Top ICE official gives prize for blackface costume, apologizes

The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Julie Myers, has apologized for giving a prize for a blackface costume at a DHS-sponsored Halloween party:

A top immigration official has apologized after awarding "most original costume" to a Homeland Security Department employee who dressed in prison stripes, dreadlocks and dark makeup for a Halloween gathering at the agency.

Julie Myers, assistant secretary overseeing Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, was part of a three-judge panel that lauded the costume, worn by a white employee, last Wednesday. She also posed for a photo with him. [AP]

Myers claims she couldn't tell the guy was wearing makeup.  DHS has conveniently "discarded" the official photos of Myers posing with the mock jailbird in dreads.

Comments

[Eric Jaffa]

From
http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2007/11/blackface_at_ice.html

"(Julie) Myers' controversial nomination was never confirmed by the Senate, so President Bush recess-appointed her to the post in January 2006 and renominated her again a year later."

[B-Money]

What if the guy went as Mumia? This is just another example of the ridiculous state of this country and the oversensative nature of minority groups. For goodness sake's, get some thicker skin! I am not offended when I see white kids or adults dressed up as Mexicans for Halloween, wearing the sambrero and a blanket over their shoulders. Hell, this year I went to a Halloween party as an illegal alien! It got a big laugh.

It is so ridiculous that even when a group, like the Seminole Indian Tribe in Florida, says they are not offended by the use of Florida State's mascot, other groups tell them they should be offended. It is all a joke. It sickens me.

[Lindsay Beyerstein]

Myers gave the employee a prize for showing up at a work-related party in a racially charged prison getup. A prize for originality, no less.

She runs a government agency that locks people up for real, many of them non-white. It's a touchy subject, to say the least.

For the head of ICE to give a prize to someone dressed up as an incarcerated black person is the height of insensitivity.

[B-Money]

But it's reality. Look at the stats of how many black males are incarerated. At some point it has to be conceded that it is not a societal problem but a community problem. They choose crime. And save the "But their poor" argument. I grew up poor and never went to crime. No I went to school and had jobs. As did many of my friends who have succeeded in life. The world owes no one anything. Hard work will get it done, not blaming society because your people are too lazy to work hard to get a leg up.

[Dock Miles]

>A prize for originality, no less.

The whole incident's deplorable. But that's the part that's mind-blowing. "Wow! Putting burnt cork on your face! Who the hell would ever think to do that? How inventive!"

[james]

Jeez the stupidity of those in power never ceases to amaze me. Like when FEMA recently gave a fake news conference thinking nobody would catch on...

james...

[B-Money]

"But it's reality. Look at the stats of how many black males are incarerated. At some point it has to be conceded that it is not a societal problem but a community problem. They choose crime. And save the "But their poor" argument. I grew up poor and never went to crime. No I went to school and had jobs. As did many of my friends who have succeeded in life. The world owes no one anything. Hard work will get it done, not blaming society because your people are too lazy to work hard to get a leg up."

I just want to note for everyone that I did not post this comment. A co-worker did. We were discussing this topic while I had this site up on my computer and when I went to get coffee, he decided to be funny and post. Just a clarification. I was not trying to troll.

[voxy]

Next Halloween or ANY time coming up let's all get DHS uniforms and insignia AND DOJ and then dress up wearing dunce caps, cuffs and leg irons.

I have this great FREE photo restore program I bet Nancy would love love love to hear about. Those photos can't be LOST; we're digital remember govmint??

[voxy]

oooopsss sorry nancy=julie where's my head at. Maybe on Nancy Pelosi?? (don't remind me)

[Richard Gondoogle]

Sounds like a pretty good costume.

Why didn't we crucify Eddie Murphy for dressing in whiteface during his SNL days?

Can anyone say "double standard?"

Yay, kids, I knew you could!

[cfrost]

Why didn't we crucify Eddie Murphy for dressing in whiteface during his SNL days?

Obviously, and sadly, didn't get the joke.

