Hey Hey racial feud???

[Reece.]

Well i think its stupid... the performers in no way tried to be discrimitive towards coloured people and imo the act was a bit of harmless fun.
I am not a racist I just dont understand how people can make a big deal over something so small.

The video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMAyGewq37w


What are your thoughts on the topic?

 

[b_S]

Major fail on the producer's behalf.
The global media thinks so too.

 

[NCR600]

You are an idiot if you can't see that performing as an imitation Negro in blackface is disrespectful. It was socially acceptible in 1930's America, where in some states Negros had to ride up the back of the bus, and borderline when that stupid skit first aired 20 odd years ago, but to pull that same stuff now and expect to not get called out on it in 2009?

I'm sure Al Jolson never had the intent to be "discrimitive towards coloured people" (sic), despite doing a pretty good imitation of their singing style either. But that was in the 30's, and this is now. Lots of people liked Hitler then too.

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

I can't believe they showed it on f***ing primetime tv! Fair enough if it was on a programme like The Chaser which is well known for being a bit edgy and ironic, but to show it on mainstream primetime television has just reinforced the rest of the world's impression that Australia is a racist backwater stuck in the 1970's.

'Blackface' performances are still regarded as being deeply offensive. Whether you, myself or others may think they're harmless or not is irregardless, the fact remains that they were deemed as being horrendously racist by the world's media over 30 years ago and to show one on telly these day as straight-laced entertainment shows a clear lack of judgement on the part of the producers.

Christ, what with all the emails flying around about Howard's old policies, the detention camps and the state of some of the aboriginal communities , it's hard enough trying to explain to mates back home that Australia is a modern 21st century society. This certainly doesn't help matters much.

 

[Matt H]

Lots of people liked Hitler then too.

Godwin's in two posts, new record.

 

[driftking]

i dont agree with this performance, it was wrong i dont think it was funny at all and dont think most of aus thorght it was either.
the producers in my oppinion stuffed up big time by allowing this to be on tv for one and then to be on tv in the time slot it was, i thorght the audition would have set some alarms off in the producer head to make them think mabey it isnt a good idea.

still it has let down aus rep and i think it was a bit wierd how out representitive in us said most aus would find it humorous i dont think they would.

only my oppinon.

 

[NCR600]

Godwin's in two posts, new record.

How very usenet of you to invoke Godwin's

Nothing wrong with Godwin's law. Shame it doesn't state anything about the appropriateness of Nazi/Hitler references.

Lots of people did like Hitler in the 1930's, and not just in Germany. Just like lots of people thought Blackface singers were appropriate family entertainment then too. Presumably there was a fair degree of overlap there.

 

[Oliver.]

But it was fine to let Robert Downey Jr. wear black facepaint and look equally as retarded* in Tropic Thunder? Intriguing.


Sincerely,
Devils Advocate.


*(I probably shouldn't have said retarded. I meant 'special')

 

[driftking]

But it was fine to let Robert Downey Jr. wear black facepaint and look equally as retarded* in Tropic Thunder? Intriguing.


Sincerely,
Devils Advocate.

i understand where you are coming from but still dont think that is the same thing, as robert downey jr wasnt really makeing fun of black people in the same way, in the movie he wasnt accually a black man but and we knew this part of the joke was he was a australian playing a white american playing a black american

 

[NCR600]

But it was fine to let Robert Downey Jr. wear black facepaint and look equally as retarded* in Tropic Thunder? Intriguing.


Sincerely,
Devils Advocate.


*(I probably shouldn't have said retarded. I meant 'special')

I've not seen this movie, but I think as a plot device for a movie set in a time when "The Black and White Minstrel Show" was a top rating show on British television, it's probably ok.

I'll also note here that the character in Blackface was meant to be an Australian Journalist!

 

[b_S]

But it was fine to let Robert Downey Jr. wear black facepaint and look equally as retarded* in Tropic Thunder? Intriguing.

Wasn't that part of the joke, though?

 

[Bretty.]

?

 

[Oliver.]

Wasn't that part of the joke, though?

Absolutely, and for the record I think it should never have gone to air at all. It seems very touchy and an overt demonstration of trying to 'push it' a bit too far.

However, I do find it interesting that, in comparison they are very similar things. In both instances it involves a white person, painting himself black, and performing in an attempt to imitate a black person in a way that is humourous.

Based on the context, (Australian/Australia as opposed to American) and the medium (comedy skit as opposed to film) and the way it was performed, both performances were taken VERY differently.

