US news media weigh in on Hey Hey skit

Did I hear that right? the blonde chick from The View actually said that Australia is behind the US in civil rights? I'm guessing she doesn't know Australia actually has free health care for all.. hows america's health care system going in comparison? Everyone got a right to it yet?

the hey hey skit was stupid and I agree it was racist.. but the guy said (paraphrased) "it doesnt count cuz I'm indian". Either he's Australian or not.. regardless he's a racist idiot. so is Kanye West for that matter.

..and does anyone else see the hypocricy of labelling an entire country racist?

[edit on 9-10-2009 by riley]

reply to post by lifecitizen


Get your facts straight lifecitizen, it's obvious you haven't actually seen that skit. Harry DOES NOT have a black face on. His skin color is a little darker on his face and his hair is in a white fro, but that's it. It's nothing like what that group did.

reply to post by Obscure Perception


I agree with you. Harry called them out (Harry is one of the celebs i actually like) they apologized for it, let's move on.

I think it was done out of ignorance than any real malice. I don't think those people knew of the animosity that black faces conjure up, especially if your black like me. It takes me back to Mammies and Pappies time when black people were treated as second class citizens. It also reminds me of the times my ancestors were mocked and degraded all for a few cheap chuckles and the amusement of the masses.

They apologized, let's move on! They learned there lesson

reply to post by InfaRedMan


Let me ask you this then InfraRedMan. Do any of those pictures remind you of the segregation and hate faced by white people in ages past? Were black people doing shows back in the day, painting their faces white and making white people look like total boffins not to mention idiots? I mean when was the last time you stopped and drove miss daisy? Black faces were used as a means by those back in the day to devalue and humiliate a group of people. Your comparing apples to oranges here.

None of those skits, the Wayans, Eddie, or even Dave where done to humiliate and make white people look like low class trailer park ridden citizens and THAT'S the difference, the portrayal. Well, maybe the Wayans brothers, they made the white girls look like airheads but i think that's true of anyone whose parents are rich and grow up spoiled.

I mean in tropical thunder (which i thought was funny) Downey Jr. played a black guy but he didn't have a BLACK FACE. They just darkened his skin and gave the guy a wig, which is what Harry did for his MadTV skit. I thought it was pretty funny to find out he is Australian.


The skit was in bad taste but they apologized. What i find funny is that people are like well there was only a couple of white people...like it makes a difference. I have yet to see anyone mock and make fun of the Holocaust survivors aside from my boy from Iran (he didn't mock it as much as he denied it ever happening).

I'm done for now, this is an interesting topic to say the least. You should have heard some the things that spewed outta my peeps mouth, ha!

reply to post by gimme_some_truth

Once again, I do not think the intentions of the performers was racist, but I certainly understand why and how people would interpret the act as racist.

Thank you gimme_some_truth. Alot of people on this forum don't know the negative feelings that act conjured up and i concur. I thought it was out of poor taste and sensitivity, but i forgive them, we all make mistakes.

I mean when white people are slapped in the face with racism, the replies on this forum are far and wide with the outrage but when the shoe is on the other foot...i find it hilarious that the they swing all the way to the other side.

Im not going to weigh in on this, I'm Australian, and thought the show was awful in the 80's let alone resurrecting it now - the whole concept is backwards, not relevant and the skit in question regardless of intention has obviously stirred some passions across the globe due to its controversial nature.

I will comment however to the UK posters claiming to have greater sensitivity and political correctness by reminding you that you recently aired an entire Bo Selecta special where Leigh Francis lampooned Michael Jackson for an hour - explain to me how this is any different? I watched this and found it amusing in parts and could see how other parts may wind up certain people, is this any different from this (albeit misguided) Australian skit? Dont be so quick to pass judgement.

I posted the video on page 3 of Harry Connick being a hypocrite.

He did a blackface skit himself on MADtv. So the moron has no room to talk. What he did was embarrass us and hopefully Australia will never invite him back.

