Poll: That's RACIST!!

[TheRealCJ]

Hey everyone.

Apparently this is making international News

Spoiler: Click to View

Well, there's a big bit of hoo-rah over it, and I don't personally blame them But I don't think that it was intentionally 'racist' as such - just in bad taste.

And there's clearly a streak of parody, what with the 'Michael' being a white guy in white face.

The real question is, is the world really as touchy as to globally comdemn a comedy act that was clearly not meant to be taken seriously?

Edit: Thinking about it, I get the feeling that people would be MORE offended if these guys had portrayed the Jackson five as white guys.

You know what, I dont think that it was really that racist, BUUUUUT i think this is a good wake up call for australia to see how the rest of the world views us.
Australia likes to think we are multi-cultural, but the general anglo community are very racists and it is about time methods are put in place to curb this!!!

and what is the deal with america being all high and mighty about this...

when this is one of thier biggest comedy acts at the moment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOXCAKL9ESc

pot calling the kettle black much

Ah, you're allowed to make fun of Muslims, because they're BAD PEOPLE. :|

wasn't really making fun of muslims..

making fun of muslim extremist terrorists.

it's an entirely different things. Laughing at terrorists makes them lose their power, do you want them to win?

Oh get out of it, You can make fun of terrorists without bringing their religion into it.

The fact is, saying ONE thing is racist, while ANOTHER thing isn't, based on the fact that the two different things are making fun of seperate cultures, is Hipocracy.

 

[Icehearted]

Fair enough, I'm white enough that anything I say will be taken out of context (my Mother is a Full-Phillipino, and I've got plenty of her side in me, but I'm still white enough that people don't see it - I look more greek than asian).

I think the skit was in bad taste, and not particularly funny, but that's what you get on a segment like Red's Faces (it's pretty much the equivelent of 'The Gong Show' in the US).

I'm kind of in that same boat too. My father was black, my mother white, which means I get to be both, like it or not. Racism is racism, and if a person says or does something racially offensive it doesn't just upset my "black side" it upsets me altogether. I look French/Italian more than anything, but still get lots of flack for being black.

 

[Altorin]

Oh get out of it, You can make fun of terrorists without bringing their religion into it.

The fact is, saying ONE thing is racist, while ANOTHER thing isn't, based on the fact that the two different things are making fun of seperate cultures, is Hipocracy.

have fun with that.

 

[TheRealCJ]

Fair enough, I'm white enough that anything I say will be taken out of context (my Mother is a Full-Phillipino, and I've got plenty of her side in me, but I'm still white enough that people don't see it - I look more greek than asian).

I think the skit was in bad taste, and not particularly funny, but that's what you get on a segment like Red's Faces (it's pretty much the equivelent of 'The Gong Show' in the US).

I'm kind of in that same boat too. My father was black, my mother white, which means I get to be both, like it or not. Racism is racism, and if a person says or does something racially offensive it doesn't just upset my "black side" it upsets me altogether. I look French/Italian more than anything, but still get lots of flack for being black.

I find no point in getting offended, especially if it was meant as a serious insult. If it isn't I explain that 'some' people will find it offensive, if it is, well, whatever I say isn't going to sway their opinion.

 

[uhgungawa]

OH MY GOD!! It's the GONG SHOW, I though it went off the air 20 years age LOL

 

[Icehearted]

Fair enough, I'm white enough that anything I say will be taken out of context (my Mother is a Full-Phillipino, and I've got plenty of her side in me, but I'm still white enough that people don't see it - I look more greek than asian).

I think the skit was in bad taste, and not particularly funny, but that's what you get on a segment like Red's Faces (it's pretty much the equivelent of 'The Gong Show' in the US).

I'm kind of in that same boat too. My father was black, my mother white, which means I get to be both, like it or not. Racism is racism, and if a person says or does something racially offensive it doesn't just upset my "black side" it upsets me altogether. I look French/Italian more than anything, but still get lots of flack for being black.

