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waulok waulok
 
M$1.10 October 07, 2009 10:52 PM

Do you find caucasian people putting on black makeup and miming African Americans racist?

On an Australian comedy TV show "Hey Hey Reunion" last night 5 guys put on afro wigs and blackened their faces to mime the Jackson 5. Since then our news reports have been going crazy that people think this is racist. Harry Connick Jr was a guest on the show and said how offended he was.
Yet, I find most of the people offended tend to be caucasian people. One of my best friends is Aboriginal and I don't think she would be offended at all.
Has PC gone too far these days?
My personal view is that if there is hatred or racist INTENT behind something like this, then sure it's racist, but if it's just some guys having fun in a talent show, give them a break.
http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,28383,26181042-5013560,00.html
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kty2777 kty2777
 
 October 08, 2009 09:49 PM
I'm only commenting because I used to watch Hey Hey Its Saturday when the show was live 20 years ago. I didn't watch this skit because I saw it performed years ago when they first did it. I watched this when it was Hey Hey its Saturday Morning - live! for 3 hours every weekend - absolute mayhem!

The show has its own very weird and strange history - worth looking up if you are interested ( I'll see if I can link a good info page )

You have to understand that Australian humor is 'rough, tough and hard to bluff'
We like being shocked by our own prejudices and bias. We grow and become more understanding with each shock. We are not an old country but we have one of the most diverse cultural mixes in the world. Our migrant history is full and rich and outstandingly successful ( again, look up the Snowy Mountain Hydro Scheme - build by Italians and Germans and Polish WW2 migrants. Lebanese, Korean, Russian - we have them all :)

The skit shocked because its a reflection of our cultural past. In many ways its good to be shown this! See how far we have come. The RED FACES segment on Hey Hey was well known for being confronting, and humorous and would make you squirm in your seat. This year they did it again, they made us squirm and be shocked and be a little embarrassed by what we used to think was funny, what we used to laugh at on TV.

For me, each person who saw the skit, saw history and cultural change. If you were shocked, good! It shows you actually understand the issue of race far better than before.

Australia is not the US, we have had no civil war, we have had our own terrible past in different ways and we have learnt to overcome them with humor not violence, laughter not guns.
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Hey_It%27s_Saturday

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/H/htmlH/heyheyits/heyheyits.htm

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Tags: tv, mahalo

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cmajaski cmajaski
 
October 07, 2009 11:34 PM
I haven't seen the clip so I can't really say, but if they're having fun at the expense of others that's probably not right.

As an Asian person, I'd be offended if another race were doing squinty eyed, broken english, karate chop moves, even if it's supposed to be funny. So, I'm guessing, given the history of black face, that the skit is probably just as offensive.

I don't know about it being racist, just probably in bad taste for sure.

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gjp gjp
 
October 08, 2009 06:05 AM
Don't assume it's probably racist, and it's not at the expense of others they are obviously trying to play the role of a black person so painting thier skin black is not unjust

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tranhawk tranhawk
 
October 07, 2009 11:41 PM
Remember racism is a new late 20th century concept.
What is racist in one culture is NOT offensive in another culture.
We dont even have to go to a different country. Just time period separates different attitudes and social mores.

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argmatrixm... argmatrixm...
 
October 08, 2009 12:00 AM
Why did they need to paint their faces black? Was there really a need to to paint their faces black? I do hope that the other Mahalo members who answer this question are politically correct way.

