Last night, American pop star/movie actor Harry Connick Jr. appeared as a judge on Australia’s Gong Show-styled TV program Hey Hey It’s Saturday. He was not entertained by what he saw, and in a friendly but pointed manner, eventually stops the show to explain why. Here’s the whole shebang:
“If I knew that was gonna be a part of the show, I definitely wouldn’t have done it,” says Connick of (and during) his appearance. Good for him. If I were a voter heading into the ballot booth that is my envelope, I would pull the lever for him.
Thank you, Melbourne-based Slog tipper Arion.
As an Aussie, I have to say the Americans really have so much to teach us.
Such as:
1. How to maintain a country with deep racial divisions. Check out the proportion of blacks in American jails compared to whites. Land of the free, at least if you’re white.
2. How Hollywood continues to produce anti-Arab bigotry. Dreamy.
3. The assembly line of fat, loud, white, bigoted Americans that keep arriving in my delightful city (Sydney). No, have another pizza!
4. Their approach to conflict resolution. Hey! You stepped on my shadow! (pulls .48 revolver) blam blam! Cop my constitutional right square in the noggin (that’s head, American imperialist scum).
5. Their commitment to killing civilians. Sorry, collateral damage. 100,000 Iraqi’s? Who cares? I’m white, i’m American, and I like sending the blacks off to kill shit.
And what does 11 September 2001 mean to me (oh sorry, 911). Absolutely fantastic video footage. See those buildings come down? That expert and courageous flying? You reap what you sow. “Why do they hate us” I could hear the lemmings yell as they jumped. They hate you because you interfere in middle east politics. Modern-day Iran is of America’s making. Screw them over, and you radicalise them. Bingo.
Lived in the US for best part of a year some time ago. Didn’t stand for their poxy national anthem once and nearly got lynched. I’m not an American, and i’ll only stand for my own anthem, and then only if I get a free beer. Love beer.
Have not and will never will go back just to be fingerprinted.
Americans. So much to teach us. Just happens to be the wrong stuff.
Of course the skit was lame. WTF is that show back anyway? It was terminated a decade ago for good reason: it was lame. Lame lame lame. Like the average American intellect. Lame.
Can’t wait for the Chinese to make it a client kingdom.
White Boy.
Hi @100.
Wanna dance?
I don’t remember driving the natives off cliffs.
Um, yeah, we stole their kids.
I don’t think we tried to purify their “bloodline” as you put it. They were viewed as a dying race, was the rationale. Google “stolen generation report”.
They are recognised as citizens. You are at least 40 years out of date.
They are getting some land back. Some legislated in 1970’s, some since early 1990’s with Mabo case.
Reservations? American term. Missions. We sent them to missions run by jesus-freaks.
Um, yeah, John Howard is a slimy prick. The country finally worked this out. Took a while.
Blackface. Now that’s what I call unexpected, creative, comedy gold. Oh Mammy!
Bertie Beatle.
1. Racism: hatred or intolerance of another race or other races. (dictionary.com).
No hate or intolerance in that act.
2. The performers were not poking fun at ‘African Americans’ rather, the Jackson 5 (which the whole world has practically done before).
3. Harry Connick is not in America. I would not impose Australian expectations on another country. he should note it down as an ‘experience’ in Australia and accept us (and our humour) for who we are.
4. Harry Connick wasn’t good guest material (who are you anyway?).
5. I question his validity in ‘speaking on behalf of America’ – you have no authority.
You Americans are hilarious. A country that lives on a diet of pornography, drugs and violence is offended by a few guys in another country who painted their faces black to pay tribute to iconic black entertainers.
Well guess what, the world doesn’t revolve around you. Just because you think painting your face black is racist doesn’t mean it is everywhere else. In Australia, this is a light hearted innocent joke and people of any race will find it funny here. Most Aussies don’t even know what blackface is, that’s your own messed up creation.
While I respect the right of everyone to have there own opinion, lets put this in perspective. The act was nevr intended to offend. It was a parody of an entertainer which different comedians have been doing for years. Eddie Murphy who has painted his face white to portray different characters for his movies has never received critisism for doing so. Why is this? The desire of each was to entertain. If it was not entertaining to you then that is fine, but don’t turn this into a racist issue when it is not.
Uh do you Americans even know where Australia is? And no it’s not in Europe. That’s Austria.
Sitakali, I feel so sorry for your poor uneducated, democatic, “white”, middle-class guilt ridden arse.
Please don’t comment on issues that is above your pay grade about Australian (not Austrian (that was Hitler)) history.
If only Gibbon’s was alive today to write “The Decline and Fall of The American Empire”
It must be comforting to live in a country that is a failed social expirement.
Harry Connick Jnr, is a H Y P O C R I T E
Watch this video and judge for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooKaCbMva…
He must keep his political agenda to himself when he is a VISITOR in another country, he’s most welcome to push his personal views BACK HOME IN THE U.S.
How dare he hijack someone else’s TV show when he was an INVITED GUEST ?