[Dock Miles]

Yeah, pretty simple. Context -- both of a particular performance and historical -- counts.

Whiteface, however, does have an extensive history, which is (even) less well-known than that of blackface.

Here's an interesting article, only slightly marred by academic prose, that considers its use in regards to a white ethnic minority.

[Dave]

Can anyone say "double standard?"
____________________________________

Glad I am not the only one to see that.

[Dock Miles]

All this baloney "double standard" talk reminds me of the popular half-baked logic recently endorsed by the Supreme Court, which claims that regulations intended to aid community racial diversity are exactly the same as regulations intended to prevent community racial diversity. Both regulations based on race, see?

Gawd.

[Dave]

Dock you can not tell me there is no racial double standard present in the US. As for those so called gov. programs, all they do is make the divide greater.

[Michael Parkatti]

The idiocy of the guy wearing the costume is funny, but so is the overcooked reaction to it by DHS officials. So, so phony! Who else are they going to castigate?

http://www.humblenarrator.com/2007/11/07/dhs-suspends-smart-looking-asian-guy-without-costume-at-halloween-party/

[Dock Miles]

I'm not going to get into a wider discussion but I will affirm this:

Having a very different response to Eddie Murphy wearing whiteface during a satiric comedy routine and to a guy wearing blackface and prison garb winning a prize at a DHS party is not to practice any kind of double standard. The incidents are simply not parallel.

I did think The Humble Narrator dressing up as a Dimwit Non-Joke was pretty good, though.

[Dave]

Dock

I agree the two are not comparable. This does not dismiss the fact that there is a racial double standard alive and well within our society.

[Yahoo Sucks]

how quickly people forget -- http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2007/11/blackface_at_ice.html

she is the typical inexperienced, INCOMPETENT, bush rightwing political appointee.

Myers just another one with the right ideology and connections -- zero law enforcement or management experience or relevant experience of any kind (remember 'Brownie'?) -- but like 99.9999% of all Bush appointees, she was appointed -- over many objections -- because she is a right wing ideologue and is the niece of former Joint Chiefs LYING INCOMPETENT warmonger Bush-Cheney b*tt-kisser Richard Myers.

You're doing a great job Brown Noser!

[Dock Miles]

Well, all I have to say is that I've found discussions about race relations don't get far when a participant believes "there is a racial double standard alive and well within our society" is a "fact" on the order of "the sun comes up in the east."

[B-Money]

Dock, surprisingly, I kind of agree with you. I must be impaired in some way...

There is no double standard when it comes to socio-economic treatment. Minorities are treated much more poorly than whites when it comes to loans, jobs, credit, housing etc.

There is, however, a ridiculous notion that because people are black or brown or whatever, that they are above being picked on via a joke. Was this incident in bad taste? Yes. Is an apology owed to ALL BLACK PEOPLE? Hell F'n No!

[Dave]

You can live in denial all you want. The fact remains there is a racial double standard here in the US. Is it unfair towards both sides of the coin, yes it is.

I was a very hateful person at one time but I have risen above that. I have no time, energy, or desire to be like that or to be around people like that.

I also believe that there are certain Gov. programs that were put in place with the hopes of uplifting minorities but all they did was increase the divide.

[Dock Miles]

>I was a very hateful person at one time but I have risen above that.

What is with today? Everybody's trying to be a comedian.

[Dock Miles]

>There is no double standard when it comes to socio-economic treatment. Minorities are treated much more poorly than whites when it comes to loans, jobs, credit, housing etc.

>There is, however, a ridiculous notion that because people are black or brown or whatever, that they are above being picked on via a joke.

Lemme just pose this, B-Money -- think about it. Do you suppose there could be a connection between your two comments? Try changing "above" to "acutely sensitive." Lots of real life shows you how low you rank. Then a "joke" underscores it. I don't think it's out of line to get pissed about the joke when it's made by people with zero connection to your real life. You have every right to feel they don't understand what's going down with you. And are shitting on you for laughs.