Hey Hey It's Saturday

[Ulmus]

CNN had a huge story about this at 3 P.M. est.

They showed the skit about three times and had an Austrailian PR lady in an interview to give Australia's side of the story.

The topic was "Is Austrailia now like America was in the 50's when it comes to race?"  or something like that.

CNN had their people check out various polls and stated from the polls they checked that 70 to 75 percent of Austrailians that saw the skit didn't think it was offensive.  Including Channel 9 which is the channel that has the show.

The lady basicly threw Channel 9 under the bus saying that of course they (Channel 9) would have those figures.  They put on the show to get people to watch that channel and that show is a huge hit there so the channel would defend its show.

I also agree with Harry about how that show would never make it here in the U.S..  I also feel he did good in voicing his own thoughts.  There's always a lot of posts here decrying the lack of morals and the backbone to stand up for what you believe in a lot of today's Americans.  Well here's one that did.  You don't have to agree with him, but you gotta admit he has the courage to stand up for his convictions.

[Timothy]

Ulmus,

I agree entirely with your statement but, do you also agree that there is a double standard in the US regarding these kinds of comedy shows?  It's absolutely amazing what the black community will tolerate from their own which I think widens the gap rather than shortening it.

Just a thought!

[Pathfinder]

It made some of the news, very briefly - FoxNews I think had an article on it. I'd go look for a link but really, DILLIGAF?

Phil, missed you dude, welcome back. I have to go look at you loo now, eh?

I think I just did kalifornia, English and Canadian slang all in one sentence - for an Aussie! Forgive me . . .

[Ulmus]

Thanks for your post, Timothy.  It maked drop my second part and jump ahead.

Is there a double standard?  No.  It's worse.  There is racism in the black community itself.  Just watch "School Daze" by Spike Lee and you'll see how bad they treat each other.  (I can't stand the guy, but if does make a point even though the situation is "ramped up" for a more dramatic movie.)

What's never said though is the changes going on now.  I remember two elderly ladies coming to my door talking about the end times (Jahovah's Witnesses) and I smiled at the obvious mistakes they didn't see.  

I said, "The worlds better now than it is, you two are an example."
"How is that?"  One asked.
"Look at you two."  I replied. "You're both ladies in your 80s working together and you're different races."  (one was black the other white.)  "You two grew up in a time of segregation, fear,  and hatred and now you're working together.  I'd say the world is getting better."

Not knowing what to say, they left.

[Ulmus]

Sorry.  Gotta post again.  If I fill the box up it jumps around and i can't read what I'm typing.

Anyway, that's why scenes like the Blackface skit are so sensitive.  They are a reminder of the bad times for us and a phsychological "slap in the face" for others.

See while it might be over 50 years for this, its only been 2 or 3 generations ago.  That means a father or grandfather lived through those times when blackface was a slam.  It was used to show people in an exaggerated state.  And a father would tell his son about that time to warn or protect them.  I've experienced it myself when a man came to my school in 1988 and told everyone about how Hollywood made these "Blackxploitation" movies in ther Seventies and protrayed all black people as drug using pimps or prostitutes.  (Yes that happened in my school.)

So that's why the blackface makes a lot of people uneasy.  It throws this back into our face and shows how little time has truly passed.

[Sponsor]

[Timothy]

The box jumping is a bit of a pain, happens to me as well.  Marshal?  What up?....

As to the rest, all great points and I agree with your Spike Lee assesment, he's an utter and total bigot IMO.

[ericire12]

Here is the video:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmaF7Pys7OI

[Ulmus]

Amost done.  

We are in a time of fluctuation when it comes to race relations.  It's great!

Let's put a spin on this.  Does anyone here remember the time Eddie Murphy did his first skit as a "white man"?  It was different than the old "black face" style.  He didn't just throw flour on his face and rant and rave about how superior the white man is to all the others.  No.  He did an over the top skit where everything was great for a white person and all the breaks went his way.  My family was rolling at the skit.  Why?  because it was so voer the top it was a fairy tail.  There was no animosity or insults towards the white community involved.  Just a joke at flase perceptions done in a harmless way.

The Michael Jackson thing didn't have that.  It seemed harsh and fake.  It reminded my of the time a guy pretended to be black for Holloween.  Except he didn't do it as a light-hearted joke.  He said he did it to piss off the...
  (this was two years ago.)

And that's why we still walk this tightrope.  How do you know what is just a harmless joke and what is masked hatred?  We move forward, yet the past still haunts us.  We have to look at our achievments and our failures and know while we have gotten far, we're still heading for the goal.

We're gonna get there.

[tombogan03884]

 Haz is thinking of the one about the guy whacking off to a picture of BO.

[Hazcat]

Haz is thinking of the one about the guy whacking off to a picture of BO.

Oh Yeah!  THAT was it.  (so disgusting I must have banned it from my memory!)