BAD IDEA

Jewish NY Assemblyman Wears Black-Face Purim Costume

Lawmaker says he meant no offense with Afro wig get-up

Feb 25, 2013 by David Mark

Editor-in-Chief t

Screenshot of image on Facebook showing New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D.Y.) dressed in a black face.

It seems this joke fell on deaf ears. New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind recently wore blackface makeup, an Afro wig, and a basketball jersey to a party he held at his home for the Jewish holiday of Purim.

The New York Observer's Politicker reports Hikind, who represents much of Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish community, hired a professional makeup artist to dress him as a "basketball player" for the holiday festivities. Hikind, said it's normal for celebrants of Purim - a festive Jewish holiday marking the salvation of the Jewish people from a massacre at the hands of Haman, an adviser to a Persian king - to look "strange, wild, crazy."

Hikind, a conservative Democrat who endorsed Mitt Romney in 2012, elaborated a blog post, "It's Purim. People Dress Up".

"Yes, I wore a costume on Purim and hosted a party. Most of the people who attended also wore costumes. Everywhere that Purim was being celebrated, people wore costumes. It was Purim. People dress up."

Hikind continued, "I am intrigued that anyone who understands Purim - or for that matter understands me - would have a problem with this. This is political correctness to the absurd. There is not a prejudiced bone in my body."

But that explanation doesn't fly with many people. Tweeted Nick Rizzon of Brooklyn (@nickrizzo), "Blackface is never a good idea, especially if you're an elected official... Will Hikind's district care, though?"

MSNBC host Chris Hayes was harsher. "By the way, in addition to this blackface episode Dov Hikind has atrocious views on a wide variety of topics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dov_Hikind," Hayes (@chrislhayes) tweeted.

Via Politicker and http://dovhikind.blogspot.com/.

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Comments (view in Forum)

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Feb '13

RealityOne

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Sigh. Are people really this stupid? A legislator no less?
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o
Feb '13

Sonny

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Unfortunately Yes...many are. And, again unfortunately...many are, sadly politicians.
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Post @Sonny
o
Feb '13

Leftofliberal

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Are people this stupid ?
Introduction: RealityOne meet the conservative thinkers, party affiliation irrelevant
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Post @Leftofliberal
Feb '13

MadAmerican

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What's so stupid about it? Legislator's are allowed to joke and have fun? I guess if Obama put on a Harry Carry mask it would be different somehow? How racist can you be when the rules only apply for democrats or African Americans? Damn!!!!
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Post @MadAmerican
Feb '13

drpeeper

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Yep. He's just continuing the Democrat tradition of racism. Been that way for decades.
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Post @drpeeper
Feb '13

jessejaymes

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Why is it "racist" for a white person to dress in blackface but not racist for a black person to lighten their skin to appear white? Seems to me we have a double standard here. I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT HE DID. It's between him and the voters of his district. He's not passing legislation here people. Jeez Louise what a nation of crybabies.
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u
Feb '13

cnw95

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There is a CLEAR difference between a person performing a SATIRICAL "blackface" routine and a person who undergoes a cosmetic procedure.
It would seem only approriate then if a black person came dressed as adolf hitler or a nazi stormtrooper then we could call it even.
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Post @cnw95
Feb '13

jessejaymes

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@cnw95 So what you're saying basically is it's OK to do anything you want as long as you're not a white man. I already knew that.
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Feb '13

bobrob

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@cnw95 That would be akin to him going to a black person's wedding dressed in that basket ball get-up.
What he did was hardly representative of anything approaching Nazi death and destruction, or anything like that, in my view. The guy is simply an idiot
and lacking in common sense.
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Post @bobrob
Feb '13

jessejaymes

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@bobrob well said.
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Feb '13

cnw95

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@jessejaymes No jesse,thats not what i'm saying. What i AM saying is....There is a CLEAR difference between a person performing a SATIRICAL "blackface" routine and a person who undergoes a cosmetic procedure.
It would seem only approriate then if a black person came dressed as adolf hitler or a nazi stormtrooper then we could call it even.
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Feb '13

PNWest

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Blackface in 2013? How could anyone consider that offensive? I have a pretty good idea why this moron endorsed Romney.
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u
Feb '13

Realthinker

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I would love to know why dressing in costumes is part of celebrating this holiday. I don't recall the story of Esther involving costumes.
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o
Feb '13

g4me

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I've never heard of it, I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood.
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Post @g4me
Feb '13

Concerned_Cit

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Hilarious! Nice that some people are not completely PC whipped.
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Feb '13

jessejaymes

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He sure doesn't look like a basketball player. Maybe a really bad case of blackface drag queen but not a basketball player. I think he looks like an idiot but if being an idiot was a crime this country would have less than a million people wandering around free today.
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Post @jessejaymes
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Feb '13

Sonny

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There is no such thing as "PC whipped"...People are free to be as rude, crude, and as ignorant as they want to be...But when it offends someone else...you don't have the right to tell that person how they should feel about it. Yet every time some does something stupid like this and someone finds it offensive you guys embrace the silly or offensive antic as some form of "free speech". Yet you attack the person who speaks out against it as being too "politically correct"...So I guess in your mind only "some" people in this country have a right to "free speech" but others do not.
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Post @Sonny
Feb '13

jessejaymes

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@Sonny Well you know what Sonny? I can spend the entire day lying in bed with the shades drawn and lights out and still offend someone today. That's just absurd.
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Feb '13

