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Who are to be the new octaroons?

If there’s going to be distinguishing by race then we’ve got to have a definition of race. You know, that thing that doesn’t exist

19 thoughts on “Who are to be the new octaroons?”

  1. It would also be straightforward race discrimination (in a sane world) for an actor who’s sacked from the Simpsons for being the wrong colour

  2. That’s interesting. So we’ll see the end of the BBC salting its period dramas with BAME actors in roles would have been white. Cultural appropriation, rampant.

  3. I don’t think you’re right that someone white couldn’t legally be a slave, Tim. The three-fifths compromise refers to “enslaved persons” not black (or similar) people (many liars to the contrary.) Would be genuinely interested if you can cite the pertinent statute.

  4. The problem is that on the ground racism is declining.
    That makes race baiters desperate, and more noisy.
    Entertainment types listen to the noise.

  5. BIS – ha that reminds me of that chestnut about goofy (mates with Mickey) and pluto (owned by Mickey), bout time they gave pluto some clothes and a voice

  6. Hallowed Be
    Minnie: “Are you saying I’m crazy?”
    Mickey: “No, I said you were fucking Goofy.”

  7. Nyeeess, you are not the first person to notice that conundrum but the fact there is no scientific basis to 19th century racial categories does not mean you can annihilate European Jewry and claim they were picked at random.
    It may be a social and cultural construct but ,bar eating fucking and shitting, what isn’t?

  8. Bloke in Spain

    “How does this effect Disney!”

    The excellent and popular Splash Mountain ride in Disneyworld is to be re-themed by removing Brer Rabbit & co on account of the Uncle Remus stories now being verboten.

    The new theme will be the little known film The Princess and the Frog which coincidentally featured the first black Disney Princess – Tiana.

    The kickback has already started albeit not as might have been predicted. Fans of Tiana are dissatisfied that she was not given a brand new ride.

  9. “there is no scientific basis to 19th century racial categories”: whose 19th century racial categories?

  10. @dearieme

    More than one racial classification system was proposed in the nineteenth century (from Wiki, “Among the 19th century naturalists who defined the field were Georges Cuvier, James Cowles Pritchard, Louis Agassiz, Charles Pickering… Cuvier enumerated three races, Pritchard seven, Agassiz twelve, and Pickering eleven”) but bearing in mind they didn’t have genomics available it’s safe to suggest they’re all very wrong in the scientific sense. But will all have influenced modern social construction of race of course.

  11. Dear Mr Worstall

    Where will they get yellow actors and actresses to voice the Simpson family?

    Askin’ for a friend.

    DP

  12. Disney Corp incredibly naive, surrender once and they’ll be back for more

    It doesn’t matter what colour or sex voice-over & radio actor is if voice fits. Lots of uglies of all colours gain such parts, same with hand/foot models etc. To dictate one must look a certain way for voice over is blatant discrimination.

    @DP

    They’ll need a yellow boxhead for Bart, and a yellow blue haired sjw for Marge

    I assume all green, blue, red, silver, gold characters now verboten. Bye, bye Doctor Who, X-Men, Marvel etc

    @asiaseen

    Indeed. Who will be in woodpile?

    Is Bernie correct? Yes

  13. To point out the blindingly obvious, Darth Vader is white but voiced by a black man. Presumably that’s different, right?

  14. I like the One Drop rule…

    Means I get to reclaim a fair slice of northern Germany and a wee bit of Denmark and Poland as my ancestral homeland after centuries of religious persecution, discrimination, and displacement.

    Amazing how the same logic doesn’t work when you want to be upwardly mobile….

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