Nick Cannon has been promoting his new album in a pretty controversial way. The album, entitled White People Party Music, comes out April 1, and to get the word out, Cannon has transformed himself into exactly the kind of person who, he says, would listen to the album—a white person. Donning whiteface, a blond wig, and the name "Connor Smallnut," Nick’s antics have sparked a lively Internet debate about so-called reverse racism.
For instance, on Cannon's Instagram account, one commenter going by the name "nastynad" was clearly not amused, writing: "Oh, hilarious Nick Cannon, did you think of that all on your own, I'll dress and talk like a 'white guy', how original if [sic] you. Did you make a lot of unique observations like white guys say "dude" and "bro"? Maybe you made a very original observation like white people can't dance, gee I sure hope so that is hilarious. And the Smallnut last name is soo funny, how'd you come up with that."
It's not all criticism, though. Some of the discussion is actually thoughtful.
But it looks like Nick isn't about to back down from the backlash.
What do you think? Is "reverse racism” a thing? Did Nick go too far?
Charla Lauriston is a standup comedian and the creator of Clench & Release, a Web series about the frustrations of everyday life in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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