(I always have more questions than I will ever have answers….I am all about learning. I ask questions to gain insight and other perspectives….carry on)

If we were to list the top 5 reasons why friends can become enemies within one conversation, the subject of RACE and/or Racism would have a strong foothold in that list. This conversation will never go away due to its long standing institutionalized history that lives on today.

What I wonder is – how much of the past will we hold on to and how will it either hinder or help progress in matters of race relations?

I think we all know that despite the election of a ‘black’ president, we are nowhere near what some would call a ‘post-racial society’ because every other day we are having some conversations about race related matters.

Since the Skip Gates case, the more recent issue that has been covered by the media (oh how I dislike them) is the issue of ‘Black Face’ which we seem to revisit every single year.

If we keep having to talk about ‘Black Face’ every single year and people keep making the same mistakes every single year, can we honestly think that we are making progress as a nation in race relations?

Now either some ‘white’ people just don’t care and will continue to rock the ‘black face’ or all of the ‘yellng’ that black people do every single year is just what it is…..yelling. Apparently, we do not exist in a learning culture.

Would every ‘black’ person agree that all of these three cases are racially insensitive and should have never happened? Will other non-blacks think the same? When is it an appropriate joke and when is it just plain ridiculously insensitive?

Dallas Cheerleader as Lil Wayne
initial reaction: LMFAO

Tyra Banks putting her models in ‘Black Face’
All in the name of modeling and entertainment w/ a black perp

Vogue Model in ‘Black Face’
Is this any different from ANTMs?

Heidi Klum as a ‘Crow’
Not really impersonating a black person…more like an animal. She also has a very ‘black’ husband lol

High School Pep Rally and the ‘Dark Knights’ (but no paint)
But they are kids right? They didn’t actually paint their face….they just covered it to be ‘dark knights’

Would some us even give any second thoughts to some of these cases if the ‘Media’ and their ‘Experts’ didn’t sensationalize these cases with their own input?

At what point can we just accept some things as a joke (whether we like it or not) and not necessarily label is ‘racist’?

Will we excuse some cases of ‘Black Face’ because of its ‘context’? If so, who defines when it is appropriate and when it isn’t? Is that helping the cause or making it worse? (Just like when is it appropriate to use the term ‘nigger’ especially when dealing with other minorities that identify with black culture….Fat Joe and your local white hood thug)

Lastly, at what point do we just stop pointing fingers, shouting, accusing people of racism every two seconds and when do we actually shut the hell up, sit our asses down and actually have real conversations about race. It will never go away but are we even on the right path to help move in a much more positive direction?

I am really tired of people who make fun of other cultures every chance they get but as soon as someone mimics their own culture, it’s a racial issue.

Personal Disclaimer: I joke a lot, sometimes some jokes will make some people’s ears cringe but I try my best to take into account my surroundings before making certain types of jokes so as not to offend anyone. For that reason, I joke about myself all the time and would find it ridiculous if I started criticizing people to making fun of me. Double Standards at its finest.