The year 2019 is a surprising renaissance of black face.
A practice that should have been excised from our society long ago has seen many resurgences in recent memory from the Canadian Prime Minister to United States political hopefuls.
So it's understandable that a claim of blackface pumpkins would have everyone on edge. On one hand, it's more than possible in today's society—it's unsurprising.
On the other hand, should we reexamine this reaction?
Bed, Bath & Beyond pulls black jack-o'-lanterns after complaints of 'blackface'www.youtube.com
In the above video, Halloween decorations in front of a law office are criticized and pulled from display. After news broke, Bed Bath and Beyond even pulled the product from sale.
Mary Marzolla, a partner at the law firm, confirms the pumpkins were removed as soon as they received a complaint. Marzolla was very quick to confirm her business doesn't discriminate.
The regional director of the NAACP, Wilbur Aldridge says of the incident,
"By now I would believe that anything in Black face is offensive... Equally as offensive is that a retail store would have such an item in their inventory for general purchase. This too shows an extreme lack of sensitivity."
And some agreed with the sentiment.
But not many.
Finding those reactions on Twitter took a lot of time and effort.
Instead, most of the responses were surprised at the reaction the law firm took. Even more so, that Bed Bath and Beyond pulled the product from sale.
Across the political spectrum, people online see the pumpkins as just decorations. Consensus says there isn't enough in their design to suggest blackface.
Which brings us to the question, were these pumpkins that bad?
"Coming from an individual who happens to be black - this is f***ing overly-dramatic! They're pumpkins! You can't be serious about this 'anger'"OneEdgeLegion / Twitter
If someone became uncomfortable because the decorations reminded them of blackface, their emotions are valid, and they are right to voice their concerns.
If upon receiving the complaint, the law office pulled the display down, that's their prerogative. Bed Bath and Beyond are also within their rights to remove the decoration from sale.
That said, a majority of people commenting online don't find these pumpkins anything other than maybe a little tacky.
Which means people had a good laugh over them.
Despite claims to the contrary, and seeminhly innocuous stories like this, racism is still very much alive and well in the United States.
It can be from something as simple as an offhand comment, and as blatant as a book burning of a Latina author because you don't like the truth she is telling you.
Tacky black jack-o-lanterns most find inoffensive doesn't minimize or reduce the racism many deal with daily in the United States.
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