys really outdo yourselves on a daily basis.”
Joel Brown, a speaker, criticized, “So I guess we just throw context and intention out the window and claim everything is racist from now on? Way to create more division. The stupidity of the trash you push out there to the masses is off the chain CNN.”
Journalist Glenn Greenwald stated, “The modern-day segregationists do everything possible to keep people divided by race, prevent them from having joyful and natural interactions, ban them from appreciating the culture and humor of others, and in general demand that they have as little in common as possible.”
Commentator Ben Shapiro commented, “When the demand for racism radically outstrips the supply.”
Writer Cathy Young questioned, “Why is CNN peddling this bulls**t.”
Podcaster Siraj Hashmi criticized, “CNN is more concerned about digital blackface than they are biological men wearing womanface IRL.”
Author Wilfred Reilly remarked, “This stupid article is important in only one way: it illustrates that, as actual racism continues to decline, new varieties will simply be invented/promoted and used to make us fight one another.”
An article by Blake from last year prompted ridicule, as he compared a Joe Rogan controversy to the Capitol riot.
