black Americans may or may not know about the "historical differences" being cited here between mumming blackface and minstrel blackface. The point I'm making is so many of them find such "historical" justifications of the continued

I find it wonderful that this thread died.. I would like to say however that the unidentified guest(s) who continued to use the spike lee references is wonderfully indicative of the dumbing down of EVERYTHING.. oh yes, because someone doesn't understand something, let's all be sympathetic, give our understading away and play stupid or, at least, pretend to be less literate and 'in tune' than we are.. that way Alice Walker or this 'guest', or whomever, whether they be of Caucasoid or non-caucasoid persuasion can feel wanted and trusting and non-alienated. Speaking only for myself, as I always like to do, I want all asundery to remain alienated from me; keep your kernel of stupidity that 'masks' that horrid pretend sophisticated intelligence (the kind with lots of books never read) far far away.
I certainly hope my little comment doesn't restart this thread, I would hate for any of the folks above to have to start answering to and 'learning' the 'GUEST' and the other tired illiterates again.

robert