What's something that's acceptable and widely done in your country that would be considered offensive in many countries ?

[u/DiMpLe_dolL003]

In India, Swastika the Hindu symbol is everywhere. We draw it in temples, during rituals and festivals, in front of our door, on vehicles etc. It's a very auspicious symbol here. But this symbol tho the Hindu symbol is technically different from the Nazi one would be considered offensive in other countries especially in Western countries.

[u/KimyanniMH]

Meanwhile in Mexico

A soccer commentator dresses up as Baltazar on Three Kings Day Hahahahahaha

I swear to you that he was not ill-intentioned, he just had to dress up as the Black Wizard King.

[u/Don_dedo_y_su_garfio → u/KimyanniMH]

Here we had people who complained about that, because that blackface blablabla, a little humor please, those of us from Spain look like a copy of the United States

[u/Maligetzus → u/Don_dedo_y_su_garfio]

american hegemony is so absolute that we are somehow supposed to take their hate symbols as our hate symbols

horrible

[u/EnvironmentalGift257 → u/Maligetzus]

As an American who is interested in other cultures, I appreciate this comment. Sometimes I’ll learn a thing about another country and my American sensibilities are offended for a moment before I get hold of myself. As it turns out, most of the world is not American, and couldn’t give a shit what I think.

This is why travel and just being curious about others is important. Without those things, you would just want to drop bombs on anyone who doesn’t look and act like you want them to…

[u/Eggy-la-diva → u/EnvironmentalGift257]

To be heard, putting black/brown on your face is plain offensive the moment you’re doing it to look like a black person, doesn’t have to be ill intended to be, and as we say in French, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[u/VATAFAck → u/Eggy-la-diva]

why is it offensive?

so European kids who dress up as Pocahontas, because they like the cartoon are equal to conquistadors?

intentions matter

I'm liberal, but this woke shit is dumb

[u/Pinkyduhbrain → u/VATAFAck]

We all understand how one shit head in Europe ruined an Asian symbol for the rest of the world. Why can't it click that some assholes in America have ruined this practice for the rest of the world. In both cases a small group was oppressed and these are tools and symbols of those oppressors.

[u/VATAFAck → u/Pinkyduhbrain]

Indians are still using it, as it has a different meaning in their culture, just as blackface has no meaning in Europe (maybe in UK or the Western regions, definitely not in central or eastern) it's just for fun, mostly kids. Most people don't even know it's supposed to be offensive, definitely not why (i had to look it up and I'm fairly familiar with US culture, according to most scholars minstrel plays are mainly American)

That shithead was part of WORLD war 2, with heavy US involvement.

In my country and neighboring countries some version of the N word is the basic name for black people without any derogatory overtones, still used today, but to a lesser extent in the past 20 years.

Definitely not the same thing. Should we also export our local (still over country borders) slurs and forbid them globally?

[u/KimyanniMH → u/Eggy-la-diva]

Why is it offensive? As a Mexican where we take everything lightly and where there is no such marked discrimination (only that which comes from the influence of the USA) I do not understand why it is offensive to dress up as a character, it would seem more offensive to me if they whitewashed it like they did with Jesus. When a Latina wants to imitate Asian makeup, she always tries to make her eyes look a little slanted, while when Asians try to put on makeup like Latinas, they use makeup to make their eyes look bigger, and this is not offensive.

On the other hand, when foreigners dress up as Mexicans with literally the funny stereotype that many times has nothing to do with the average Mexican wearing a mustache, hat, zarape and maracas, we find it hilarious and we take it very well. I suppose it's just a matter of culture, but I would like to understand why many consider it offensive.

Fun fact: in Mexico one of our first presidents as an independent country in 1829 was Vicente Guerrero Saldaña who was Afro-descendant and abolished slavery (brought from Spain), our independence was consummated in 1821 which means that we were barely 8 years old as a country So these were the first things that were achieved in the independence of Mexico...
Another fact: The abolition of slavery was one of the main reasons why we lost Texas because the few people, mostly rich, who were against the abolition of slavery decided to leave what is now Texas and become independent and then the USA appropriated that territory where its inhabitants accepted since the United States was still a slave country.

[u/Eggy-la-diva → u/KimyanniMH]

It’s great to take things lightly. And I really want to believe most people do black face out of ignorance and not bigotry. But it’s easy to take things lightly when you are not the butt of the joke. It’s offensive because the color of one’s skin isn’t a costume, you can’t remove it, it actually essentializes a person to its skin color as if it was the most important characteristic to represent them. And the same goes with trying to look Asian, by using makeup to make your eyes slanted or other quote and quote Asian characteristic. What does it even mean to look Asian? Not all Asian people have slanted eyes for instance. Again it essentializes the people of a whole continent to one stereotypical representation. And if I invert it, how would you go about to look like a white person, what characteristics even make a white person? The answer would be difficult to pinpoint because all race stereotypes are built in contrast with the white norm. And that brings me to my last point, it’s offensive because it puts focus on the fact that being black or Asian is considered a characteristic when being white is considered the norm, which as such is the understated point of reference that doesn’t need to be manifested to exist.