This is not the best way to promote your falling sales of your CD’s, you may have just committed professional musical suicide …
Do a YouTube search for
“Harry Connick, Jr. on MadTV – Preachers Skit”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooKaCbMva…
Why is the entire nation being held accountable for this? I dont remember agreeing to have channel Nine represent my views to the world…but hey, lets just typecast the entire nation of Australia on one poor judgement decision made by a producer on a TV show. I was born here from UK ancestry but my husband is asian descent – Australia is probably one of the most multi-cultural countries in the world.
Can everyone please take a step back and not hold the entirety of our nation responsible for this?
Opinions differ from country to country and these things need to be looked at objectively….this was a comedy show and as an aussie, felt shock when I saw these guys appear…it was poor timing and racist but I think this wasnt the message they were trying to send. Australians just dont look too deeply into how hard they hit when they pull the piss as we were grown to respect and aspire to be thick skinned its the australian way and I know people wont get what I mean and thats alright as I know there are diversities from nation to nation that set us apart.
I am saddened that aust has been depicted in this way, its a shame as we are not a racist country.
I’m an Australian, and while I was aware that Australia has a lot of ignorant, backward, racist, (not to mention also homophobic, sexist fuckwits), I was still shocked to see that this thing got aired. (and also horrified to see that that appaling show still exists). And very impressed by Harry’s impeccable response.
Just to give you people some context, Hey Hey it’s Saturday is one of the most appallingly crappy tv shows we have, watched mostly by the elderly and their grandchildren on saturday nights. Whilst most Australians haven’t heard of ‘blackface,’ I’m still ashamed to be of the same country as all the Aussies defending this skit. They could at least educate themselves before defending it.
The thing with Australia is, we’re a big fat country, like the US, with similarly shameful histories. Big fat countries like ours have inland people, and coastal people. Country hicks, and educated city folk. We have less cities, and a lot of country. That bumps up our hick quota. But we also have educated people. The ignorant and proud of it culture we have here is sticking around like a bad smell, but our government does pay for some of our education, so that helps reduce the hick factor. So please don’t hate all of us when we come to visit you. Most Aussies are idiots, but a few of us are ok.
I think the moral of the story, after reading all the above posts, is to not assume, because we all know what that can do.
‘Blackface’ has no history in Australia (that I know of). In the USA I’m sure as soon as anyone brought this up as a possible skit, someone would have politely told them “not a good idea” due to the history of ‘blackface’. In the USA this would be called ‘blackface’, in Australia to us this is a bunch of guys painting their faces black, to imitate black people. Most haven’t even heard of ‘blackface’. Is no one allowed to put black paint/ink on their faces anywhere ever again?
Yes the ‘blackface’ ‘comedy’ of the past was racist, but racism is in beliefs, not in acts. Killing a black man is not racist, killing him because he is black and you hate black people and think of them as animals IS racist. The belief, not the act.
On the topic of references like ‘abo’……. I use the word ‘abo’ occasionally, although I try not to in public, because I know it may offend some people. Do I mean it as a derogatory term? No, i say ‘abo’ because saying ‘australian aboriginal person’ is quite a lot compared to using a two syllable abbreviation of aboriginal. Just like abbreviations like Indo (Indonesian person), Paki (Pakistani), Jap (Japanese person) and Leb/Lebo (Lebanese person) aren’t in themselves derogatory.
I think Harry acted pretty well, considering how offensive to him he could percieve the act as being. What he didn’t do was realise that he WASN’T in the USA, these men DON’T hate black people and think they are lesser beings (they were quite multi-cultural themselves), and they don’t live in a culture where painting your face black has instant association with racist, degrading ‘comedy’ routines from the past. To some degree he tried to force this on Australia, which is almost a bit arrogant or rude. (Almost, because I’m sure he didn’t really mean to).
In conclusion I’ll just say try not to LOOK for racism in everything, or assume someone is intentionally being offensive, because a lot of the time they aren’t, and would happily change their behaviour and even appologise if you bring it up politely. Ignorant =/= racist or nasty.
P.S. On one account I wish the US hadn’t ‘saved’ us. I’d much prefer to see a nice noodle house in place of every McDonald’s!
To all the Aussies posting about how wrong this was and how racist it was and not to judge all Australians by it (like ozchick_09 p109), grow some balls, seriously, don’t just take other peoples beliefs for your own or act appologetic when you/these guys did absolutely nothing wrong. To quote ozchick_09: “it was poor timing and racist but I think this wasnt the message they were trying to send”. It was racist but they weren’t meaning to be racist? *facepalm*
Do people even know what ‘racist’ means? Racist doesn’t mean something that is offensive to a particular person. Racism is defined as a belief that differences among races determine cultural or individual achievement or potential, or the hatred or intolerance of members of another race or races.
For anything to be called racist, there has to be this belief, or this hatred behind the act.
@ Australia calling post 110, your post made me cringe. Do you realise how stupid you come off as? Portraying most people from inland Aus as uneducated hicks and putting blame on them………..you are to geography what racists are to race (geographycist doesnt sound right >.< ) Pot, meet Kettle.