Sonny

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@jessejaymes No. But when you are a politician, a public figure and you do what this guy did...well..................
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Post @Sonny
Feb '13

jessejaymes

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@Sonny What this guy did was make a fool of himself. It was not a press conference, it was not a bill being introduced. It was not "old time Mammy" blackface. Has it really come to this point in America that people can't dress up for a party without people like you howling the moon? It's none of your damn business. I get so tired of both the left and the right thinking everyone has to please YOUR idea of correctness. That's pure bullshit.
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Post @jessejaymes
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Feb '13

Medicinebow

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It's time for the perpetually offended to appear.
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Feb '13

jessejaymes

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They've already started. Those who see nothing discriminatory about a "gay men's choir" are offended by a private party involving blackface. Those who say they don't give a damn what people think about anything gays do finds this offensive. Well so much for live and let live. We are a nation of hold everyone accountable except yourself WHINERS.
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Post @jessejaymes
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Feb '13

ASISEEIT2

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Isn't there a certain irony for a person of the Jewish race, a race which has been a driving force behind civil rights efforts, to do a Al Jolson act.
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u
Feb '13

SmedleyButler

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I wonder what would happen if someone dressed up as a Nazi caricature of a Jew?
http://www.jrbooksonline.com/jew-bwa-ha-ha.gi...
http://www.israelwhat.com/wp-content/uploads/...
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u
Feb '13

ErnestPayne

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Stupid? Yes. Offensive? No.
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Feb '13

Sonny

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I think its both stupid & offensive. After all he could have dressed up like a "basketball player" ---without putting on the black face..I think he just wanted to make his "statement" but use this holiday to hide behind..He further chides anyone who objects or is hurt or offended as simply being too "politically correct"?!? And this from an elected official. Sometimes "political correctness" is NOT the problem---Sometimes stupid politicians are the problem.
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Feb '13

Speedieg

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This was a costume. Why is this any worse than say the movie "White Chicks" or when Eddie Murphy does his old Jewish guy character? It's just humor.
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Feb '13

Clarke12

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so there are literally thousands of other costumes this fool could have worn, but he chose black-face. i think that says enough about his common sense.
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Feb '13
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Feb '13
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Feb '13

Concerned_Cit

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Yep, if had been a non-(so-called)minority, then he'd of been crucified.(no pun intended!) The PC Police are scratching their heads on this one, because if they speak against what he did then they will be called anti-semitic. Typical PC doublestandard.
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Post @Concerned_Cit
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Feb '13

Yank

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I don't find it offensive; I also don’t find it offensive when Eddie Murphy or David Chappell wears white face. Of course a politician who wears black face in this day and age should be considered too dumb for office.
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Feb '13

DreamStat1c

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I think it was offensive, if you wanted to dress up as a basketball player why the Afro and blackface?
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Feb '13

Fishbone345

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Good point. If he wanted realism, he would have gone with tons of tattoo's.
Anymore it seems that the guys without them are the ones in the minority in the NBA. Everyone has them, and not just a few like it used to be. We're talking entire arms and legs now.
I think it can be said now, that tattoo's are no longer an act of rebellion, they are the norm.
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Post @Fishbone345
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Feb '13

callmecrazy

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Do you find the movie White Chicks to be equally offensive and racist?
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Post @callmecrazy
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Feb '13

callmecrazy

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@Fishbone345. I agree, once mostly found on bikers, Marines, and prison inmates...now the trendy thing for soccer moms and college students. Same thing with bikers and Harleys, now mostly owned by trendy yuppies.
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Post @callmecrazy
Feb '13

DreamStat1c

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@callmecrazy There's a difference between satirical stereotyping rich white women in a movie, and dressing up in blackface and an Afro calling yourself a "basketball player". What player was he in particular?
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Post @DreamStat1c
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Feb '13

callmecrazy

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@DreamStat1c. There's no difference at all. Be offended by both or by neither, but to be offended by one and find the other acceptable is hypocritical and possibly even a bit racist.
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Feb '13

albe

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When will white face catch on , as strange wild and crazy? Oh, that's the norm in Nebraska.Sorry. Beauty as well as humor may be in the costume. The Brits would call this occasion a Fancy dress party , dilutes the wild and crazy.
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Feb '13

AntiPorcheria

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Hikind:, "I am intrigued that anyone who understands Purim - or for that matter understands me - would have a problem with this. This is political correctness to the absurd. There is not a prejudiced bone in my body."

"Al Joleson stumped for FDR as the head liner/opener for many of his fund raisers."

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-giEfyd5bChc/TZvK0XE...
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u
Feb '13

bobrob

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If he wanted to look crazy, stupid and idiotic, he succeeded. If he wanted to look like a black
basketball player, he failed.
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Feb '13

Vance1

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well he is a Democratic New York State Assemblyman,, So he gets a pass
If he was a Republican...That would be a different story
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u
Feb '13

ASISEEIT2

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Thats the difference, you hit the nail right on the head.... he was a democrat and gets a pass.
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Post @ASISEEIT2
Feb '13

Fishbone345

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"Hikind, a conservative Democrat who endorsed Mitt Romney in 2012"
Uh... why is this part of the story? What does it even have to do with what he did?
Way to stir up divisiveness.
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