Hey Hey it's .... Returning?

[Duckman#72]

Yes Duckman, the issue is really with the blackface - the dance movements and jiggles were part of the Jackson 5 routine and if they had been properly made up (brown face not black) then while it still would have been a crap performance, it certainly would not have raised the ire it has.

It was on "Red Faces" for goodness sake Prospector - if you are looking for high quality art and culture - look elsewhere. I hope people are not branding the show racist just because they don't like the show's humour.

But Duckman, you are calling everyone from the US racists then? Remember, the Civil War (North versus South) was fought over Slavery and the death toll from that event was huge. Of course there are racists in the US, but dont really think it is fair to put Harry in this bag. And a lot of US performers were wrapt when Obama was elected.

Of course I am not calling everyone from the US racist Prospector. Although I thought Darryl handled everything very well, it was almost as if we (as Australians) were apologising to the US (through Harry). From what I have seen the US has far more deep rooted racial problems than Australia - particularly in the deep south where Harry hails from.

If Australians are not meaning offence by applying black makeup, don't know the origins of the offensive behaviour, and most importantly are not taking offence by the behaviour....is it then offensive racist behaviour?

Duckman

 

[insider]

I think Harry is just worried about looking like and idiot... Too late for Harry as he brought the race card as that didn't cross anyone else's mind...

 

[MrBurns]

I think Harry is just worried about looking like and idiot... Too late for Harry as he brought the race card as that didn't cross anyone else's mind...

Harry looked as if he was suffering from Michael Buble's success.

 

[nunthewiser]

um

the jackson 5 were black

micheal jackson was sort of white

what was wrong with the skit ? they imitated them to the best of there ability . in costume AND the music and dancing

i cant see any racial undertones to this matter

are we going to have a fuss over elvis impersonaters next ? im pretty sure there is black ones pretending to be white somewhere.

what about pantomines and plays ? ,....... pretty sure often a female will play the male leading role and vica versa for comedy value ...... is this sexual predudice?

the world needs to lighten the hell up ( hahahaha no pun intended )

 

[MrBurns]

um

the jackson 5 were black

Yes good pick up Nun, the Jackson 5 were obviously racist against blacks too.
You just can't trust anyone these days.

 

[chode84]

I blame globalisation and the internet.

 

[Prospector]

People - to summarise

The issue with the skit is the black shoe polish. That is Blackface and that is recognised as having negative racial origins and is considered a racial slur to black people.
Just because it is on Red Faces does not give us the excuse to condone racist behaviour.
The group themselves did not realise the offense that would be caused by using black polish but the producers would have.
Had they used makeup that was brown we would not be discussing this. The Jacksons skin colouring is brown not black.
Just because people here do not see the racial undertones does not mean that many significant others have not been offended.
There was a US guest on the show so they cannot hide behind the 'but this is only seen in Australia' excuse.

I think that is it for now.

 

[darkside]

Political correctness at its best.

What I am waiting for now is somebody brave enough to take to court somebody for making racist remark like: ‘White fella’.

Ahh so true, political correctness is the presumption that you can pick up a turd from the clean end.

 

[Smurf1976]

OK, so they bought the wrong colour shoe polish. Qutie likely they, like me, had no idea as to the significance of black instead of brown.

It all seems like a fairly honest mistake to me. Surely nobody could argue there was anything wrong with them using brown - the Jackson 5 were certainly brown.

One thing I can't take seriously though is the USA references. Given the shocking crimes against humanity committed by that country over the decades, it doesn't exactly have too much credibility over anything. Those are real crimes against real people, not an amateur comedy act on a TV show.

 

[cuttlefish]

I just can't believe that Australia is so devoid of originality and talent that a rehashed variety show and performers from 20+ years ago tops the ratings with this sort of stale garbage.

 

[Tink]

I didnt watch the show, but I think if you are going to invite an international guest, do abit of homework before hand.

Seems Daryl and crew handled it all really well..

We arent in the 70s anymore, times have changed..

 

[Julia]

I didn't see it. However, I do remember as a kid watching on TV "The Black and White Minstrel Show" on which there were a lot of people dressed in black and white from my vague memory, but with black painted faces.

It meant nothing more to us than some good old time music. I think we used to tap dance to some of it!

But then, the whole concept of racism never entered our heads. NZ had white people and Maoris. So there was a different skin colour. Meant absolutely nothing. We have all become so damn self conscious and precious, instead of ascribing to skin colour the total unimportance it deserves.

 

[Smurf1976]

I wonder if all those people outraged by that Red Faces act would be equally outraged if it had mocked homosexuals* instead?

Racisim and homophobia are both nothing more than an excuse for unjustified hatred. But I'd be pretty confident that many of those crying foul over alleged racism would find some way to justify their own homophobia.

*Or any other minority group which continues to face economic and general discrimination today.

 

[GumbyLearner]

I wonder if all those people outraged by that Red Faces act would be equally outraged if it had mocked homosexuals* instead?

Racisim and homophobia are both nothing more than an excuse for unjustified hatred. But I'd be pretty confident that many of those crying foul over alleged racism would find some way to justify their own homophobia.

*Or any other minority group which continues to face economic and general discrimination today.

Agreed Smurf.

It would be great if Harry could add his voice of opposition to the attacks on Commuters who use Connex Trains.