If these 5 guys had come out with no costumes or makeup we would have sat there for a while and gone ‘who the hell are these guys?’. Australians look at this and see a group of blokes dressed up as the Jackson 5 (this skit was on the show 20 years ago! no trouble then!) singing some songs. Sure there will be some who might think it’s lame, crap, waste of time whatever. and you know what? probably not far off the mark. But us Aussies love a bit of crap tv every now and then and we’ve never been really good at making our own. Some Americans see this as racist. That’s fine, you guys have a lot of history in this department. We’ve got our own demons too, definately not perfect. But what is NOT fine is labelling the entire country as racist, behind the times, backwards, disgrace to humans whatever. You are more than entitled to your own opinion.
There are 21 million people over here. And we have definately got some dickheads, but we are not all like that. If you don’t understand our humour than don’t watch it!!! Simple!! Some of your tv shows are not funny at all. 30 Rock? it’s crap! makes no sense, isn’t even funny!
And I’m sick of people who have ‘visited’ us claiming they suddenly are experts on our culture.
In the country I live in who cares if you’re black, white, abo, a chink, lebo ..whatever…it doesn’t matter! No one cares! Get over yourself! we’re all people. We are a country of immigrants and it definately shows, but we don’t have our heads up our arses and we like to have a bit of a laugh at ourselves, stop us from getting too arrogant, thank god. And the majority of us are happy with that. and if you don’t like it then don’t visit. Problem solved, world peace is restored. (in my dreams ey)
And to the rest of the Aussies, lets go chuck a couple of snags on the barbie, down a couple of cold ones, give the kids some fairy bread and laugh this off.
#100 you do realise that the ‘driving aboriginies off cliffs’ was actually just a scene from an 80s tom selleck movie – Quigley Downunder… oh you so edumacated with your fancy holllllywoood mooovies!
I will protest racism against Africans the day Africans start protesting all the hate speech coming out of the mouths of black entertainers, politicians, faux civil rights and religious leaders. I don’t see that happening. We don’t have any true anti-racists since no one but right-wingers will protest against hate speech when it’s black folks dishing it out.
@112 re: Mat’s comment… I see where you’re coming from about how my comments about about geography’s influence on culture. Let me try again. Because I think it’s important that we try to understand why Australian culture has evolved the way it has since colonisation (or not evolved as the case may be).
There are a lot of influences that have shaped the Australian culture we have today, that have nothing to do with geography. Intimidation of convicts by officials helped shape the tall poppy syndrome, because anyone who stood out from the crowd would get punished. On top of that mindset, a large influx of immigrants from non European countries in a short period of time and suddenly we have a big mixture of different races, accents, and cultures all being assimilated under the same ‘aussie’ umbrella that sort of says, we’re all the same, we’re all aussies,’ whatever that means…. (fairy bread did someone say?…) yeah, we’re an undeveloped culture. and a lot of Australians cling to little things like that, desperate for a sense of national identity. But back to geography. I don’t know if anyone here has read much Ricahard Florida, who talks about the importance of critical mass in innovation, but the crux of it is that when you have population density, people put their heads together, and change happens. ideas happen. While Australia is very urbanised, it still only has a small handful of cities, and most of us live in the suburbs. And since our (Anglo Australians’) recent history is rural, we turn to it for a sense of cultural identity. not enough urban history has been made. So in search of a sense of identity, many Australians turn to their rural forefathers for inspiration. Ignorance and simplicity are prized.
@#49, “We wouldn’t have death threats directed toward the leader of our country because of the colour of that person’s skin.”
Um…what colour is your PM’s skin again? Oh right, he’s Aborigine! Right? Cause your country is about to elect an Aborigine as PM any day now.
“We never enslaved blacks or any other race…” no, you just drove your indigenous population off of cliffs, stole their children in an attempt to “purify” their bloodline, and to this day do not recognise them as citizens of your country, refuse to give their land back, and set them on “reservations” which are more like refugee camps.
America is your second favourite country next to Oz? Wow, so you looove countries that destroy their indigenous populations! Cause the US and Oz are the two most famous in the world for their treatment of indigenes.
As an American, I am absolutely ashamed of how we treated our indigenous population, and I have ABSOLUTELY every right to recognise the flaws of racism in another country’s culture. As long as I am aware that my country is saturated in ignorance and hatred, I can state my awareness that another country is as well.
Political correctness?! I bet you think that anyone who is offended by being called a “nigger” is being unreasonable. How about “abo?” How could anybody be offended by that endearing term?
This is about respect, like it or not, and your anti-PC bullshit (that apparently got your previous racist slimy prick of a PM elected) is meaningless at best and destructive at worst.
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The Aboriginal people in AUstralia ARE citizens! The government HAS given back traditional land. Not all, yes but a fair amount. You see, it is a little hard to just uproot entire towns, that wouldn’t exactly be fair to them.
Reservations? Do you mean missions? that hasn’t happened in a while… and the Indigenous Australians who live in ranch sort of things are there because they want to live on their traditional lands.
We cant elect an Aboriginal person as a PM unless he runs? I don’t know, but i haven’t seen an indigenous candidate in my life time.
Dear USA,
This is “act” was and is simply a JOKE meant for AUSTRALIAN television for AUSTRALIANS. Yes in other nations eyes it may have come across as be racist, bit its simply the Australian humour. We don’t have the sad history of “black face” within Australia.
