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A proud day for Australia... (another race thread)

#62
Horny Toad said:
Maybe, but the people who chose the two guys who dressed up as their favorite rugby player don't see the world the same way you do. I'd like to believe they looked at all the entries, saw those two guys and thought "wow, they really have some spirit and put some effort into the contest." Were they "wrong" for not realizing that some might be offended? I don't know.
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I actually said this myself. A few posts back. I haven't screamed for anyone's heads.

Smokin' Toaster said:
Please suggest how you would have them costume themselves to look like the fellow they were trying emulate/parody, or whatever. If they had not applied some type of makeup, would the costume have worked?

To grab and hold an action that can either be quite harmless or offensive, and say it can never be harmless because "it's MY chosen offense that makes ME a victim and dammit, nobody's gonna take away my right to be a victim anytime somebody puts a darker shade of makeup on their skin" is a little bit of a stretch. Would it be correct to assume that you never want any caucasian to ever make themselves up to be ANY darker skinned race under any circumstances, theater, contest, movie, television, whatever? Should they come to you and ask permission first?

These guys wore makeup to look like their sports hero. Google Al Jolson and you will see what blackface looks like. Then maybe you will see the difference. But probably not, it would somehow diminish your victimhood.
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Don't give me this crap dude. And don't put words in my mouth. You are way off base.

1) I already posted that there were cases where actors painted themselves brown, which was not offensive to me.

2) I am quite familiar with Al Jolson, which is why this is offensive to me. The pictures in the OP look an awful lot like Al Jolson. Which is why this picture is offensive to me.
 
#64
macaroni tony said:
I actually said this myself. A few posts back. I haven't screamed for anyone's heads.



Don't give me this crap dude. And don't put words in my mouth. You are way off base, as usual.

1) I already posted that there were cases where actors painted themselves brown, which was not offensive to me.

2) I am quite familiar with Al Jolson. The pictures in the OP look an awful lot like Al Jolson. Which is why this picture is offensive.
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If the crap fits, wear it. Saying the pics in the OP look like Al Jolson just destroyed any scrap of credibility you may have had.
 
#65
Smokin' Toaster said:
He did it in "Trading Places" too. Check out the barbershop scene. I believe he was actually playing a Jewish guy with a Yiddish accent in that one. Extra points for offending multiple races with one comedy skit! LOL!!!
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Coming to America is the movie you thinking of. Him and Arsenio Hall played everyone in that barbershop, Jewish guy and 'ze Three Putzes.... Also including Randy Watson of Sexual Chocolate!!!! Reverend and the the ugly girl at the bar...

Brilliant movie...

Also, Jews are not a race.
 
#69
macaroni tony said:
Tell me what the differnece is. It's a jet black face. The fact that they have no white paint around the mouth makes it completely different? Apparently, enough people think that that is not the case.
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Dude, when making your case involves citing what other people are THINKING, Your case is ready to collapse. Ever had someone say one thing and do another? Did you know what they were thinking?

I hope no one wears an incorrect shade of makeup or offers you an inappropriate variety of fruit and offends you. Tell them to give the fruit to me, I like fruit. They can keep the makup, my skin is easliy irritated and my pores stop up easily.

Have a nice day.
 
#70
Smokin' Toaster said:
Dude, when making your case involves citing what other people are THINKING, Your case is ready to collapse. Ever had someone say one thing and do another? Did you know what they were thinking?

I hope no one wears an incorrect shade of makeup or offers you an inappropriate variety of fruit and offends you. Tell them to give the fruit to me, I like fruit. They can keep the makup, my skin is easliy irritated and my pores stop up easily.

Have a nice day.
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Way to avoid my point, and my question. Painting your face jet black is way too close to blackface for comfort for a large faction of people. And until it isn't, it just is.

I don't mind that others don't see things the same way I do. But I will not be belittled by you.
 
#74
macaroni tony said:
Weird, I feel like he may have planned this with me telepathically.

Seriously, though, I just don't like to be belittled by people who are unaffected.
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And these two guys in Australia emulating a rugby star has traumatized your life, right? It's your own argument that belittles you. Claiming to be offended by this is belittling. If I had wanted to belittle you, you would have known it.
 
#77
Smokin' Toaster said:
And these two guys in Australia emulating a rugby star has traumatized your life, right? It's your own argument that belittles you. Claimning to be offended by this is belittling. If I had wanted to belittle you, you would have known it.
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Go back, and read my posts. Or not; whatever you want. Matter of fact, just read post #2. You are way off base. I am not dealing with you anymore
 
#78
OK, I'll leap to the defence of my country. And to add context I'll include that, while I regard myself as white, I do have a small strain of aboriginal blood in my ancestry (great-great grandmother).

Australia was settled by white Europeans who took the land from aboriginals, just as Americans took the land from your native Americans.

While there was some use of pacific islander labour in Australia, there was nothing even remotely like the American slavery thing as I understand it, nor is there any sort of equivalent of your negro population, or some of your darker historical moments. Our aboriginal population is really more analogous to your native American population.

Therefore the cultural context that makes blackface so offensive in America simply doesn't exist here. It's hard for us to understand why it is so offensive to some Americans.

I apologise as an Australian to those who were offended. I make the point that, while there are racists everywhere, most Aussies in my experience are not racist.
 
#80
fingerbun said:
OK, I'll leap to the defence of my country. And to add context I'll include that, while I regard myself as white, I do have a small strain of aboriginal blood in my ancestry (great-great grandmother).

Australia was settled by white Europeans who took the land from aboriginals, just as Americans took the land from your native Americans.

While there was some use of pacific islander labour in Australia, there was nothing even remotely like the American slavery thing as I understand it, nor is there any sort of equivalent of your negro population, or some of your darker historical moments. Our aboriginal population is really more analogous to your native American population.

Therefore the cultural context that makes blackface so offensive in America simply doesn't exist here. It's hard for us to understand why it is so offensive to some Americans.

I apologise as an Australian to those who were offended. I make the point that, while there are racists everywhere, most Aussies in my experience are not racist.
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All right; finally an Aussie weighs in!

So this is an eye-opening cultural thing here for me. FTR, I never had any real contention with the two guys in the OP, or even the company, for that matter.
 

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