Applying the term blackface to content generation is an interesting development that provokes some intriguing questions.
- Aside from the lack of artistry, what is the difference between a person doing this and creating a character in animation or text that shares the same culture/race? Is there a line to be drawn there?
- Clearly the odds are incredibly high that the person behind this isn’t Aboriginal themselves, but considering the small chance that they are, would that still be problematic?
- Historically, blackface requires caricature and stereotyping. Would this be considered acceptable with those carefully excluded (outside of the essential harm of content generation)?
- And a more general question - Is there a better term that’s not more-or-less exclusive to black oppression in the US? Something that is applicable to any race or culture?
I suppose I should take a stab at them myself:
- I think, if there is a line to draw, it probably sits at the level of impersonation. If someone is using content generation to gain a sense of legitimacy or belonging they otherwise lack, that would be unacceptable.
- Personally, I don’t believe being part of a race/culture prevents a person from being racist about it, so it’s not a surefire exoneration either way. It is also a difficult/impossible thing to prove one way or the other with content generation. I suppose it’s fair to assume the worst unless proven otherwise.
- This overlaps with the first question, imo. If there’s no aspect of stereotyping or caricature, it’s basically just a puppet/character and is unproblematic (racially) as long as it’s not being used as a mask to fake legitimacy.
It’s just that black/african/aboriginal culture can be sold by people who are not part of that community without ever giving anything back to the people who created the culture in the first place (you know, their source of their income - it’s exploitation).
Often, they’re of the class that actually oppresses all non-white people.
I dont think it’s that hard to understand. As a white guy i can write characters who are black, women, have lived different lives- but my narrative shouldn’t be focused around telling stories about what it’s like to be black.
It’s fucking stupid. The entire fucking thing is humanface in that case.
It’s white guys running an account with a aboriginal AI pretending to tell aboriginal stories.
Maybe they might get it 100% right and respectful.
And maybe the kind of white people who COULD pull that off, wouldn’t. Out of respect.