Why is our country being labelled as a racist country because of one 90 second act?????
And yet there are literally hundreds of examples in American movies/films, the latest is in Tropic Thunder, Robert Downey Jnr’s character, he was not only black faced but he blacked arm/leg and black slang and yet he recieved a Oscar nomination, please can someone explain what is the difference.
How is that a tribute to Michael Jackson? That’s definitely no tribute MJ would be turning in his grave if he saw this……Looks like the producers knew very well where they were going with this…….thought Hey Hey let’s air it and apologise later…..
@110 you actually think we’d believe you’re australian? -.- bull
@ 120. Yes indeed I’m Australian. But unlike most proud Aussies, I’m a woman. And since Australian culture bases itself on stupid ignorant macho bullshit, I feel very little national pride. I’m a 6th generation Australian of British descent. Yet the culture which I’m surrounded by has done nothing but alienate me. There are a few things I like about Australians, like the lack of pretension, partially socialised health care and education for the poor, and I think we are more advanced than the US in comedy in some ways (certainly not as seen in the skit in question – cringe!), but mostly, I fucking hate this culture and I can’t wait to immigrate out of here. The only thing that makes this country bearable for me is the immigrants from Asia and everywhere else, who help offset the bogans and the yobs. I guess being so un nationalistic makes me a typical Aussie. Cause Aussies are typically not that nationalistic. But yeah, I’m Australian. I’m right in the thick of it. Like any backward or conservative culture, Australia has it’s non compliers.
@121 let me get this straight…
you’ve called Australians idiots, ignorant, racist, homophobic, sexist, uneducated, fat and full of country hicks.
If you are a fellow Australian than I have to say, you need to at least learn some manners. Theres a nicer way of putting your opinions our there than simply calling that. If that IS the way you feel, why don’t you immigrate out of here? There are plenty of refugees and immigrants that would appreciate it more than you 🙂
also, bogans and yobs? they could be considered insulting terms too.
Funny that you call the skit actors racist, when they are in fact of a black race themselves. How about people get off their soapbox, check out the ACTUAL facts and then take it for what it was. A joke, maybe in bad taste, but a joke none the less. And for Americans to call Australians racist is a right laugh when they still have the KKK and beatings of black people by the police. Americans love preaching how good and important they are, but I find the empty vessels make the most noice and the noise is coming from the general dircetion of the USA.
USA = Hypocrites
Black/white – Its OK when Robert Downey Jnr does it, but not somebody from America. Its also OK when Eddie Murphy does it, but not when someone who is not American does it!
Nuclear Weapons – (note I am not saying they are OK) USA have no rights to tell other countries they can’t have nuclear weapons when they are the only country in history to have actually used them, not once but twice, on their enemies. OK for them to have them and not others (again not saying that is is OK, just that someone other than the Americans should be running the show as they are hypocrites.)
Racism – the USA have KKK the worlds worst racist group apart from the Nazis and then they see fit to comment on other countries. Hypocrites.
President/Prime Minister – true Australia doesn’t have a black Prime Minister, but theirs has been homeless at one stage, living in the back of the family station wagon. Even though the USA have a black President, they still only worship the more affluent people in society.
Did you know the most insulting thing you can do to a Candian is call them American … and they are their next door neighbours and yet they want something more than a border between them, say something the size of the Pacific Ocean!
So tell me what the reaction would have been if instead of an all white audience at Hey hey, it had been all aboriginal? Would they have clapped and yucked it up if the doctors had put on black faced, natty wigs, dressed up for a walkabout and ridiculed aboriginals? Would they have clapped and cheered and then come on this blog telling us to lighten up, we don’t understand Australian humor and stop imposing our values on them?
Just curious if ‘all’ Australians like ‘having the mickey’ taken or if that’s just something the 92% who are white think is funny.
While 92% are white only 78% speak English as a first langauage, and that includes the 1% of Aborigines and Torres Straight Islanders. That means that 14% of white people are infact not of Australian or any other English heritage. Racism works several ways. Some find the act funny, some find in appalling, some find it neither. The fact of the matter is that Americans are putting their own perception of history onto another countries way of life. History shapes how things are interpreted and as we are all aware Americans are known for their tolerance of other cultures. Look at the soliders in Guantanamo Bay, the Rodney King beating, KKK and so on. Other semi-tolerant countries including Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom are not making a big deal of this. Only the infamously intolerant Americans.
“vOther semi-tolerant countries including Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom are not making a big deal of this. Only the infamously intolerant Americans.”
Really? The Guardian today called it ‘mind-boggling’ and ‘racist’. The Australian today says “Hey hey, we’re just ignorant”.
Maybe you need to actually read.
Some more comments from Australia:
“Singer Kamahl Takes Offence At Racist Skit”
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsge…
“Hey, hey; I think we’re stuck in a time warp”
http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/hey…
Seems some Australians have taken offense too.
You stupid arse dick. I said some Australians found it appalling, not none. I read and I wrote. Maybe you should get off your oversized American arse and read, and I mean read carefully in future. By the way, what is it with Robert Downey Jnr doing it in Tropic Thunder and getting nominated, did you cry racism them? Hell no!