What might be fun for a few might be offensive to others. I am a Negro(or so they refer to us as) and to me the blackening of their faces I would say is a racist act. Remember we are living in a society that all individuals have to be politically correct at all times,and from what they did offended Harry Connick Jr and also made TV host Daryl Somers apologised for the incident. If it wasn't racist or offensive the tv host would not have apologised. About fifty years ago they could have done the same thing and nobody would have said nothing but the world views have change about the Negro race and racism. And even if they where doing the act about the Jackson why did they have to paint their faces black?
My reason why it would be racist to some is that by painting their faces black is saying this is how all black people look like and that is wrong(for some people this would be a racist psycological statement and an insult to black people). And from my recollection the Jackson's five faces aren't even black. The words you are reading now is in black and i have never seen a man from the Negro race like this color yet. Just like i have never seen a man from the caucasian that is white. It might be humorous to some but it is of bad taste.
My ancestors endured a lot due to slavery even up to today our people are suffering from the affects of it. Remember what might be fun for some might be highly offensive to others. Here are a few videos of the Jackson Five from what i am seeing their faces are not black but their hair are surely black. The second video is a gem just totally groovy,wish i was back in that time to party with these Negroes(lol). Please enjoy the vids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fynKMWnzKeY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8Qko5m8oAw

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waulok waulok
 
October 08, 2009 12:23 AM
I'm curious about your answer. So, if they used a browner colour instead of black would it have made any difference? I'd like to know.

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gjp gjp
 
October 08, 2009 06:18 AM
Ok so how about the two black guys ( or the 2 Negros since that's what we refer to you as) that played in the movie white chicks that dressed up and acted as white girls even wearing white masks over thier faces, why isn't that racist than? And the only reason those white guys appologized is because they were being criticized by all the blacks and the "politically correct people" out there and didn't want to damage thier careers, not because they thought It was racist, the race card is just an excuse for people to express thier hate towards an opposing race

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albanian albanian
 
October 08, 2009 01:42 AM
It definitely depends on the circumstances. Also, it matters how it is intended. I don't know anything about that Australian show, but Harry Connick Jr definitely knows it's sometimes alright because he is from New Orleans. Here there is a famous parade called Zulu during Mardi Gras which is mostly black people in blackface (!) but also white people in blackface. But it's a tradition and everyone knows and accepts it as humor. It's easy to get something like that wrong and to be offensive though. It's not purely intent, because if the other culture is foreign and unfamiliar there might be serious insults or stereotypes included unintentionally. But it's mostly intent and taking reasonable care to be using real humor and nothing mean or negative.

Tags: mardi, new, gras, zulu, orleans

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waulok waulok
 
October 08, 2009 02:23 AM
I'd never heard of 'blackfacing' until the replies in this page.

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albanian albanian
 
October 08, 2009 11:59 AM
It began and was very popular during the late 19th century in Negro Minstrel acts, both by white and black musicians and singers. It has pretty much always been a matter of good natured humor and entertainment; but, it does reflect stereotypes and has been regarded as offensive more often than not since the middle of the 20th century.

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waulok waulok
 
October 08, 2009 09:32 PM
Oh yes! Al Jolson.
I didn't realise it had more offensive connotations in the US.
I don't really think it's taken that way in Australia.

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romeo0830 romeo0830
 
October 08, 2009 05:07 AM
i dont think it is racist, put the shoe on the other foot. If someone dressed up as a white man and white makeup on etc... would u say they were racists? I dont think so. I think it is mostly out of fun unless like you said there is some hatred coming accross then it is different.

I hope this helps.

Thanks Mike !

Tags: whites, hatred, blacks

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gjp gjp
 
October 08, 2009 06:20 AM
Amen!

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gjp gjp
 
October 08, 2009 06:04 AM
I'm tired of everybody whining that's racist or that's not politicaly correct, you babies are the ones who create the problems in this world, how about the movie white chicks where the two black guys dressed and acted as white girls they even put on white skin, so quit bitching about whites doin it, the only people who get offended are the people that are racist anyway, grow up, stop playing the race card, and I'm sick of politically correct white people saying. African Americans, thief not citizens of Africa only America it's ok to call them black, and if that's the case than you have to address everybody by what nationality they are for example: I'm half Italian and part Indian so you can adress me as Italian indian american, sounds stupid just as African American does I'm not racist I'm just sick of people playing the race card

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