Blackface has never been okay, and will never be okay. This memo goes out to anyone with a pulse, but today it’s particularly directed at N2 Extreme Gelato.
In promoting their new Honey Charcoal Vanilla gelato, N2’s Instagram account uploaded a photo of a white hand, dusted in black carbon, holding up the aforementioned ice cream cone. The caption read:
“Is it still considered blackface if it’s just on your hand?? Anyway it’s just spilt carbon so calm yo tits with our HONEY CHARCOAL VANILLA GELATO! (Carbon dusting not included).
Did someone let the intern run loose? How on earth has this happened (again)? Commenters were quick to respond, with one advising N2 to “sit down with whoever is in charge of your social media and give them a lesson on how not to trivialise racism.” The novice poster presumably then shat themselves, as the caption was quickly changed to: “OOPS I SPILT CARBON ON MY HAND while cooking our HONEY CHARCOAL VANILLA GELATO”. So many capital letters, so little understanding.
Days later, N2 have changed the caption again to issue an apology:
“We deeply apologise for the careless and insensitive caption that was posted before this. We have taken disciplinary action against the staff in question and the staff has been suspended as well as will no longer be any social communications role [sic]. Deepest apologies that this was posted so thoughtlessly. We will ensure tight social media scrutiny controls are put in place.”
This comes mere days after Nicholas Muchinguri, an African-Australian man, went to The Burger Project and received a receipt that referred to him as “#16 n****s." Although public feedback on both counts has been overwhelmingly positive, it is clear that our society still has ways to go when it comes to quashing racism.
