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

#110
It would be interesting to take a private poll of black Australians and see how they honestly feel about blackface and other racial issues. It might be that they don't feel empowered to speak frankly and openly about it. I'm not an Aussie, so this is pure speculation on my part, but I'd like to hear from several black Aussies in a situation where they feel comfortable speaking out. I want to hear how THEY feel, not how someone assumes they feel.
 
#112
fingerbun said:
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,
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This is a good example of how different the world views things. We (USA) tend to think that the entire world views the world the way we do. And here comes along Fingerbun, who makes a highly competent and well thought out response, all while using the word, "negro" which would be considered highly racist here, but down under, is absolutely meaningless, proving to me yet again, that PC in America is out of control.
 
#113
tastybasslines said:
This is a good example of how different the world views things. We (USA) tend to think that the entire world views the world the way we do. And here comes along Fingerbun, who makes a highly competent and well thought out response, all while using the word, "negro" which would be considered highly racist here, but down under, is absolutely meaningless, proving to me yet again, that PC in America is out of control.
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Ooops....I am truly genuinely sorry. I didn't know that.

The word is acceptable in Australia. There are others that aren't of course......
 
#115
macaroni tony said:
I can't see youtube here, but I googled the image and it looks like they're basically shadows with a red background? I can't see anyone being offended by that
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Seriously? Based on how this thread has gone down, I figured a first glance at this picture would invoke the blackface memories you have been talking about. It's the very first thing I thought of when watching the video.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

-Mike
 
#116
FilterFunk said:
It would be interesting to take a private poll of black Australians and see how they honestly feel about blackface and other racial issues. It might be that they don't feel empowered to speak frankly and openly about it. I'm not an Aussie, so this is pure speculation on my part, but I'd like to hear from several black Aussies in a situation where they feel comfortable speaking out. I want to hear how THEY feel, not how someone assumes they feel.
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I am not sure that there is such a thing as a monoculture of "black australians". There are Aboriginals, there are Pacific Islanders, there are Indians, Sri Lankans and so on, there are some blacks of African descent. Are even black Africans a mono-culture? Africa is a big place and most of the Africans I know are recent arrivals - refugees from Sudan and so on, not descendants of Africans who arrived centuries ago.

I have no idea of population numbers. I can just say that black faces are far less common on the streets of Sydney than New York, in my experience.

One black Australian, a singer of Sri Lankan descent called Kamahl, complained about the Jacksons skit as racist. So certainly not everyone was happy. To that extent, your point is proven, though I am not aware of any poll of blacks on the topic. Or any reputable poll of Australians as a whole, for that matter.

I wasn't saying we don't have issues with racism in Australia, we do, just as I believe you do in America. To me it seems both countries are working through their issues and getting better. I also wasn't saying we have always treated our Aboriginals well. We've done some shameful things. Different shameful things, and I have no interest in discussing who is better or worse. We have both been wrong, we both strive to be better.

I was just commenting on the cultural interpretation of black facing. I obviously still don't fully understand the US context, since this thread contains posts suggesting that if they had used brown makeup it would be different, which I can't comprehend.

All I'm saying is, don't assume we are racist just because we don't have the same cultural context. Not saying we are right. Just well intentioned.
 
#118
fingerbun said:
I am not sure that there is such a thing as a monoculture of "black australians". There are Aboriginals, there are Pacific Islanders, there are Indians, Sri Lankans and so on, there are some blacks of African descent. Are even black Africans a mono-culture? Africa is a big place and most of the Africans I know are recent arrivals - refugees from Sudan and so on, not descendants of Africans who arrived centuries ago.

I have no idea of population numbers. I can just say that black faces are far less common on the streets of Sydney than New York, in my experience.

One black Australian, a singer of Sri Lankan descent called Kamahl, complained about the Jacksons skit as racist. So certainly not everyone was happy. To that extent, your point is proven, though I am not aware of any poll of blacks on the topic. Or any reputable poll of Australians as a whole, for that matter.

I wasn't saying we don't have issues with racism in Australia, we do, just as I believe you do in America. To me it seems both countries are working through their issues and getting better. I also wasn't saying we have always treated our Aboriginals well. We've done some shameful things. Different shameful things, and I have no interest in discussing who is better or worse. We have both been wrong, we both strive to be better.

I was just commenting on the cultural interpretation of black facing. I obviously still don't fully understand the US context, since this thread contains posts suggesting that if they had used brown makeup it would be different, which I can't comprehend.

All I'm saying is, don't assume we are racist just because we don't have the same cultural context. Not saying we are right. Just well intentioned.
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Thank you for the reasoned and thoughtful reply. Believe me, I don't paint all Aussies - or any other people - with a broad brush. I probably should have said dark-skinned people, although I would like to hear specifically from Aboriginals. And brown makeup would be different because (a) it's more accurate and (b) it's not a grotesque stereotype. Now let me try to clarify about blackface in America: It's a lot like the word "boy." On its surface, "boy" is a totally innocent term. How could anyone possibly be offended by it? Well, the term "boy" was used in America for centuries by many whites to demean black men. A 10-year-old white kid could call a 90-year-old black man "boy," but no black person of ANY age could do the same to ANY white man. It was, and is, symbolic of the discrimination and oppression of the time. Blackface in America is basically the same as "boy." And no, one black man referring to another as "boy" in a friendly manner is NOT the same. Confused? Frustrated? That's what centuries of racism will do to a society.
 
#119
FilterFunk said:
It's a lot like the word "boy." On its surface, "boy" is a totally innocent term. How could anyone possibly be offended by it? Well, the term "boy" was used in America for centuries by many whites to demean black men. A 10-year-old white kid could call a 90-year-old black man "boy," but no black person of ANY age could do the same to ANY white man. It was, and is, symbolic of the discrimination and oppression of the time. Blackface in America is basically the same as "boy." And no, one black man referring to another as "boy" in a friendly manner is NOT the same. Confused? Frustrated? That's what centuries of racism will do to a society.
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Yes, we fell foul of that one too once. A popular TV personality here called Bert Newton used to have a catch phrase when a guest said something particularly entertaining..."I like the boy". He uses it here at 2:10. His reaction, the reaction of his guest and of the audience are a great example of cultural confusion.

Muhammad Ali at Australian TV Awards show. (1978-ish) - YouTube
 

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