Honestly, I find it very hard to find something involving blackface not at least a little racist, considering its history. There's a lot of unfortunate, offensive stuff that gets handwaved in the name of 'oh, lighten up, it's a joke!' in the US too though.
That's just it - the historical connotations mean something, even if you think we're past all that these days, you know?
And I'm not saying that racism doesn't happen anywhere else, don't worry. People all over the world tell racist jokes like it's okay, because they're just jokes. This seems to be a step further, though, and the jokes seem to happen here a lot more often.
I didn't actually watch the show, mostly because Hey, Hey It's Saturday made me want to punch myself in the face when I was like, eight, so I have no interest in re-visiting it
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But I just - can we really call it a lack of education these days? I mean, I grant you that there are some people who just won't learn, but it's not as if there isn't a fair amount of exposure to minority groups nowadays, at least in most places.
That is a stunning argument - you can't be offended by something if it doesn't apply to you. I've stood up for people who are gay/transgendered/whatever else before, and people's immediate reaction is to label me in the same way. Which I don't really care about for the label's sake, but more for the fact that it really does show how closeminded people can be.
Wow, sorry, this response is all over the place. At the very least, I'm glad you see what I see, and it's not just that I'm over-reacting myself because I'm from somewhere different, and just don't "get" Australian humour.
australians really don't understand the history at all. so it's less intentional. but that doesn't make it less offensive or wrong. and surely the producers should know what's going on, even if your man on the street doesn't.
education is not a bad thing, guys! UGH. i'm glad i didn't watch it.
australians seem to have a lot of problem with the idea that even if they don't MEAN something to be hurtful it still in fact CAN BE HURTFUL and they should APOLOGISE. *sigh*
*watches clip*
i think that harry connick reacted really well. he acknowledged the cultural divide, but didn't back off from what he wanted to say. and good on daryl for being open to it.
(i used to watch hey,hey every week. it was a part of the 'getting ready to go out' thang. i had a ridiculous crush on wilbur. but daryl has always been a big dag who was made fun of by one and all. i am not interested in seeing this remake.)
I do think he handled it very well. I guess I just have more of a problem with the general reaction; the Indigenous history of this country is something that's actually very on-the-surface, when you think about it, considering the troubles that still go on today. The fact that people can't even comprehend how this could be offensive just baffles me.
There was one caller who said that there was no difference between doing something in blackface and painting yourself green to look like the Hulk. REALLY? HONESTLY, YOU SEE NO DIFFERENCE THERE?
ok. thing is, that we are behind in some ways. i know that in the states etc the 'colour blind' thing went out a few years ago - because as much as it's got a nice sort of idealism to bring up kids to just say 'we don't notice colour! every one is the same' the reality is that it assumes an even playing field. and that's not true
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No, I do understand the divide, and, to an extent, how people can make allowances for themselves. There are degrees of racism, and obviously someone who just doesn't understand their privilege and who have misconceptions about other races based solely on skin colour are not as bad as people who are overtly racist.
To me, one of the things that's surprised me as been people's reaction to me, even, not as a member of a different race, but as a foreigner. I get a lot of "You have to talk our way, you're in our country now!" whenever I say something different. While that's obviously not a huge drama and while people are usually joking, I still find it a little appalling that the words ever come out of anyone's mouth. When there were Australian students at my school in Canada, people just didn't say that. They like hearing the accent, sure, but it was more like "Say tomato!" more than it was "Say it our way
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There is definitely a culture more permissive of oblique and overt racism in Australia compared to NZ; I can't speak for any other comparisons, but I keep being brought up short by conversations here and going 'wait, what? Did you just say that? Since when is it okay to call someone a coon?! Indian students being bashed isn't Australia's fault, since the bashing was totally done by another racial group? WHAT?'
Yeah, that's pretty much been my reaction as well, though I stopped trying to argue with it a long time ago. I think it's interesting that it does come across as such an Australian thing - not that there isn't racism anywhere else, but that a country as geographically close to Australia as New Zealand is wouldn't be similiar. The way culture and the humour within it is shaped is kind of fascinating, even if the outcomes are pretty horrible.
I was shocked when I came here with how how openly racist a lot of people are. There's a lot of prejudice and racism going on that's accepted and it just makes me so angry and sad.
I agree. It's something that truly surprised me, and maybe the most noticeable thing I would point to in terms of a cultural divide. I just don't get how people can think it's okay.
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And I'm not saying that racism doesn't happen anywhere else, don't worry. People all over the world tell racist jokes like it's okay, because they're just jokes. This seems to be a step further, though, and the jokes seem to happen here a lot more often.
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That is a stunning argument - you can't be offended by something if it doesn't apply to you. I've stood up for people who are gay/transgendered/whatever else before, and people's immediate reaction is to label me in the same way. Which I don't really care about for the label's sake, but more for the fact that it really does show how closeminded people can be.
Wow, sorry, this response is all over the place. At the very least, I'm glad you see what I see, and it's not just that I'm over-reacting myself because I'm from somewhere different, and just don't "get" Australian humour.
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education is not a bad thing, guys! UGH. i'm glad i didn't watch it.
australians seem to have a lot of problem with the idea that even if they don't MEAN something to be hurtful it still in fact CAN BE HURTFUL and they should APOLOGISE. *sigh*
*watches clip*
i think that harry connick reacted really well. he acknowledged the cultural divide, but didn't back off from what he wanted to say. and good on daryl for being open to it.
(i used to watch hey,hey every week. it was a part of the 'getting ready to go out' thang. i had a ridiculous crush on wilbur. but daryl has always been a big dag who was made fun of by one and all. i am not interested in seeing this remake.)
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There was one caller who said that there was no difference between doing something in blackface and painting yourself green to look like the Hulk. REALLY? HONESTLY, YOU SEE NO DIFFERENCE THERE?
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To me, one of the things that's surprised me as been people's reaction to me, even, not as a member of a different race, but as a foreigner. I get a lot of "You have to talk our way, you're in our country now!" whenever I say something different. While that's obviously not a huge drama and while people are usually joking, I still find it a little appalling that the words ever come out of anyone's mouth. When there were Australian students at my school in Canada, people just didn't say that. They like hearing the accent, sure, but it was more like "Say tomato!" more than it was "Say it our way ( ... )
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I think this is definitely not okay.
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