I'm well aware of the history of blackface. I'm referring to blackface being called out by bloggers, columnists, etc. in mainstream media. That is a much more recent trend.

Whenever I see stories about someone in blackface, I think back to Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder. At the time I thought it was hilarious, but I was also a bit less socially aware then. I think the joke is very clear: he's playing an imbecile actor who is so out of touch that he's in blackface. Yet I wonder if on…

Honest question/observation here. I swear I'm not trolling.