Racism is stirred up intentionally by the NWO - they want to make everything racist, or sexist, or against gays or whatever - they just want to divide people against each other as much as possible so it is easier to control everyone.

Racism is purely spread by governments and media - ie. NWO agenda.

reply to post by justaman2009

People forget we Australians are an irreverant bunch, we will joke and laugh about almost anything.

We don't attach underlying meanings to things like this. We only see it as a bit of inane fun, not as a racist statement.

We don't intend offence with things like this. That others are offended indicates they have a problem or issue to be addressed within themselves.

We are constantly harrassed as being Racist by other countries, yet the problems in our country are no worse than anywhere else. Very few people actually are racist, but those few have loud voices, just as it is in every other country.

Harry Connick has been a long time visitor to our shores, understands the Oz psyche and so limited his comments to suit the situation.

We are so very irreverant. I think it is great we have not lost the ability to laugh at anything including ourselves and our misfortunes. Example:- The death of Steve Irwin created many very funny jokes within hours of his demise. It wasn't that we don't care or feel for what happened, we just find humor to be a great healer in such times.

So, go easy on us with your judgements. You do not understand our hunor nor how we deal with things using humor. The bleeding hearts have made everything politically incorrect, but we Aussies do not care so much for those "restrictions".

Maybe everyone else should stop taking these things out of context, as you are with Harry Connick's MadTv skit.


[edit on 9-10-2009 by Tayesin]

reply to post by Tayesin


Tayesin - You got that right, well said.

I reckon this is a good thread to let others know what we are like and generally its not racist. You don't have to be any particular colour to be racist so stop with the black theme. What about the other colours in between Black and White actually Aussie is one of the more multicultural countries you can find.

I would just like to remind everyone that you don't have to be any particular colour to be made fun of. Down here we take delight in making fun out of our closest mates its our nature and many other countries don't understand this. I work with many people from different parts of the world I don't see them as any different and yes they have taken the p**s out of me I don't care as long as they can take as good as they give.

Media has hyped this up out of all proportion a real mountain out of a molehill.

Originally posted by cenpuppie
reply to post by lifecitizen

 

Get your facts straight lifecitizen, it's obvious you haven't actually seen that skit. Harry DOES NOT have a black face on. His skin color is a little darker on his face and his hair is in a white fro, but that's it. It's nothing like what that group did.

How about you getting your facts straight

I did see the clip- and here it is for you to watch too- with Harry with a BLACK face and no white fro

www.youtube.com...

come on......

I for one am not a fan of 'Hey Hey its Saturday' but really.... it was just a skit with no malice or rude intentions on Australian TV.

If Americans are still feeling guilty for all the 100's yrs that you kept black people oppressed well then thats your beef.... Don't manifest your inner guilt onto other people.... especialy us here in Australia the most multi-cultural friendly places in the world.

God damn you Darryl Sommers

Quick question to Americans and anyone else who is bitching and moaning about how it's racist, and how offended they supposedly are...

Why does this get your attention as racist?

What about the movie Tropic Thunder, which saw a WHITE actor painted BLACK?

Or how about the episode from I believe it was the animated series Family Guy, where the main characters are shown painted BLACK in a bid to "fit in" at some meeting of blacks only?

If the Hey Hey skit is racist, surely the movie Tropic Thunder or the Family Guy episode is equally as racist?

Why didn't Harry Connik Jnr have a good cry about Tropic Thunder or Family Guy?
Why didn't American talkshows bitch about it?

It's ok for Americans to do such things, but the moment anyone else does, it's all racist and bigoted eh?
Well stop exporting your culture and "black music" to the rest of the world.
Michael Jackson is just as popular here in Australia as he was in America.
The same scandals and controversies surrounding him that you were inundated with on the news, we were too.

Get over it. Your own country which ENSLAVED blacks, which ridiculed them and still does, which imprisons more black people then any other ethnic group, has no moral high ground to stand on.



