Questions about racial issues in Portland (Ashland: home, school, to live)

[gosling357]

Here in the Mid-Atlantic we call this sort of thing "institutionalized racism."

[gosling357]

It looks delicious though...

[westboundrambler]

On 1 hand the second I saw the donut you just pictured I immediately though it was a little bit racist. On the other hand chocolate is the best frosting flavor, period. Between that and their name being "voodoo Donuts" I really don't think they're intentions were racially charged, but were more focused on having a chocolate flavored donut that's relevant to their name. So no, this isn't really racist, and let's say it does fall under your definition of racist still don't worry about it. I say if it's a racial issue driven by anger or hatred then yes it's definitely racist. But if it's a donut, or even a joke that happens to have an unintentional racial undertone, just don't worry about it, there's so much real racism to be distraught over that this just seems silly.

[Deezus]

Originally Posted by Anders15

I'm glad someone here understands where I'm coming from on this issue about the culture because in Seattle people seemed verrrry naive about the rest of the country.

Where you in the Seattle suburbs? Most people in central Seattle itself tend to be from other parts of the country originally...it's filled to the brim with transplants from the Midwest and Northeast.

I said the doughnuts clearly resemble black face I mean just google black face, a person would have to be completely dumb not to see this resemblance. This was my question but like I said I guess you guys already answered this.

The argument that someone would have to be looking for negatives to see this comparison is completely incorrect and is just ignoring the issue lol. They're making a profit off of negative stereotypes. Also just because it is a "treat" does not make it "silly" or acceptable similar to the Lambeth Walk just because its a walk. Try that in Germany.

It is not just about using chocolate or whatever. It has all of the other characteristics of blackface down to the red lips red on the "chocolate" products displayed on their website along with streotypes of voodoo i linked to previously. I can't believe I have to explain this honestly.

This is my last post about the doughnut store, I just found it odd. I'm getting the impression you're thinking I am accusing the entire city as racist but I'm not, I just found that store a bit surprising but I guess everyone else does not.

But you chose to make it about racism for the entirety of Portland by your last paragraph in the original post. Which could be an interesting topic to discuss along with the history of Portland, but is completely separate from this silly donut...

The Voodoo Donut dolls vary on how the look depending on who is making them--they don't even all look like that. The whole gimmick is that it's a voodoo doll filled with jelly in the middle so you stab it and blood comes out...whoop-de-doo...

voodoo donuts doll - Google Search

All the same, I don't find that to be a "racist" image...because when I see that I don't see a representation of a black person or any sort of human. It's just some weird chocolate figure... I sincerly doubt anyone had any intention to make this a "blackface" representation. It's like asking what the ethnicity of Gumby or the Gingerbread Man is... If the voodoo doll had white frosting, you wouldn't care--unless the entire concept of voodoo-themed donuts you find offensive. In which that case, I'd tell you to lighten up..

[Anders15]

I never mentioned racism in my first post, that's the interesting part. I was simply asking if this was culturally accepted in the PNW but I see people has indeed identified it as so on their own.Like I said before it also has the big red lips and bulgy eyes also seen in blackface..not to mention the origins of voodoo itself being from African roots..I'm not sure why you guys are clearly ignoring this or just not culturally aware of this. When I prove my point even farther the posts tell me "why do you care" so sad really. I won't get into how this is not even how voodoo works because again people in this thread don't care and want to bask in their own ignorance I guess.

Do you guys see how other posters from the east coast quickly notice how this can be taken the wrong way? I guess the PNW is extremely different, which was my question.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

I never mentioned racism in my first post, that's the interesting part.

Try reading the TITLE of your post.

"Question about racial issues in Portland"

[gosling357]

Can I add that not all of us said that it wasn't racist/why do you care?

[gosling357]

Oh wait yeah I'm from the east coast

[oregonwoodsmoke]

That doughnut doesn't look like a white man in blackface to me. it looks like a chocolate covered cartoon ghost. Like maybe something out of one of those badly drawn, no talent, TV cartoon shows.

I'm very curious about how OP would put eyes onto a cake with decorating frosting without them looking "bulgy".

It looks obvious to me that OP will not fit in well in Portland, so OP I suggest that you keep looking for your place to live, where the population is more sensitive and delicate.

[Deezus]

Originally Posted by Anders15

I never mentioned racism in my first post, that's the interesting part. I was simply asking if this was culturally accepted in the PNW but I see people has indeed identified it as so on their own.Like I said before it also has the big red lips and bulgy eyes also seen in blackface..not to mention the origins of voodoo itself being from African roots..I'm not sure why you guys are clearly ignoring this or just not culturally aware of this. When I prove my point even farther the posts tell me "why do you care" so sad really. I won't get into how this is not even how voodoo works because again people in this thread don't care and want to bask in their own ignorance I guess.

Do you guys see how other posters from the east coast quickly notice how this can be taken the wrong way? I guess the PNW is extremely different, which was my question.

Oh right, now we get the smug East Coast lecture about how us folks on the West Coast don't understand things...(Yeah, New York was a real pinnacle of race relations in the 1980s...) Well, just about everyone in Portland is from somewhere else these days--practically everyone is from the East Coast or Midwest or California and most of the people who go to Voodoo Donuts are tourists from out of town--so why aren't they all so offended...

So if the donut was a "voodoo maple bar" or had white frosting would you have been so concerned? Most of the voodoo doll donuts they serve don't even have "big red lips." The point is I truly believe there's no intentional racism in it, nor is it meant to be a sincere demonstration of "how voodoo works"... It's a joke and most people aren't going to look at that and say "Hey, that's blackface", it looks like a cartoon ghost or something... You're the one who's seeing it as a "blackface" character, so why is it a judgment on the rest of us?

If you're really so concerned about it, start an online protest... Portland is so liberal and politically correct and reactional that you'd probably have City Council members trying to get them to change the donut within a week and another stupid controversy to take news space away from issues that actually matter to people who live here.