“Other semi-tolerant countries including Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom are not making a big deal of this. Only the infamously intolerant Americans.”
from the Guardian Uk today:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/…
Tune into our racist culture war, live on primetime TV
The reactions of the “lighten up” brigade come down to that lazy inability to see that just because a word is spoken — or a sketch performed — in non-malicious jest, it can nonetheless cause deep hurt and offence. Perhaps in the mouth of Anton Du Beke, “Paki” is merely half the word Pakistan, as it is to many who have stormed the talkboards. But in the ear of others, “Paki” is something quite different. It is the word that once rained down in playgrounds or football terraces or streets, and frequently still does in our far-from-civilised society. The stubborn refusal to admit of those historic associations is a tacit perpetuation of them. This is how, long after legislation has addressed the wrongs of the past, one generation still manages to pass the discrimination furtively on to the next.
And though the blackface Jackson 5 insist they meant no harm, intent is only relevant to a degree. Of course, it’s nice that they didn’t think they were being deliberately racist. But if this was an impersonation, which one was supposed to be Marlon? Which was Jermaine? It was impossible to say. They all looked… oh dear me… exactly the same. Each was covered in identically crude pantomime make-up. This was simple minstrelsy, however “well meaning”.
And no, it doesn’t cancel it out to say that until 1978, the hideous Black and White Minstrel Show used to air on the BBC, effectively in the Strictly slot. In fact, here are some other simple logical truths the reaction to both incidents has made it oddly necessary to point out. Just because there are worse instances of racism doesn’t mean people have to hold their tongues and wait for, say, a solid lynching that we can all agree on. Just because people perceive other countries to be worse doesn’t excuse their own. It is possible for non-Anglo-Saxon people to be racist. But just because people have seen Marlon Wayans dress up as a white woman, that doesn’t make blackface OK.
Some will always fail to see that blackface or the word “Paki” might be invested with cultural significance far beyond their experience. They will never get why it was wrong for a Golf Channel anchor to joke that young players wanting to take Tiger Woods on “should lynch him in a back alley”, where it would have been acceptable had she made the jest about, say, Phil Mickelson. They will see that as Mickelson having been discriminated against. One might refer to it as moral relativism were it not more accurately described as lazy, and occasionally hateful, ignorance.
Most importantly, none of these things are a response to racism. They are ways of not responding to racism. But look at what has happened this week. Anton Du Beke will think twice before ever saying anything again, and the Sydney doctors have issued mea culpas, while Australian papers talk of “global loss of face”. The genuinely positive thing about the Saturday TV culture war? We’re talking about it.
Still no comment about Robert Downey Jnr. Say no more. You ignore Americans and focus on someone, anyone, else to make you feel better. Back off! Oh and by the way, the link is to a comments page, not an article. You should learn to distinguish fact from opinion. I know its not in UK papers as I bloody well live here! Not American, not Australian, independent observer!
‘Robert Downey Jnr”
Well, if you had half a brain, you’d realize that was actually commentary about doing blackface. It was satire of blackface. Maybe that’s too much of a difference for your brain to absorb after 20 cans of VB but give it a try.
Another Aussie, Stan grant, condemns Hey Hey, explains the history of racist Australian humor:
That the cause of the furor is a childish, inappropriate racial ‘joke’ is even less of a surprise. Australian popular culture has a long held an often embarrassing tradition of wrapping racism in supposed humor.
Movie star and singer Harry Connick Jr. condemned on air an Australian television skit featuring a group of performers who wore blackface to impersonate the late pop star Michael Jackson and his brothers.
Connick was a judge on the Australian variety show “Hey Hey It’s Saturday,” when the blackface group “Jackson Jive” performed “Can You Feel It” wearing huge black wigs, blackface and one spangled glove each. The Michael Jackson impersonator wore whiteface.
In the 1950s a popular song lampooned a ‘misfit’ Aborigine whose ‘boomerang won’t come back.’ Popular entertainer Rolf Harris was even less sensitive in a verse of his song “Tie me kangaroo down sport” proclaiming that on his death one of his friends could free his captive Aborigines: “Let my Abos go loose, they’re of no further use, so let my Abos go loose.”
A famous Australian illustrator known as Joliffe made his fame and fortune in a long-running cartoon depicting Aborigines as dim-witted, thick browed, naked, creatures from the stone age.
It is not just indigenous Australians who have borne the brunt of these so-called jokes. Watch Connick’s reaction to the ‘blackface Jacksons’ »
After World War II a new wave of immigrants arrived from southern Europe. Australians unused to such foreigners with odd sounding languages and strange smelling food quickly labeled the new comers ‘wogs.’
In the 1960s a popular film “They’re A Weird Mob” mocked one of these immigrants for his poor English and strange customs. He finally wins approval by marrying his boss’ daughter, a good Anglo Aussie, learning to swear and drink copious beers.
There are just a few quick examples — there are many, many others — of how Australians use mockery and humor to disguise their discomfort with so-called ‘outsiders.’