"They're going to fix that spelling right!"

I would prefer the word 'spelling' to be replaced with 'security'.

Another innocent commuter unlawfully wounded and robbed.

 

[Agentm]

Yes good pick up Nun, the Jackson 5 were obviously racist against blacks too.
You just can't trust anyone these days.

one thing is always certain about racism, is that those who express it, laugh with it, and support it, dont feel it nor get it.. blackface is not around because of the racism it expresses, clearly those who supported it before continue to justify themselves without even researching what it actually was.. they just dont try to get it, and usually say things like

i didnt think it was racist..

some minimise their justification for racism by seeing humor in it by laughing and making further jokes about the person or race itself

when it clearly is racism, and it deeply offends, your not going to win any arguements here on that issue..


its those whom its expressed against that feel it and know it. and clearly it does not concern those who like seeing it, think its funny and openly support it..

channel nine have apologised..

they know it was deeply offensive

its obvious through the expressions here on this thread that some are very much at home enjoying blackface.

lol

i guarantee those supporting it wouldnt be doing two things

1/ performing that skit on any black neighborhood in any community where those whom the racism is directed at live

2/ stand around those performers and cheer loudly and support their act in that community where the racism is directed at

blackface fortunately made its way off the screens in the late 70's in the uk and australia..

clearly it still has appeal to a few

 

[dbcok]

I was driving across northern Vic yesterday listening to Melbourne radio,which station I do not know.
A shock-jock called "Neil" was comparing the Hey Hey skit to Americans ridiculing the Australian accent.
I would have thought that there were miles of difference.
Like has been said,many just do not get it.

 

[wayneL]

Agentm, dbcok,

Can you please share with us what you think racism is?

Can you please explain, slowly and clearly, why the skit was racist?

Thanks

 

[Tink]

I dont think it was intentional, but as I said, times have changed

Channel Nine apologises for Hey, Hey it's Saturday blackface Michael Jackson sketch

Reprising its act from 20 years ago, the group's Jackson Jive gig outraged guest judge Harry Connick Jr, who gave the act a zero.

He said if the skit had appeared on US television the broadcast would have been terminated.

Somers, hoping to secure a permanent future for Hey Hey, defended the show.

"It was just a bit of fun," he said yesterday.

"It was a tribute to Michael Jackson and I think from an Australian audience point of view, they see the lightness of it. But as I said, I understood Harry's feelings towards it."

Connick said yesterday he harboured no hard feelings towards Somers, Australia or even the Jackson Jive performers, who also apologised.

But veteran entertainer Kamahl called for Hey Hey to be "flushed" after he, too, was mocked for his Malaysian heritage.

During the controversial sketch, a cartoon flashed on screen with the words "Where's Kamahl?"

"It's really just a desperate attempt at notoriety and publicity," he said.

"I used to laugh along when I was a guest, but deep down I was thinking 'why are people so unkind?'

 

[$20shoes]

What do you all think about the very suppression of our voices actually giving racism the power, the violence, the viciousness?? There is a very strong case that by actually censuring, you empower a private racism.

This was from Lenny Bruce in the late 50s. Some may find this deeply offensive, in which case you would have missed the point -

....Then the relief, the notice of kikes, spics, miks, guineas, etc., diffusing the cruelty. Finally the moral, the call to resolution, the fable about the public use of taboo epithets in order to destroy their wounding power, and we see this routine is as much about the conventional moral code of forbidden public language, the "zug-gornisht" or say nothing, as it is about racism, even as it uses that power of taboo to shock and manipulate the audience.

By the way, are there any ******s here tonight?

"What did he say? Are there any ******s here tonight?

Jesus Christ is that cruel. Does he have to get that low for laughs? Wow!"

Have I ever talked about the schvartzes when the schvartzes had gone home,

Or spoken about the moulanyans when they'd left,

Or placated some southerner by absence of voice

When he ranted or raved about ******-******-******?

Are there any ******s here tonight?

I know that one ****** who works here, I see him back there.

Oh, there's two ******s, customers, and, aha!

Between those two ******s sits one kike, thank God for the kike.

Uh, two kikes, that's two kikes, and three ******s and one spic.

One spic, two, three spics. One mik.

One mic, one spic, one hick thick funky spunky boogie.

And there's another kike, three kikes.

Three kikes, one guinea, one greaseball.

Three greaseballs, two guineas.

Two guineas, one hunky funky lace-curtain Irish mick.

That mick, spic, hunky funky boogey.

Two guineas plus three greaseballs and four boogies makes usually three spics,

Minus two yid spic polack funky spunky polacks.

Five more ******s! Five more ******s!

I pass with six ******s and eight miks and four spics.

The point? That the word's suppression gives it the power, the violence, the viciousness.

If President Kennedy got on television and said,

"Tonight I'd like to introduce all the ******s in my cabinet,"

And he yelled, "******-******-******-******-******-******-******" at every ****** he saw, "boogey-boogey-boogey-boogey-boogey, ******-******-******-******,"

'till ****** didn't mean anything any more, 'till ****** lost its meaning,
you'd never make any four-year old ****** cry when he came home from school

 

[$20shoes]

okay that word can be googled if you cant guess...imagine trying to get that routine on tv...even thought its attempting to disempower rascism