"I actually want them to perform," a fellow writer told me, referring to the blackface minstrel show starring doo-wop group Rats & Star and idol group Momoiro Clover Z that was scheduled to be broadcast nationally on March 7. "I want them to explain the meaning behind the face paint."

Among black folk, opinions on this issue were mixed, and there's nothing astounding about that: Every black person knows that the belief that blacks are monolithic is a misconception. When it comes to any issue, whether it be the shooting of unarmed black men or whether Barack Obama is a good president, opinions vary wildly. So, I knew the modern-day use of blackface for entertainment purposes would garner a variety of perspectives, even from people of color.

"I'm sick and tired of the knee-jerk response to everything that happens on this side of the planet when it comes to our own perceived notions of race," the writer added, "especially in a homogenous society that doesn't have a real feel for it."