The use of humor for a long time reflected official government policy that also scorned foreigners and Aborigines.
Australian settlement in the 18th century was rooted in racism. Indigenous Australians were deemed not even to exist.
British law proclaimed the continent Terra Nullius or empty land, extinguishing in an instant tens of thousands of years of Aboriginal occupation and ownership.
Aborigines were dispossessed, often violently, and basic human freedoms, and rights to equal education, employment and welfare benefits denied.
It was not until 1967 — almost 200 years after European settlement — that the law was changed to officially count Aborigines in the census as human beings and no longer included amongst the flora and fauna!
For most of the last century Australia pursued a ‘White Australia Policy.’ It was designed to limit immigration only to those of white skin.
In the first half of the century nearly 80 percent of all immigrants came from the United Kingdom.
Despite being geographically in Asia, Australians generally viewed Asian people with suspicion dubbing them the ‘yellow peril.’
In the words of one of the prime ministers of the time Harold Holt “Australia must be kept preponderantly British in its institutions and compositions of its people.”
Immigrants, Holt conceded, “offered much” and in return they must simply “become Australian.” For many that too often meant being forced to laugh along with jokes at their own expense.
Times though, thankfully, have changed. The ‘White Australia Policy’ has long been consigned to history. Aborigines have struggled for and won a measure of equality of law and opportunity. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd last year apologized to Indigenous Australians for past mistreatment and injustice.
Humor too has changed. A new generation of Australian comics from China, Vietnam, Italy, Greece and Lebanon have turned the tables; laughing at themselves and ‘Anglo Aussies.’
Comedian Joe Dolce scored a worldwide hit with his song ‘Shaddap-a-your-face’ a ditty spoofing his Italian broken English. A Greek-Australian comedy group filled theatres throughout the country with its play ‘Wogs Out of Work.’
Humor can be a great leveler. One of Australia’s prouder traditions is egalitarianism, a nation where princes and paupers can on a simple human level meet each other as equals.
Humor, in the right spirit pricks our pomposity, makes a virtue of our differences and reveals our common humanity.
The ham-fisted ‘Jackson Jive’ routine achieved none of that. Appearing in blackface belongs in Australia’s own dark past, back there, with the ‘White Australia Policy’, silly songs about Aborigines and Joliffe cartoons.
Connick was right to give the comedy skit a zero.
Connick’s homeland America, is itself not free of racial issues, but in this case it took an American to tell those Aus
All the bogans are out tonight with their fine spelling and grammar……
Meet Claire the Bogan: claims “wog” is no longer an offensive word in Australia:
http://tinyurl.com/p3ydz8
As an Australian who generally enjoyed the rest of the show, I was surprised the producers let the act on- above all it wasn’t funny or particularly entertaining, and while the intent may not have been to cause offence to other races (allegedly the lead is Indian and claims to have a multicultural backing group) anyone could imagine that it *might* cause offence.
Having said that, for America and the UK to suddenly turn on Australia with accusations of the country being backwards and racist- it’s a little like throwing stones in their glass houses. Both these countries are as damaged by racist behaviours and attitudes as any other. The excitement and controversy generated by election of a black President in the US, taken as an indication that a “new age” is beginning, really just shows that race is still a big issue- otherwise he would have been just another man taking office. The US racially profiles at airports for security screening (officially sanctioned racism that probably serves no benefit), and there are still white people who will say the so-called “n word” without batting an eyelid.
The UK’s criticism is not surprising. Just as they would generalise that Australia as a whole is stuck 30 years back in time, every white person there seems to protest racism officially, but still quite happily moan about immigration, refugees, the Poles taking their jobs, the Paki shop round the corner etc etc. The British National Party is a great example of a political movement based around racism- but let’s not call it that- it’s just about being proud to be British isn’t it?
Criticism of Australia based on a skit on Hey Hey, and the enthusiastic reception of the audience (hyped up in the spirit of the segment and the return of their favourite show) may be valid in the sense that it highlights acceptance of so-called casual racism. But it doesn’t take into account the undercurrent of racism in every country currently criticising Australia, or the balanced view that Australia generally works cohesively. And in terms of the appalling state of Aboriginal affairs here- that doesn’t necessarily reflect a racist ideology, but also a cultural nihilism (on both the Aboriginal side and the general population side) that the issues are almost impossible to fix after so many years of bad policy and attitude.
Can someone please tell me why Eddie Murphy/David Chappelle, etc can colour their faces and take the piss out of white people, and we dont hear boo?
From this backlash i feel like i should be offended by the “skit”, but im not. I just took it as some blokes dressing up as the Jackson 5.
To you Americans u need to understand the average Australian like myself has not studied American history.
The world does not revolve around America.
” why Eddie Murphy/David Chappelle, etc can colour their faces and take the piss out of white people, and we dont hear boo?”
Maybe because white people have never been the victims of 300 years of slavery, jim crow, segregation and legalized discrimination at the hands of white people in both the US and Australia. That’s why.
Now run along with the other Aussie bogans here and play with your golliwogs.
CORRECTION:
Maybe because white people have never been the victims of 300 years of slavery, jim crow, segregation and legalized discrimination at the hands of BLACK people in both the US and Australia. That’s why.