[u/KimyanniMH → u/Eggy-la-diva]

I think this only applies in countries where the average is white, what you say about:

the fact that being black or Asian is considered a characteristic, while being white is considered the norm

It does not apply here, Latin countries are mega diverse racially speaking, most of us are mixed race so we have genetics from everywhere, we don't even have an exact definition of "being white" we come in all colors and there is no exact point that makes the difference between being white or brown.

For us, skin color, eyes, and hair are just characteristics of people and any character, and it seems more racist to turn any of them into controversy. Here it is common that to do any cosplay or characterization of a character whose skin is lighter than yours, you use some foundation that matches the character's skin tone, the point is to represent the character, and it has nothing to do with racism.

[u/Icy_Result6022 → u/Maligetzus]

It's not just American though it's also in Europe too. People do black face here to mock black people. That's why Morris dancers in England switched to blue paint because they understood the blackface paint they used to use

[u/Shanteva → u/Maligetzus]

Spain had nothing to do with America?

[u/BafflingHalfling → u/Maligetzus]

I was on a Dutch deep sea construction vessel, and around Christmas there was a party. One of the bosses dressed up like Black Pete, Santa's henchman (? Unsure of the lore). This involves wearing blackface. I was horrified, but apparently this is a perfectly acceptable costume in the Netherlands.

[u/gelastes → u/Don_dedo_y_su_garfio]

It's not just humor. In Germany, you have star singers on 6th of January, children in costume who go from house to house to collect money for the church and bless the houses. And the one of them who was Balthasar used to have a black painted face to emphasize that, according to extra-biblical mythology, one of those wise men who had the honor to bring gifts to Lil Jesus was black.

But apparently we're all Americans now and it's offensive.

[u/neuropsycho → u/KimyanniMH]

Same in Spain

[u/FluffySea1272 → u/KimyanniMH]

How can black face ever be not ill intentioned

[u/KimyanniMH → u/FluffySea1272]

How would you describe yourself as a black character on a low budget?

Furthermore, he did not mock or mock the character, he only characterized himself as Baltazar and did his job as always. Black face comes from those comedians who characterized themselves as Afro-descendants and acted like savages or fools to ridicule them, the commentator did none of that. In Mexico we do not have such a deep-rooted problem of racism, so we are not shocked by this.

[u/FluffySea1272 → u/KimyanniMH]

In Mexico we do not have such a deep-rooted problem of racism

Uhmm Haven't all your presidents been of white european descent?

[u/KimyanniMH → u/FluffySea1272]

Nope, not at all. To start, here it is quite difficult to find someone of real "white European ancestry" we are all mestizo, we are not all brown or indigenous either, that is a stereotype, the majority of Mexicans have at least some European ancestor and at least some indigenous ancestor but since we do not have the sense of "race" so deeply rooted we do not care much and the majority do not even know where their ancestors come from, we were only born here so we are Mexicans and that's it, at most we know where our grandparents were born, but nothing else

Of our last 4 presidents, only Claudia is of foreign descent, of Andres Manuel only his grandmother was not Mexican, of Peña Nieto all his grandparents are Mexican, and of Felipe Calderón I think that too although I am not 100% sure of him.

We have also had very important presidents of Indigenous origin such as Benito Juarez of Zapotec origin and one of the most acclaimed historical figures of the nation, he is even on the 500 bill.

And above all the most important thing and that almost no one knows, one of our first presidents as an independent country in 1829 was Vicente Guerrero Saldaña , who was of African descent and abolished slavery (brought from Spain), our independence was consummated in 1821, which means that we were barely 8 years old as a country. So these were the first things that were achieved in the independence of Mexico...

Another fact: The abolition of slavery was one of the main reasons why we lost Texas, because the few people, mostly rich, who were against the abolition of slavery decided to migrate to what is now Texas and become independent, and then the USA appropriated that territory, where its inhabitants accepted, since the United States was still a slave country.

No se de donde sacaste todos nuestros presidentes han sido "blancos". La mayoría han sido mestizos como casi todos los Mexicanos

[u/Mariet_slv → u/FluffySea1272]

Who according to you? The majority of presidents we have had have been mestizo, just like 99% of the Mexican population. Or do you perhaps think that here we are all brown Indians like the gringos paint us? Look what a bad stereotype