I find no point in getting offended, especially if it was meant as a serious insult. If it isn't I explain that 'some' people will find it offensive, if it is, well, whatever I say isn't going to sway their opinion.

Sometimes there isn't any choice. I was physically injured by my grandfather because he could not accept my white skin while I was an infant. It's cost me jobs, I have been refused service, and have even been removed from school because of race.

I guess my point is that I agree, there is normally nothing to become offended about, but in cases like mine, because of my history with discrimination, I've got to be guarded, I must be vigilant or I could get hurt again, financially, physically, emotionally.

 

[thom_cat_]

No... but hey hey its sat was a crap show... that's why it was cancelled, why the hell did they bring it back?

 

[twistedshadows]

I'm curious about how people would have responded to the skit if the performers hadn't been white. I can see why some people could be offended, but it doesn't seem like racism was the intent. People seem to get offended by anything regarding race quite easily (and I do understand why there is still tension regarding this subject), but you'd think that would make racial acceptance by all parties more difficult in the long run.

 

[TheRealCJ]

Fair enough, I'm white enough that anything I say will be taken out of context (my Mother is a Full-Phillipino, and I've got plenty of her side in me, but I'm still white enough that people don't see it - I look more greek than asian).

I think the skit was in bad taste, and not particularly funny, but that's what you get on a segment like Red's Faces (it's pretty much the equivelent of 'The Gong Show' in the US).

I'm kind of in that same boat too. My father was black, my mother white, which means I get to be both, like it or not. Racism is racism, and if a person says or does something racially offensive it doesn't just upset my "black side" it upsets me altogether. I look French/Italian more than anything, but still get lots of flack for being black.

I find no point in getting offended, especially if it was meant as a serious insult. If it isn't I explain that 'some' people will find it offensive, if it is, well, whatever I say isn't going to sway their opinion.

Sometimes there isn't any choice. I was physically injured by my grandfather because he could not accept my white skin while I was an infant. It's cost me jobs, I have been refused service, and have even been removed from school because of race.

I guess my point is that I agree, there is normally nothing to become offended about, but in cases like mine, because of my history with discrimination, I've got to be guarded, I must be vigilant or I could get hurt again, financially, physically, emotionally.

I'm sorry to hear that, but that just proves that no racisim arguement is one-sided. I have the problem as well of being quite large (as in fat - there I SAID IT *breaks down*), and I haven't really experienced any problems at all. That's why I find it quite hard to believe that Australia has the reputation for racism that it has.

However, I also know that America has a WONDERFUL reputation, as a society that has made mistake in the past, but is doing everything it can to eriadicate that from their country. That's what we get from the media: The US: Moving up!

But when we hear from the little people that racism is still alive and thriving (as you say), well, it comes not as a shock, but more of a suprise than most of us believe. I guess it's a case of 'we're perfect america! Don't show them what really happens' followed by 'Oh look at that other country, look at that racism, let's exaggerate it so we look better!'.

... At this point I realise I'm just bitching about America, but you get my point, yes?

 

[TheRealCJ]

Snip

Short history lesson for ya since you were not around during the days where the portrayal of other races in a comedic fashion.

That video there is racist because the performance is "Minstrel theater". Much like Japanese plays like Noh many characters that were black were played by white people and often put into atypical situations such as blacks acting like rich white men.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minstrel_show

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Minstrel_PosterBillyVanWare_edit.jpg

There is a history of racism that both you and I do not see and without the common man taking a look back into the past they are doomed to repeat the same mistakes regardless of the intention. Even if the act was funny the minstrel shows of the past were also trying to be funny and entertaining but mocked an entire race.

But how is that, any different from a film like 'White Chicks':

The only difference I see between this and 'black face' minstrel shows is that the roles are reversed.

How about something like this:

I know a lot of overweight people that would be offended by that. But it slips under the radar because it's 'funny'.