I think this little mistake that has become a huge national embarrassment might be what Australia needs to take a fresh look at itself. Hopefully once the ‘just a joke’ apologists get tired of defending their flimsy positions, they will look at themselves and their behavior with some objectivity.
As an Australian, it’s really embarrassing to go overseas knowing that my obnoxious, ignorant alcoholic aggressive fuckwit bogan countrymen and women (but mostly men) have been there before me, pissing the locals off. I’m kind of glad that the international spotlight has been pointed on this section of our society that would try to defend such a bad mistake.
I love Seattle and its people and I want to be able to return without being hated for the behaviour (yes that’s how we spell behaviour) of other Australians. One thing about Australians is that a lot of us are not very Nationalistic, and that means that we are more likely to criticise (yes that’s how we spell criticise) and decide whether or not we embrace the values we’re told are Australian values.
The vocal majority on here and probably other forums defending the skit are most likely the minority of Australians who are actually Nationalistic. Because like I said before, being Nationalistic is not really part of our culture. Most Australians consider flag waving something very American. So when you hear an Aussie go on about how great it is to be an Aussie, and how they think the Aussie culture is the best, these people don’t represent most of us. In a way, they are acting like Americans, and are often criticised for this.
Anyway, all I want to say is that on behalf of Australia, I wish to apologise to the rest of the world for all the cock-heads that have come out of Australia. I would hate for us to become America, because your country is fucked up in it’s ow way, but I acknowledge that we have a lot to work on in becoming a better society.
“it’s really embarrassing to go overseas knowing that my obnoxious, ignorant alcoholic aggressive fuckwit bogan countrymen”
Luckily most of them don’t get further than Kuta Beach….the Aussies who get beyond the bogan sphere of influence, like Americans on the run, are great folks.
Yes, Australians do things differently. We really are behind the times – we’ve never assassinated any of our Prime Ministers after all, regardless of what we think of them. Obama’s assassination was widely predicted if he became president, because he is black. It seems Americans have forgotten all about the lack of assistance provided to the victims of Hurricane Katrina too. Do you all have selective memories? Yes, in the past white Australians treated Aborgines quite poorly. Again Americans seem to have forgotten about their own history of slavery. In this once again Australians were behind Americans because our slaves, the convicts, were white people – in many cases transported and sentenced to at least 7 years imprisonment for little more than stealing a loaf of bread in order to survive. These days, as has been the case for quite some years, Aboriginals receive a lot of government assistance for housing, education, employment, transport and health that are not available to other ethnic groups. The majority of white Australians were appalled that the last Prime Minister, John Howard, would not apologise for the stolen generation. Many white Australians walked across Sydney Harbor Bridge in support of reconciliation and one of the first acts of our current PM Kevin Rudd was to apologise to the Aborigines for acts committed decades ago before many of us were even born. Australia is one of the most multi-cultural countries in the world and the majority of us like it that way. If people didn’t know that they can live a much better life in Australia than in their home country they wouldn’t try to come here, after all. It’s high time Americans got their facts straight and stopped throwing stones in the glass house. The rest of the world finds your ongoing hypocrisy and preaching rather tiresome.
” Australia is one of the most multi-cultural countries in the world”
No it’s not, it’s 92% white. The US is far more multicultural that ANY western country, only 66% white and in 20 yrs will only be 50% white at current trends. Australia is the whitest place I’ve ever visited and the only place where people asked if my 3rd generation Chinese-American wife was a ‘Jappo’, ‘Jap’ and in Darwin, a ‘chink’. Charming.
Now run along, the bogans are calling you home mate.
by doginamanger 9 October 2009
The embarrassing immaturity of Australia’s racial understanding was brought to the fore once again by an appalling skit performed on the reunion episode of that Australian bastion of tasteless juvenility, ‘Hey Hey, it’s Saturday’.
A poor and misguided semblance of a debate has been evoked, typically avoiding all of the pertinent questions that such an opportunity affords and focussing squarely on the irrelevant question: “how sensitive is too sensitive?”
The issue, however, is not sensitivity but whether we, as a culture, truly understand the implications of the concept of race and the extent to which it psychologically and practically affects those of us whose identity is irrevocably caught up and categorised in its merciless web.
American activist, Angela Davis once remarked that “racism is a much more clandestine, much more hidden kind of phenomenon, but at the same time it’s perhaps far more terrible than it’s ever been.”
The institutionalised and exclusionary attitudes toward race and the concept of “Australianism” prevalent in Australian society and the unwillingness of Australian culture to recognise these problems, let alone attempt to solve them, begets the enormous challenge that Australia must meet.
