Would these black characters by today's standards be changed

[dbboxkaifan]

Star Officer Black - Dragon Ball

Black Zoo Driver - Dr. Slump and Arale-chan

They have the big lips which people find offensive although it's just a cartoon, still, if these were remade to be shown in 2012/2013 would they remain intact or modified for the sensitive viewers (parents, I think)?

By the way, Mr. Popo's skin is black but he doesn't seem to be human.

[Fizzer]

Aren't large lips and black skin to features that one often sees together, though? The second one does seem quite exaggerated and potentially racist, but I think Officer Black is just a black guy with big lips, which shouldn't be any more offensive than a character with any other pair of features.

[InfernalVegito]

I can't tell for sure but wasn't officer Black already changed in the 4th Dragon Ball movie. I don't remember it that well anymore, though.

[Insertclevername]

I can't tell for sure but wasn't officer Black already changed in the 4th Dragon Ball movie. I don't remember it that well anymore, though.

His ethnicity in that movie was almost entirely different.

[Cipher]

Yes.

[Hellspawn28]

Most likely yes if it's released outside the US. Japan's culture is much different then ours, so stuff like blackface is not offensive to them.

[Zestanor]

You never know, look what Funi did to the black competitor at the 25th TB. He spoke in such a silly and overly-exaggerated interpretation of ebonics, I couldn't understand a word he said. When I finally figured out that he was mostly spouting off random phrases and gibberish, I felt somewhat bad about rolling on the floor laughing.

[TheBlackPaladin]

Blackface is considered offensive in North America for two reasons. Firstly because of the unattractive appearance, but secondly--the bigger reason of the two--is because of the history behind blackface. It's a style of makeup that, back when it was used, was purposefully used to make black people look overly ugly for entertainment (usually for white audiences), and characters in blackface were typically portrayed as lazy and ignorant. It was very a demeaning, clown-like depiction of a race of people that were trying very hard to be recognized as average, everyday people with the same legal and human rights as white people. It existed not only in theater and film, such as the example I gave, but it also existed in animation, where animators had the opportunity to make the features of blackface look even more unattractive, and the characters even more morally unsound. So no, while Popo is a genie and not a human--a solid argument that many people have brought up--his appearance is admittedly close enough to blackface for license-holders to be concerned. Even in the North American print of the manga, they made Popo's lips smaller to reduce his visual similarities with blackface.

Since Japan doesn't have that historical component, they don't find it offensive. They never went through a period where black people were being exploited for entertainment purposes (at least that I'm aware of, somebody feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). So my guess is that Japan probably wouldn't change anything, and leave it up to the individual licensing companies to censor the blackface elements if they so chose.

[Super Sonic]

In case any of you were wondering an actual black person's thoughts, Officer Black doesn't look all that bad. He basically isn't too different from the full lips GL and Static had in the DCAU. The zoo guy, he makes my eye wince a little. And I think he looked different in the Viz release of Dr. Slump. Don't know where my volume with him is, but I don't recall him looking like that.

[Hellspawn28]

The US stop using black face after the 40's if I recall correctly. Not even the 1980 remake of Jazz Singer with Neil Diamond had the famous black face scene from the original movie.

[Piccolo Daimaoh]

I won't talk at length about how we've become more sensitive as a society or whatever, but I think the lips would be made smaller. There are worse stereotypes to do with facial features, but I still think large lips aren't all that flattering and most people know that African people generally have larger lips than Westerners. I'm not sure about the blackface thing, though (it was just one woman in America who caused a stir about Jynx, wasn't it?). In any case, most stereotypes come about from an observation made by someone of a different race or culture that is then exaggerated and used disparagingly or comically. Some are offensive; some not. This one is.

[Pantalones]

I don't think Officer Black is that bad racial-stereotype-wise, since the only thing about him that could really be offensive is how big his lips are and even that's not too over-the-top (especially when put next to your other example.) He's also strong enough to take a hit from Goku and based on Commander Red's "I just wanna be taller" thing he's probably the real brains behind the Red Ribbon Army's leadership... not bad at all for an ordinary human (of any color.)

The driver, though... his lips are so big that he doesn't look like he even has a chin...