[edit on 10-10-2009 by BLV12]

reply to post by BLV12


thats my point seems like things are going backwards ok white people made fun of black people back in the day witch was dum ok now black people can make fun of white people witch is funny to some,but we cant do a simple skit witch was um not racist and we still looked upon as dum white cracker

Foxxy Empire and Josie Baker

TWO of the Territory's most high-profile Aboriginal drag queens are at loggerheads over the controversial Jackson Five skit on Hey Hey It's Saturday this week


www.ntnews.com.au...

reply to post by Alxandro

If you really want to see a racist video, go to youtube and look up the video "Tokyo Breakfast".

Funny thing, I thought that was a great parody. Very funny because they were very Japanese looking with the black vernacular juxtaposed. It was great, not racist at all.

The Aussie show was really bad. They do not have the same history as the US and do not understand the pain associated with black face makeup/comedy from the early days. Perhaps that was a uniquely American experience. Because the rest of you from around the world have not had that experience doesn't mean you should not respect that for Americans, black face humour is bad, period.

And something which has not been mentioned by the so called "angry American media personalities", is that it was a re-do.

This same skit was done back in the day when Hey Hey It's Saturday was a regular program on Australian TV.

Why didn't they bitch and moan then?

Because it wasn't meant as a racist attack on black Americans or black people in general, it was a send up of the Jackson Five, nothing more.

And let me make this clear, the only reason people are bitching and moaning about it TODAY, is because a black man is President. Everyone wants to show they aren't racist and how accepting they are.
But they then go on to make racist remarks and label an entire country as racist, when it was 5 people out of 21 million.

Again, GET OVER IT.

The way Americans are carrying on you would think the USofA was a perfect utopia and they had nothing to worry about at home.

reply to post by BLV12

But they then go on to make racist remarks and label an entire country as racist, when it was 5 people out of 21 million.

Well, not quite.

It was the shows producers as well, and the audience which was laughing its collective 's off. One would presume they were fairly representative of Aussies, no?

Actually I respect the nature of Australians to be robust and in your face with their humour and impatience with political correctness. I find it refreshing. On the other hand you have to appreciate that others are different, and Americans in particular have such a history that sometimes there are places you just don't go; at least not without at least some political correctness.

Vive la difference.

Originally posted by wayno
reply to post by BLV12

 

But they then go on to make racist remarks and label an entire country as racist, when it was 5 people out of 21 million.

Well, not quite.

It was the shows producers as well, and the audience which was laughing its collective

's off. One would presume they were fairly representative of Aussies, no?

No.

You are making an generalisation about an entire population based on a tv audience? You do realise TV studios have "applause/laugh now" signs and sometimes even dub laughter in don't you?

Edit. Some people have different kinds of humour as well.. just because people may have laughed doesn't mean they were being racist. It was very crass and in very bad taste (with Micheal's death n all) which is a cynical kind of humour.

[edit on 10-10-2009 by riley]

Originally posted by wayno
reply to post by BLV12

 

But they then go on to make racist remarks and label an entire country as racist, when it was 5 people out of 21 million.

Well, not quite.

It was the shows producers as well, and the audience which was laughing its collective

's off. One would presume they were fairly representative of Aussies, no?
Actually I respect the nature of Australians to be robust and in your face with their humour and impatience with political correctness. I find it refreshing. On the other hand you have to appreciate that others are different, and Americans in particular have such a history that sometimes there are places you just don't go; at least not without at least some political correctness.

Vive la difference.

A tv audience is representative of all Aussies- er no- we don't all have signs telling us when to laugh- and even if someone paid me I wouldnt have been in the audience of such a crap show.

We appreciate others are different- ours is a multi cultural society- but why should we censor our tv in case someone OS watches it and gets offended- political correctness has replaced common sense-

Connick is a hypocrite- and if he doesn't come here again- I won't be worried.