Recently, as America has undergone a serious reckoning regarding systemic racism, many shows have removed some of their problematic scenes and episodes. Shows like 30 Rock and Scrubs have pulled entire episodes featuring moments of blackface from all streaming platforms, at the requests of their creators, while actors like Jenny Slate and Kristen Bell have stepped down from their roles as Black characters in animated shows like Big Mouth and Central Park, respectively.
There can be no doubt that presenting blackface as a normal part of comedy is an abhorrent and ignorant practice that should cease, but the argument can also be made that simply deleting the episodes as if they never happened might not be the solution. Television critic Kathryn VanArendonk argues, via Twitter, "I don't think *any* blackface episodes should get taken down – it's so important to have records of these huge racist blindspots in pop culture and to contexualize them for audiences." Meanwhile, Vulture's Angelica Jade Bastién re-published an essay about problematic pieces of pop culture history and their complex legacies, focusing on Gone With the Wind. Though the essay was first written 2017, the film recently came under fire for its portrayals of race and slavery, and while it was briefly stripped from HBO Max, it reappeared after a few weeks with a disclaimer by Black educators, which helps would-be viewers understand the film's important historical context and make a learning experience out of an otherwise offensive situation.
In the end, the use of blackface — particularly in comedy — should be soundly condemned, and the conversation will undoubtedly continue as more shows reckon with their checkered pasts. That scene aside, The Office is available to stream on Netflix now.