 

[NCR600]

In the interests of not turning this thread into a slanging match, how could they have saved this skit?

Could they have shown the original skit, and then got the performers back to talk about it, and maybe even re-do it not in blackface? Would that have been ok?

I'm not beyond laughing at non-PC humour myself, as long as it's within a historical context. I recently picked up a Spike Milligan 'Q' annual at a second hand bookshop and laughed myself silly remembering the Pakistani Dalek sketch, which was originally filmed in the early 1970's, but was shown on the ABC, in the kiddies prime-time area of 6:30 weekdays between The Goodies and Monkey in the early-mid 1980's. Of course the idea of a Pakistani Dalek married to a South London slapper and exterminating people and animals and instructing his missus to put them in the curry is horrendous now, and a lot of the humor I find in it these days reading the scripts is the humour of embarassment at myself.

Is it ok to look back at this sort of embarassing stuff (which is pretty much all of Hey Hey, especially after thet took it off Saturday Mornings and tried to make it an "Adult Humour" show on Saturday Night) and have a laugh, even though you wouldn't try to do it in the web 2.0 era?

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

On the Robert Downey Jr question. The whole joke is centred around the fact that his character is supposed to be such a self-involved 'serious' actor that he will actually black up for a part and yet still be oblivious to the fact that it's a deeply offensive act!

I'm all up for edgy comedy. Particularly stuff that crosses racial boundaries but it's all got it's place. Mainstream saturday night commercial television isn't really it.

Which ironically makes this whole controversy all the funnier for me!

 

[dom101]

not to stir the pot but from my opinion these black representatices need to suck it up (on some such issues). just because your an ethnic minority doesnt mean you HAVE to complain about EVERYTHING.

speaking from a non racial perspective this is a too common happening.
ask yourself.
If, on a television show, a BLACK MAN came on stage with his face painted WHITE, would you feel offended? would you ring up and go all patriotic? i know i'd take it as how it's intended, not for its OBVIOUS UNDERLYING RACISM but as a joke.

its just like in america, a african american calls you a cracka, he's cool. you call him a n%gga. your a fuckinnn racist!

ugh i was listening to the radio and every caller seemed to think he's having a fit over nothing.
seriously sometimes they these representatives need to grow a pair and take a joke,....

 

[NCR600]

If, on a television show, a BLACK MAN came on stage with his face painted WHITE, would you feel offended? would you ring up and go all patriotic? i know i'd take it as how it's intended, not for its OBVIOUS UNDERLYING RACISM but as a joke.

its just like in america, a african american calls you a cracka, he's cool. you call him a n%gga. your a fuckinnn racist!

Yes, I would. It's not cool to call anyone names about stuff they can't help. Take it from a Ranga!

Sly and the Family Stone would seem to agree with me, circa 1968.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwmrd_T53E0

 

[dom101]

vid ain't working. and Okay. well i just think sometimes minorities start shit just to cause commotion which ends in smpathy directed their way.

 

[Drizz]

vid ain't working. and Okay. well i just think sometimes Media start shit just to cause commotion which ends in Paper sales/site visits directed their way.

Fixed it for you. Most minorities just wanted to get on with their lives.

Back to the subject of blacking up its back to the context. Sarah Silverman had one episode where she "blacken up" and was refused entry to the Tennis club. It might sound racist but the her writers has 45mins to put everything into context and put in all the necessary self deprecation. These guys just looks like a bunch of dudes that decided "Hey its fun to jump on Hey Hey with Black faces and dance like Jackson 5!" and turns out exactly that, sorry have to say if you are to do edgy racist material you will needed a bit more intelligence behind what you are doing.

Off a tangent different countries found different terms racist where its completely normal in another country. The word Oriental is racist in America where its the norm in UK and Europe. The word "retard" is highly offensive in UK where its not the same in Australia. Its interesting what offends different culture even they have a common language.

 

[Bretty.]

It's kind of ironic too. The majority of viewers see it as a couple of guys imitating another bunch of guys, but then you've got the African-American group who take offense just because the ones being imitated happen to be black! They seem to be the ones who can't get over the colour of a person's skin! A bit of self-racism going on there?

On the Robert Downey Jr question. The whole joke is centred around the fact that his character is supposed to be such a self-involved 'serious' actor that he will actually black up for a part and yet still be oblivious to the fact that it's a deeply offensive act!

Ah, that does make sense. Thanks PoSM.