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Mike Lawler claims the blackface costume was a “homage” to Michael Jackson

On Thursday, Rep. Mike Lawler of New York clumsily tried to dodge the controversy surrounding an unearthed photo of the Republican in blackface as a college student in 2006.

Lawler is among a group of New York Republicans who hold seats in districts won by Joe Biden in 2020. He is currently waging a tough re-election campaign against former Rep. Mondaire Jones, a black Democrat.

If you buy a red jacket and a white glove, we all know who you're pretending to be. There's no need to harp on Al Jolson about this.

The New York Times published an article Thursday that included a photo of Lawler at age 20, impersonating Michael Jackson in the “Thriller” video, with a face covered in brown makeup. It's worth mentioning the blackface any The scenario is outrageous, but Lawler's urge to wear blackface to impersonate Michael Jackson – a man who had a similar skin tone to Lawler for most of his life – seems… telling.

Quick tip for white people reading this: Don't be like Lawler — or former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat whose time in office was marked by an eerily similar controversy. If you buy a red jacket and a white glove, we all know who you're pretending to be. There's no need to harp on Al Jolson about this.

In the recent MJ minstrelsy, Lawler's reasoning couldn't have been more awkward. During an interview with CNN, it started something like what an “sorry for the racism” response might go:

I can't change what happened 18 years ago, but I certainly understand – with wisdom and age – that I wouldn't do that today, and I certainly understand why people would be upset or offended by it. And I'm sorry about that.

And then things went completely off the rails:

But for me there was no bad intention. There were no attempts to vilify, mock, or demean black Americans. It was really an attempt to pay homage to someone who was a musical idol to me. I have always loved Michael Jackson's music, his dance moves and his ability to entertain. Anyone who knows me knows this, and anyone who visits my office in DC can see an Andy Warhol painting of Michael Jackson hanging in my office today. So that really wasn't what I could really interpret as blackface, but I definitely understand why people would be offended by it, and I'm sorry for that.

This incident may However, it can be interpreted as blackface – because it's blackface. This is not difficult. Wearing black as a costume is demeaning and inherently racist.

Lawler's apology was so distasteful that CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins asked him to clarify whether he thought it was okay for a white person to wear blackface in any case.

“No, of course not,” Lawler said.

But then he deepened the obfuscation by implying that what he had done was not true really Blackface:

But I think there's a big difference between dressing up for Halloween and paying homage to someone you like and respect, and dressing up in blackface to degrade and dehumanize black people, which is what minstrel shows and blackface are all about the past went. And I obviously didn't do that there.

Lawler tries to make a distinction where there is none. Blackface has always been about white people finding it entertaining to pretend to be black, regardless of whether black people find it demeaning. Intent has nothing to do with whether something counts as minstrelsy, despite various attempts to use this as an excuse.

Maybe Lawler thinks his little outfit and face covered in bronzer were a “homage” to Michael Jackson. Even stupid as he is, it was still blackface that, like all minstrelsy, prioritized white joy at the expense of black people.

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