Black people have been oppressed, denied jobs, subjected to a lot of violence because of these things. We get kicked out of school because of how our hair grows naturally. We get marketed skin lightening creams. Everybody globally tells us we're ugly.

We cannot clean off our dark skin at the end of the day.

We cannot change our DNA and we shouldn't have to.

**Poe Daddy 🥀** @guerrillablack · Apr 09, 2018, 19:21

**Poe Daddy 🥀** @guerrillablack · Apr 09, 2018, 19:21

Apr 09, 2018, 19:21

Poe Daddy 🥀 @guerrillablack

Guerrilla teaches you about digital blackface. /3 Show more

Taking on blackface in any form means taking on a persona. It is assuming blackness that you can remove whenever the hell you want.

We are not costumes. We aren't things that you can try on for street credit and to be cool and to be edgy. We are human beings, and dressing up as us is hurtful.

Regardless of intention.

Even if you think we're cool, it's a form of exotification.

Don't do blackface. Nope. Nah.

**Poe Daddy 🥀** @guerrillablack · Apr 09, 2018, 19:24

**Poe Daddy 🥀** @guerrillablack · Apr 09, 2018, 19:24

Apr 09, 2018, 19:24

Poe Daddy 🥀 @guerrillablack

Guerrilla teaches you about digital blackface. /4 Show more

With the growing possibilities of the internet, digital blackface is becoming more common.

How does that look?

- Using dark-skinned emojis (what purpose????????????????)

- Using predominately black reaction gifs

- A hell of a lot of AAVE (African-American Vernacular English--this is appropriating our dialect)

Ask yourself why you use these things. To be cool? To be funny? To be dramatic? Why does our blackness equal comedy to you?

**Poe Daddy 🥀** @guerrillablack · 2018-04-09T19:27:07Z

Poe Daddy 🥀 @guerrillablack

Guerrilla teaches you about digital blackface. /5 Show more

Why does using a reaction gif of a remixed video of a poor black woman crying because her life has fallen apart hilarious to you?

Why does awkwardly calling people "fam" (you KNOW you sound awkward, don't lie) make you feel cool?

If you are not black, you do not understand blackness. As a result, anything you do to imitate blackness reduces us to a caricature (that, remember, people use as a justification to oppress us).

We are not a monolith.

Apr 09, 2018, 19:27 · Web · 26 · 29

**Poe Daddy 🥀** @guerrillablack · Apr 09, 2018, 19:28

**Poe Daddy 🥀** @guerrillablack · Apr 09, 2018, 19:28

Apr 09, 2018, 19:28

Poe Daddy 🥀 @guerrillablack

Guerrilla teaches you about digital blackface. /conclusion Show more

And remember, you can do whatever you want. I cannot control your actions.

But every time you engage in digital blackface, it:

1) Feels really fucking off, and
2) Shows black people that you think we're the punchline to every fucking joke.

**PLENTY OF JUICE (Cas)** @InkAndCircuits@cybre.space · Apr 09, 2018, 19:29

**PLENTY OF JUICE (Cas)** @InkAndCircuits@cybre.space · Apr 09, 2018, 19:29

Apr 09, 2018, 19:29

PLENTY OF JUICE (Cas) @InkAndCircuits@cybre.space

Guerrilla teaches you about digital blackface. /conclusion Show more

@guerrillablack Thank you.

Shit.

I have some mannerisms to pick apart. Thank you.

**distelfliege 🎨arts + crafts** @distel@wandering.shop · Apr 09, 2018, 19:33

**distelfliege 🎨arts + crafts** @distel@wandering.shop · Apr 09, 2018, 19:33

Apr 09, 2018, 19:33

distelfliege 🎨arts + crafts @distel@wandering.shop

Guerrilla teaches you about digital blackface. /conclusion Show more

@guerrillablack thank you for explaining digital blackface! If you (or anyone who reads this) catch me using AAVE, please don't hesitate to tell me, so I can stop that, I'm no native english speaker and I sometimes use whatever expressions and figures of speech I pick up online.

**Woozle Hypertwin** @woozle@toot.cat · Apr 09, 2018, 19:33

**Woozle Hypertwin** @woozle@toot.cat · Apr 09, 2018, 19:33

Apr 09, 2018, 19:33

Woozle Hypertwin @woozle@toot.cat

Guerrilla teaches you about digital blackface. /conclusion Show more

@guerrillablack Without being even slightly black, I still don't understand why anyone has to have this explained to them.

I sometimes think they know all too well what they're doing, and just pretend to not understand why it's wrong.

This is a good explanation, just in case there's anyone out there who is genuinely confused.

(The principle applies more widely to other marginalized groups as well.)

**Maggie** @Maenad@witches.town · Apr 10, 2018, 01:55

**Maggie** @Maenad@witches.town · Apr 10, 2018, 01:55

Apr 10, 2018, 01:55

Maggie @Maenad@witches.town

Guerrilla teaches you about digital blackface. /conclusion Show more

@woozle @guerrillablack a lot of slang comes, originally, from black communities and AAVE. If you exist in gaming spaces, for example, you probably hear and use a lot of such slang without having aaaaaaaaaany idea where it comes from.

**maloki** @maloki@mastodon.social · Apr 09, 2018, 19:28

**maloki** @maloki@mastodon.social · Apr 09, 2018, 19:28

Apr 09, 2018, 19:28

maloki @maloki@mastodon.social

Guerrilla teaches you about digital blackface. /5 Show more

@guerrillablack cue me wanting to explain away why I use fam.... I know why I use it, and why I shouldn't.

Time for me to introspect and make a decision.

**Poe Daddy 🥀** @guerrillablack · Apr 09, 2018, 19:32

**Poe Daddy 🥀** @guerrillablack · Apr 09, 2018, 19:32

Apr 09, 2018, 19:32

Poe Daddy 🥀 @guerrillablack

Guerrilla teaches you about digital blackface. /5 Show more

@maloki The problem is that AAVE regularly becomes adopted into popular culture to the point that it loses... everything AAVE about it. It gets cleansed and integrated in pop culture.

**maloki** @maloki@mastodon.social · Apr 09, 2018, 19:34

**maloki** @maloki@mastodon.social · Apr 09, 2018, 19:34

Apr 09, 2018, 19:34

maloki @maloki@mastodon.social

Guerrilla teaches you about digital blackface. /5 Show more

@guerrillablack Yeah, I know I didn't learn about it until I got more into diversifying the culture/media I consume.

As I just recently learnt that the colour races around the globe is appropriated Holi celebrations... And that really broke me. I was like, FUCK THIS SHIT.

**maloki** @maloki@mastodon.social · Apr 09, 2018, 19:38

**maloki** @maloki@mastodon.social · Apr 09, 2018, 19:38

Apr 09, 2018, 19:38

maloki @maloki@mastodon.social

@guerrillablack Anyways, don't want to hijack your thread with this.

Thank you for sharing <3