The point is, blackface is offensive, yes, but so is half the stuff on television. Portraying an asian as a calculator-toting super-nerd is just as offensive as someone pretending to be black. But once again, it slips under the radar. Is one race somehow more 'deserving' of our sensetivity than another? What if I find it offensive that all Australians on television seem to be machete-toting croc-wrestlers that speak in a ridiculous drawl and chug beer like it's water?

Okay, so the whites have been dominating other cultures for centuries now, and there's a lot of ground to make up for, especially in the US, but isn't it just as racially insensetive to cry foul at a joke that meant no harm? Somehow implying that that race or people need 'defending' from our mockery? That they can't do it themselves by responding in kind?

 

[TheRealCJ]

No... but hey hey its sat was a crap show... that's why it was cancelled, why the hell did they bring it back?

Because now that GO! has all the good american shows, they need to fill in time on a wednesday night.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I suppose it is racist.

But more importantly, it's not funny. And that's all I really care about when it comes to racist jokes.

 

[Icehearted]

I do, and I agree. America is sensationalist, melodramatic, and a nation currently residing on a very flimsy set of values. Racism is still quite alive here, it just depends on where you go.

Another way to look at it is Hurricane Katrina and Rita and how that was handled. Wolf Blitzer said it best when he called the people of Louisiana "so poor, and so black". if you google "racist McCain supporters" you get some pretty irrefutable footage or racism in politics. Heck, even McCain openly hates a race, and he was nominated for president.

I'm American, and I have no qualms pointing out just what obnoxious, self-serving pigs we tend to be. not all of us are bad, just the ones running things around here.

Suddenly I can't brain anymore. I think it's time to succumb to the siren call of lady Ambien.

I enjoyed this thread. Class acts, all of ya. Be seeing you.

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

Honestly it's a load of over-hyped bullshit. I've heard comedy of where Jews insult jews, Black People insult Black People etc etc. All this is, is just a comedy stunt of which most of know is a joke that's been over-hyped by an idiot judge and the media.

If they'd done all that without the blackface, and said 'We're the jackson five lulz', there would've been another outcry because 'OMG how DARE they pretend to be a prominent black group when they're WHITE!'

EXACTLY! It just wouldn't have worked.

 

[Vern]

I can't pretend to be a black man, so I can't imagine how this might appear to them. As a white male, it looks like a bunch of white guys with retarded senses of humour. Watching it, it's not funny, I don't find it offensive, but I don't find a bunch of well educated white guys in black face pretending to be the Jackson Five amusing. I don't find it offensive in the least, just very unfunny. However I doubt that if I saw a group of black men in white face walking around talking about their 401k's and how much they love mayonnaise I would be offended. In fact, I would probably laugh if it was a well constructed joke. The video was a very poor excuse at a joke, but I don't see how it could be racist, since all they were doing was impersonating a family of black musicians. There's far more important things to worry about, Darfur I'm looking at you. I don't recall any outrage when Mel Brooks wore skin tan and an Indian headress causing any outrage. If you can't accept a joke at yourself just as well as you can accept a joke about anyone else then you're in for a very pissed off existence, and that's not enjoyable for anyone.

 

[MelziGurl]

Seriously, if it happened before MJ died I don't believe there would have been that much of a hoorah over it. And Harry Connick Jr...let's just say I've lost alot of respect for that man, the term 'publicity stunt' comes to mind now whenever I think of him. Not saying he shouldn't feel offended, but I don't feel like he was at all genuine in having his say.

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Some ridiculous people got offended by some other ridiculous people...I want the last 6 minutes of my life back...

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Strange that people don't seem offended that it's 'too soon' after the MJ death, seems any possible hint of racism overpowers everything else, like that 'magic race card' picture.

Honestly? It's always going to be dodgy to 'black up', after all, it was originally done so they wouldn't have let black people into entertainment, but damn, if it's a joke, and the INTENT isn't racist, then it isn't racist, but sadly, for that to work, people would have to think, not just react.