With this in mind, the reduction of four (once) talented African-American performers to black shoe-polish, afro wigs and gyrating hips is objectively racist, regardless of the cultural setting or the sensitivities of an audience. In “impersonating” the Jackson 5, absolutely no effort was made to take on the characteristics, either physically or otherwise, of the individual Jackson brothers In fact, I would be surprised if any of the performers could identify which black-faced “piccaninny” was supposed to represent which Jackson brother (save the white-faced Michael). Indeed, to call the performance an “impersonation” would be a dangerous misnomer. It was the slap-stick equivalent of saying “all black people look the same”. The “impersonation” was reduced to a mindless and crude stereotype. It would be akin to a person colouring himself brown, holding chopsticks, mixing his “l”s and“r’s”, repeating “ah-so” and claiming he was impersonating Bruce Lee, or a person donning a large nose, crooked teeth, with dollar signs for eyes and claiming he was impersonating Jerry Seinfeld.
I wrote about the offensiveness of the “darky” iconography in a previous article about the sale of “gollywog” dolls in Australia (The Unfortunate History of the Gollywog) so I won’t repeat it here.
The excuse, touted in many circles, that “our comedy is different to yours” and that it was simply a misunderstanding based on differing cultures, is no excuse at all. The “performers” used (albeit perhaps unwittingly) the uniquely American “darkie” iconography of woolly wigs and shoe-polished faces to lampoon quintessentially American entertainers. To then turn around and say that it is justified because we are not American is self-evidently ludicrous and nonsensical.
The other excuse that has been making the rounds is that they did not intend to be racist. This, if anything, is only a reason to forgive the performers’ errors of judgement and accept their seemingly genuine apology, but it does not change the nature of the performance. Contrary to many people’s belief and as a matter of common sense, one need not intend to be racist to, in fact, be racist.
The lead buffoon in this farcical display was an Australian of Indian descent. This fact has also been used as an excuse by many (the individual concerned included), as though the inclusion of a non-white in the skit somehow absolves the performance from accusations of racism. This type of ridiculous logic is, in this case, all the more ridiculous as the pleader in question was of an entirely different race and ethnicity to those he and his fellow “performers” lampooned.
“But it was funny”, begins another excuse. Whilst this is a matter of personal taste (or lack thereof) it is again irrelevant to the issue of whether the skit was racist. Some of the moments in film and television history considered to be the funniest have indeed also been overtly racist. The two are by no means mutually exclusive.
The show in question, ‘Hey Hey It’s Saturday’, has a long history of unapologetic racist, sexist and homophobic “humour”. In the middle of the segment in question, a cutaway to the in-house cartoonist revealed a card with the words “Where’s Kamahl?” written on it. Kamahl, an Australian entertainer of Tamil origin, appeared regularly on the show and was the smiling victim of many of the show’s racist taunts disguised as innocent humour, which the simpleton audience lapped up hungrily.
What, you may ask, does an entertainer of Tamil origin have to do with a skit lampooning African Americans? Sadly, the humour is as uninspired as it is offensive. Another case of “all ‘black’ people look the same”?
In much of the press both internationally and here at home there has been a tendency to characterise this awful skit as being acceptable to Australians and the discussion centres on an attempt to justify why Australians may not find this type of humour racist or offensive.
Let me assure you on behalf of my countrymen, that all of the progressive and intelligent, forward-thinking Australians that I know do find this humour racist and offensive. My hope is that the commentators and bloggers (and sadly, prominent politicians) that have defended this nonsense address their own ignorance and begin to understand the implications of reducing people to one-dimensional caricatures of their racial otherness.
@144 here here.
Great post. Best response from an Australian I’ve heard on this issue so far. Well said. Especially ” reducing people to one-dimensional caricatures of their racial otherness.”
Get off your sanctimonious soapboxes, America. Australia doesn’t have war vets forced to live under cardboard boxes in back alleys. We don’t nail government census collectors to trees with FED carved into their chest. We don’t have schoolyard massacres because some kid got an F. When your country is perfect then you can get offended by what other countries do. Until then, piss off
Corey Delaney you are so ignorant I’m surprised you’re even aware there is a world outside the United States. There are many different cultures with white skin. No wonder Americans don’t seem to have any trouble p!ssing off Muslims. The United States is also not the only country where the white population is shrinking and other coloured skins are increasing in number.
Another Proud Aussie – Australia also doesn’t have terrorists flying jets into our buildings.
It’s so hard to watch all the ‘proud aussie’ types publicly digging themselves deeper and deeper graves on this board. It’s hard to watch people cling so desperately a loyalty to their own ignorance.
I mean, what has the fact that the US isn’t perfect got to do with this discussion about the Australian skit in question? the idea that a whole country has to become perfect before any of its citizens have the right to criticise another country is ridiculous.
‘Proud Aussie,’ you do you even know the individuals you’re talking to on here are? Do you have any evidence that the Americans criticising the ‘blackface’ skit are uncritical of their own country’s social problems as well?
You need to learn to separate the individual from the country. An attack on Australian racism isn’t an attack on you personally, unless you have unquestioningly adopted all cultural traits posing as ‘Australian’ as your own. The more ‘proud aussies’ post on this thread, the more painful it gets to read.
While waiting to finalise their Australian residental status, two Afghanistani men start chatting. As they part, they agree to meet in a years time and see who has adapted better to the Australian way of life.
True to their word, they meet after the year is up. The first says to the second “We have integrated so well…yesterday, I ate a meat pie and drank a VB while watching my son play Aussie rules”
The second man replies “F**k off, towelhead”