Would people give a pass to a 17 year old photo of someone dressed

[zooks]

up as "falling man"? Or a photo of one person dressed up as "falling man" arm in arm with someone dressed up as a smiling Osama BinLaden? Would they brush it off as a joke in poor taste?

What if those in costume weren't white? No doubt what the reaction would be - it would be a ballistic level of outrage at the insensitivity.

[Jersey Devil]

1. Northam was 25, a far cry from a kid of 17

He was in his last year of medical school and about to receive his MD.

[zooks]

2. I definitely agree. I'm saying that people brush off blackface

as a joke, totally oblivious to the fact what it represents, oblivious to the suffering of gut-wrenching oppression. I'm saying that such people would be horrified if anyone made light of the anguish suffered on 9-11

[ehrnst]

4. There is a difference between traditional 'blackface' and an impersonation of a specific person

For instance, from 1984:

vimeo.com/292051230

[ehrnst]

3. Dressing as Blow in the 1984's? I think that a more accurate comparison would be

someone white dressing as Freddy Mercury or Lin Manuel's Hamilton for a party now, not "falling man."

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/02/mark-herring-and-grey-zones-blackface/582355/

Remember when Billy Crystal dressed as Prince on SNL? That was 1985.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x48rz8w

Remember when Fred Armisen dressed as Prince on SNL? That was 2004.