Racial Equality?

I just read this on the Cosmopolitan Magazine site that Nick Cannon (a.k.a. Mr. Mariah Carey) is releasing a new album called ”White People Party Music” (“Nick Cannon Dressed Up in Whiteface” March 24, 2014 at 3:52PM by Eliza Thompson http://bit.ly/1hV9JPe) . To promote his new project he’s posted pictures and videos of himself in…ready for it…white face. That’s right, white face. What did Cosmo post? “Nick Cannon, who is apparently about to release an album called White People Party Music, decided the best way to promote said album is to dress up in whiteface. OK! Perhaps the best part of this whole thing is the series of hashtags Cannon used with his first post: #GoodCredit, #FarmersMarkets, and #CreamCheeseEating, to name a few. While it's true that many white people do love all of those things, I would argue that pretty much human who's ever tasted cream cheese, regardless of race, knows that it's the nectar of the breakfast gods.” Where’s the outrage? Where is the disgust? Can you imagine the backlash that would happen if the reverse happened?

Think back to Halloween when Julianne Hough was slammed by just about every one for wearing black face when she dressed as a fictional character. Back to Cosmo, what did they print/post; “So, um, this was a really shameful weekend, guys. First, photos emerged of Julianne Hough in blackface for Halloween. Context, not that it changes anything: She went as Crazy-Eyes from Orange is The New Black. Hough is best known for being on Dancing With The Stars and the former better half of asexual mammal Ryan Seacrest. Not that her credits matter. Even if you’re Meryl Streep, applying your intense form of Method acting to your costume on All Hallow’s Eve, there is still absolutely no way you are allowed to party-hop around Beverly Hills in blackface. (“So... This Weekend Was Embarassingly Racist. October 28, 2013 at 12:03PM by Anna Breslaw http://bit.ly/1lhMJPX)

So let me get this straight; a white actress puts on black face and dresses as a character and she’s “embarrassingly racist”, but a black singer/dancer/husband dons white face to promote a new album called White People Party Music – he’s doing it FOR MONEY – and not a single remark that would even border on calling is distasteful.

Personally, I find both to be stupid and offensive, but why is one seen as offensive and the other called PR? If dressing as someone of a different race is offensive, isn’t the same behavior as seen just as racist – if not more so – when done to make money?