"Blacking-up" and "Cripping-up"- Why is it offensive?

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Hello,

I was listening to a discussion on the radio about disabilities in films and some people were quite offended by non-disabled actors playing disabled characters. They likened this to "Blacking-up" and everyone seemed to agree that the latter was absolutely unacceptable.

I am not sure I agree with this and I cannot really see why others think this. As long as groups are not stereo-typed I can't see what is offensive about casting the most suitable person for the role and changing that person's appearance to suite the role. Can anyone explain this to me?

My apologies if this is an ignorant question but I am genuinely curious.

Blacking up is considered unacceptable because it was done for actual racist purposes in the past.

"Cripping up"- apparently we're to refer to the disabled community as "crips" in the same way the LGBT community reclaimed the word "queer"- is incomparable. There are very few legitimately disabled actors in Hollywood and besides, they want NAMES. They know that Johnny Depp in a wheelchair is going to sell more tickets than some little-known actor who actually uses a wheelchair.

I have no problem with that term, cripping up. I even use it sometimes when I'm out with my friends. "Could you two slow down? I'm cripping up....the backs of my heels are sore!"

Because it's racist to say "blacking up." Also, Crip is a gang, so there's that too. Southpark made an episode about calling "the crippled" crips.Not sure how to think about that.

Blacking up is offensive becuse it was done out of racism to keep black people out of film. Also, makeup wasn't done in a realistic way. Instead, it was done to make a mockery of black people.. painting white people up like racist cartoons of black people. It was intended to be a slap in the face to blacks, so, of course it was offensive.

Cripping up, as you've called it, is only offensive if it's done in an offensive way, IMO. When it's tastefully done by a talented actor, it's a nice tribute to disabled people IMO. There are MANY films over the decades where actors have portrayed disabled people in very realistic believable heartwarming ways. Further, there simply aren't that many disabled actors to cast in these roles. No sense in having a cut rate actor simply because they have a particular diagnosis when you can have the best actor for the role (and marketability to sell the film) who is fully capable of acting the part. Those who are offended are the type to get offended by virtually anything.

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