[mattymoron]

You never know, look what Funi did to the black competitor at the 25th TB. He spoke in such a silly and overly-exaggerated interpretation of ebonics, I couldn't understand a word he said. When I finally figured out that he was mostly spouting off random phrases and gibberish, I felt somewhat bad about rolling on the floor laughing.

I don't think that was supposed to be ebonics, man, I think it was supposed to be Cajun.

[Fionordequester]

I don't think that was supposed to be ebonics, man, I think it was supposed to be Cajun.

Actually, the answer is neither of those. Chris Sabat and Co. intentionally made his lines incomprehensible to everyone but the characters in the actual show. They figured it would be funny, as stated in 36:38-38:00 of this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hx7yzN3ANng

[Attitudefan]

So... giving a black man a white man's face is not racist; or, white features are not racially demeaning but black features are? This whole preconceived notion that the black man cannot have black features is racist. It's stupid and brings more attention to racism than if we accepted how blacks, whites and yellow people all looked.
Whites= big (hooked) nosed, wide eyed, straight/wavy hair
Blacks= large lips, curly hair
Yellow= thin eyes, straight hair

Honestly, I understand the historical connotation to the way the black face is drawn in that style but past is past.

[TheBlackPaladin]

So... giving a black man a white man's face is not racist; or, white features are not racially demeaning but black features are? This whole preconceived notion that the black man cannot have black features is racist. It's stupid and brings more attention to racism than if we accepted how blacks, whites and yellow people all looked.
Whites= big (hooked) nosed, wide eyed, straight/wavy hair
Blacks= large lips, curly hair
Yellow= thin eyes, straight hair

Honestly, I understand the historical connotation to the way the black face is drawn in that style but past is past.

On the one hand, you're right, there is a somewhat odd, "unwritten rule" in this day and age that whites can be made fun of, while every other race is off-limits (unless the one making the joke is a fellow member of the race in question). Lately I've seen more and more comics testing the limits of this like Lisa Lampinelli, Louis CK, and Daniel Tosh, and I guess from a certain angle that's progress. On the other hand, while the past may be the past, blackface is still recent enough to offend people. I mean, I gaurantee you that if, as a white guy, you dressed up in blackface, didn't try to hide it, and went out in public...there are people who would consider it VERY offensive.

Then we get back to "Dragon Ball," though...the most controversial character in this discussion is definitely Popo. Is Popo close enough to blackface to be considered offensive? Clearly some people think so, like the CW, who colored him blue, and Viz, who shrunk his lips. They seem to be in the minority, though. Granted, I'm white, but I never associated Popo with blackface growing up as a kid, and the CW's arguement that "anybody who thinks people would have been fine with Popo's appearance needs a reality check," falls flat on its face considering that Popo already has been shown with no alternations on other TV channels for many years prior to Kai. In the case of Popo, and probably with Star Officer Black, I don't see their depictions as being particularly offensive.

That zoo driver, though, eh....he's pushin' it.

[Puto]

That zoo driver kinda looks like he belongs on the Simpsons to me.

[mattymoron]

As a child I never considered Popo a racist caricature. In fact, it would have NEVER crossed my mind if someone hadn't made a big stink about it. I think there's some irony there.

[Attitudefan]

On the one hand, you're right, there is a somewhat odd, "unwritten rule" in this day and age that whites can be made fun of, while every other race is off-limits (unless the one making the joke is a fellow member of the race in question). Lately I've seen more and more comics testing the limits of this like Lisa Lampinelli, Louis CK, and Daniel Tosh, and I guess from a certain angle that's progress. On the other hand, while the past may be the past, blackface is still recent enough to offend people. I mean, I gaurantee you that if, as a white guy, you dressed up in blackface, didn't try to hide it, and went out in public...there are people who would consider it VERY offensive.

I'm talking more in an artistic sense; if I were to cartoonize a black man (as me being white) I should be allowed to play off facial features, no? Would a black man who dresses up as a white man and puts on a big nose and paints his skin be considered racist? I think less so

As a cartoon, artists should be allowed to play off features of a person, race, ethnicity etc. Giving a black man white features is racist as he is not allowed to look like what he should/would look like. Giving a white man black features is also similar.

Sadly, we associate that anything different than white features as racist. I guess Yajarobi is a racist figure, and Lunch must be too.

[Rocketman]

but past is past.

No, it isn't.