The black character's lips

Tommy · Post by **Tommy** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:21 am

Anyone else think it's kind of racist that all the black characters have these big donut looking lips? I'm white and it has always bugged me, so I can't imagine what black folks think of this.

Post by **Herms** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:26 am

That is why Viz edited them out.

SHINOBI-03 · Post by **SHINOBI-03** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:32 am

It's interesting that Saban didn't care to edit them it in the anime

Tommy · Post by **Tommy** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:34 am

SHINOBI-03 wrote:It's interesting that Saban didn't care to edit them it in the anime

I find it interesting that a big stink was never made over it. I can understand it not causing problems in Japan seeing as I don't imagine many black people live over there, but when the series started airing here in America you'd think someone would get offended by it and throw down the race card.

Post by **Herms** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 5:35 am

SHINOBI-03 wrote:It's interesting that Saban didn't care to edit them it in the anime

I think it's because it would have taken a lot more effort to edit for the anime than it did with the manga.

rereboy · Post by **rereboy** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:02 am

I really don`t see why should anyone be offended by that... Different cultures set the difference, maybe...

Piccolo Daimao · Post by **Piccolo Daimao** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:11 am

Tommy wrote:Anyone else think it's kind of racist that all the black characters have these big donut looking lips? I'm white and it has always bugged me, so I can't imagine what black folks think of this.

I'm black and I don't find it racist. At the end of the day, it's a fictional cartoon. Maybe that's what Japanese culture is like, since I assume they don't get many black people there, so Toriyama just designed them like that and didn't think people would get offended by it. Viz has edited out the lips for such dark-skinned characters as Mr. Popo to avoid offence.

rereboy · Post by **rereboy** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:24 am

I find it interesting that Black from the red ribbon army kept his lips while Mr. popo didn`t.

Son Wukong · Post by **Son Wukong** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:43 am

I'am being honest here when I say that I can not fathom how people can find that racist. For me it would be the same as saying ''Why are black people black in the cartoon? That's racism!''. In the end they are black and they do (most of black people) have big lips.

Eddie Murphy wrote:Mick Jagger's lips are so big black people will be going ''You got some big ass lips''.

Bussani · Post by **Bussani** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 7:55 am

Eh, I can see why people find it racist, but it's always been pretty low on the racism scale if you ask me. I guess it's because I grew up in a different time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface

I guess it's comparable to always drawing British people with huge, horrible teeth.

inb4 someone says, "but British people do have huge, horrible teeth.

mysteriousdbzgt · Post by **mysteriousdbzgt** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:04 am

Bussani wrote:Eh, I can see why people find it racist, but it's always been pretty low on the racism scale if you ask me. I guess it's because I grew up in a different time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface

I guess it's comparable to always drawing British people with huge, horrible teeth.

inb4 someone says, "but British people do have huge, horrible teeth.

I suppose it is the same thing, i don't really find it offensive being a black person myself and no not all British people have horrible teeth as i am also Britsh person myself.

Rocketman · Post by **Rocketman** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:05 am

Bussani wrote:I guess it's comparable to always drawing British people with huge, horrible teeth.

The British are white. It's impossible to be racist against whites.

mysteriousdbzgt · Post by **mysteriousdbzgt** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:05 am

Bussani wrote:Eh, I can see why people find it racist, but it's always been pretty low on the racism scale if you ask me. I guess it's because I grew up in a different time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface

I guess it's comparable to always drawing British people with huge, horrible teeth.

inb4 someone says, "but British people do have huge, horrible teeth.

I suppose it is the same thing, i don't really find it offensive being a black person myself and no not all British people have horrible teeth as i am also Britsh person myself.

Casual Matt · Post by **Casual Matt** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:06 am

I'll say the same thing about this that I say about Resident Evil 5 and other matters of racism in Japanese media. It's not really racist. It's just culturally insensitive.

As far as I can tell, white people seem to be fairly concerned with what people think. At least the higher ups in the media who control this kind of thing are. But it's almost understandable with the amount of bigotry and prejudice in the history of various European peoples and their descendants.

Now, I'm not trying to justify Japan's seeming insensitivity or the typical Caucasian fear of offending somebody, but rather, I'm just saying that it appears to me that the Japanese don't particularly give a shit about this kind of thing.

Of course this all just goes back to the point which needs no reiterating, that Japanese kids shows operate on completely different standards than North American ones.

mysteriousdbzgt · Post by **mysteriousdbzgt** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:06 am

Bussani wrote:Eh, I can see why people find it racist, but it's always been pretty low on the racism scale if you ask me. I guess it's because I grew up in a different time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface

I guess it's comparable to always drawing British people with huge, horrible teeth.

inb4 someone says, "but British people do have huge, horrible teeth.

I suppose it is the same thing, i don't really find it offensive being a black person myself and no not all British people have horrible teeth, as i am also Britsh person myself.

rereboy · Post by **rereboy** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:11 am

I guess people find it racist only because of the past and history... Know what I mean?

If there never was such a long history of discrimination, I doubt anyone would find it racist...

It`s not the lips that are truly racist, its everything that came before them, and makes them look racist.

I say this because I don`t think that the author intended to be racist when he drew them. Therefore they are not racist, and its what is behind them that makes them look racist.

However, if the author intended to be racist, if his intentions were not good, then they are racist.

But when I look at them, I dont find them racist or think that the author had those intentions.

The Tori-bot · Post by **The Tori-bot** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:17 am

Son Wukong wrote:
Eddie Murphy wrote:Mick Jagger's lips are so big black people will be going ''You got some big ass lips''.

I was watching that for the first time yesterday.

Anybody got one of them mothers that would hit you with a shoe?

rereboy · Post by **rereboy** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:18 am

Rocketman wrote:
Bussani wrote:I guess it's comparable to always drawing British people with huge, horrible teeth.
The British are white. It's impossible to be racist against whites.

Why not?

I thought the definition of racism was discrimination with ill intend merelly based upon race or ethnic origin. That doesn`t exclude whites.

Or is it necessary to have years and years of ill treatment to something to be called racist? I think not. People are all the same. And in principle should be treated the same.

Bussani · Post by **Bussani** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:19 am

rereboy wrote:But when I look at them, I dont find them racist or think that the author had those intentions.

Especially since the character's in question are pretty awesome. Mr Popo was unbeatable when Goku first met him, and (Assistant?) Black was more competent than his boss in the long run.

Edit: I think you're taking Rocketman too seriously.

If you say, 'white men can't play sports,' no one cares.

If you say 'black men can't play spots,' holy shit you're Hitler.

Edit 2: Likewise if you have a commercial showing a man do something stupid, that's funny. But if it were a woman, it would be sexist. Make sense? No? Good.

rereboy · Post by **rereboy** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 8:20 am

True

Kanzenshuu

The black character's lips

The black character's lips

Re: The black character's lips

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