Offensive Jackson Five act

[Captain Britain]

Standard piss take here in OZ. Nothing new here. Moving on....

It was racist, and racism is disgusting. But its actually more demeaning to Australians of all races than black people in general, that this could pass as funny in Australia. We were at that stage 20-30 years ago in terms of what was acceptable in mainstream entertainment. There is still racism in the entertainment world in Britain - we've got our own race row going on at the moment, where a dancer on Strictly Come Dancing called a contestant a P***, as a 'joke' - but at least it's becoming the exception rather than the norm.

It was interesting to see the guy 'whited up' - I've never seen that before. It didn't really bother me until I tried to imagine what it would feel like to be subjected to that kind of caricature over an extended period of time. I imagine it would feel horrible.

 

[Mesa]

offensive or not, that act and that show look like garbage. People watch this?

 

[karamazov80]

It's not for me to comment on your link, or that scenario.

You mention that you find this skit racially demeaning. How is it demeaning? You are choosing to focus your attention, and the acts intention, on something else. Distorting those intentions. The act was not demeaning race. If it was demeaning, it would have been demeaning to the Jacksons. As I said earlier hypocrits are we all.

How long has Michael Jackson been the brunt of jokes? Not just from white Americans, black, yellow, red Americans and peoples from all over the world. If an Asian performer chose to imitate Micheal Jackson, without blackening or whitening his face, would he be offensive to Asians, African Americans, Caucasians or a combination? It's not as if they came out minstrel style and painted their eyes and lips white. If anyone should be raising this issue it's The Jacksons, not Batty.

I admit that it is totally possible for acts appearing heinous to people in this country not to appear so to people in another. But that doesn't make this skit any less abhorrent. The wigs, the face paint, and the general buffoonery is offensive toward black people in my opinion. I don't think the actors there are being mean spirited, but I think that they are being insensitive and demonstrating underlying prejudices. It might be that Australians have never had to really face what racism towards blacks is, and what racial stereotypes do (though knowing of your indigenous populations, I can't imagine that this is the case). However, we in the U.S., having had a history with it and having grown up with the shame of the pre-civil rights era treatment of blacks, are certainly sensitive to knowing what it is and when it occurs. Or at least I am. And I don't feel that these kinds of racial stereotypes are acceptable anywhere.

Regarding Michael Jackson--he is a joke, and as I have tried to say before, he deserves what he gets because he did all that crap to himself. But to use him as an excuse to perform something degrading to people of a certain skin color is not cool.

I'm sorry, but I just don't buy your "cultural relativism" argument. What the Spanish basketball team did was offensive and this video is offensive anywhere. If we demeaned, say, Jews here in the U.S. somehow in a similar way, it wouldn't be excusable because we never persecuted them in the ways that they were persecuted elsewhere. Context matters, but it does not excuse racist or ethnically offensive behavior.

 

[ChaserFan]

offensive or not, that act and that show look like garbage. People watch this?

It was actually a reunion of a show from the 80's & 90's..........people LOVED that stuff, those shows back then. This was all just reminiscing of the 'good' old days of a, now, lame T.V show.

As for the routine, get over it! It was a 1 minute skit poking fun at Michael Jackson, not black people in general. They used guys in black make-up to put into context the strange-ness of MJ's white skin. All this was on a show that will never see the light of day again. It's done, it's finished, let it go.

 

[Mesa]

It was actually a reunion of a show from the 80's & 90's..........people LOVED that stuff, those shows back then. This was all just reminiscing of the 'good' old days of a, now, lame T.V show.

As for the routine, get over it! It was a 1 minute skit poking fun at Michael Jackson, not black people in general. They used guys in black make-up to put into context the strange-ness of MJ's white skin. All this was on a show that will never see the light of day again. It's done, it's finished, let it go.

If the black face paint was only for context, then how do you explain the earlier skit where mj also wearing blackface?

I can totally see this being offensive, but it's the biggest news right now, other than Nobel peace prize. Expect to be watching this for a few days.

 

[Voorhees27]

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Eddie Murphy is racist.

 

[karamazov80]

Eddie Murphy is racist.

Sorry, but this is the best proof that Eddie Murphy is a racist:

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[Shai]

When I was in high school, people were listening to Skrewdriver.

 

[Valfar]

When I was in high school, people were listening to Skrewdriver.

Figures..i seen lots of Skinheads in Montreal.

 

[tylerdurden]

That's why it's an Australian show and none of your businesses. You only see one act out of four, the other three happen to have been worse, but even then it's one segment out of a two and a half hour show. A show you know nothing about, nor the history of, while I have to read lame and dumbass commentary on, due to your lack of comprehension of the show and it's mentality.

The 'guest' judges always give high marks, while the one regular judge rarely gives any act more than a two. Lame and dumbass is part of the attraction of the show. Like watching a train wreck. Uh, uh, mentality. Duh.

sorry. the fact that it's posted here on an international and public forum makes it fair game for comment. i still think it's a lame and piss-poor performance, intentional or otherwise. if that was indeed the show's objective, then congrats, this act succeeded spectacularly. well done.

 

[Shai]

The performance was superb IMO.Very funny too.

 

[Shai]

....5 stars.

 

[Voorhees27]

....5 stars.

I wanna rate this thread but can't!

 

[DinoLast]

Little Britain have made themselves up to be Black, but have to admit they way they have done has been pretty funny.
I guess they balance on the the line, but they don't cross it
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[Blu Falcon]

Little Britain have made themselves up to be Black, but have to admit they way they have done has been pretty funny.
I guess they balance on the the line, but they don't cross it
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I can't lie. That was friggin' hilarious.

It was obviously not meant in a degrading or hurtful manner, but rather much like the Wayan's white chicks. And therein lies the main difference I think. That Jackson 5 act might have intended to be harmless, but due to the exaggerated skin tone color and "buffoonery", it really smacked of Minstrel show whether it was meant to be taken that way or not. That Mr. T video certainly wasn't along the same vein as this...

or this

or this

WHOA! That last guy was married to Whoopi Goldberg!

 

[Batty]

Creecher's posts are so long. I'm offended.

 

[pixletwin]

You get offended so often I am offended.

 

[The Ween]

That's why it's an Australian show and none of your businesses. You only see one act out of four, the other three happen to have been worse, but even then it's one segment out of a two and a half hour show. A show you know nothing about, nor the history of, while I have to read lame and dumbass commentary on, due to your lack of comprehension of the show and it's mentality.

The 'guest' judges always give high marks, while the one regular judge rarely gives any act more than a two. Lame and dumbass is part of the attraction of the show. Like watching a train wreck. Uh, uh, mentality. Duh.

It's like the old Gong Show here. It's silly and bad but still fun to watch.

 

[The Ween]

I can't lie. That was friggin' hilarious.

It was obviously not meant in a degrading or hurtful manner, but rather much like the Wayan's white chicks. And therein lies the main difference I think. That Jackson 5 act might have intended to be harmless, but due to the exaggerated skin tone color and "buffoonery", it really smacked of Minstrel show whether it was meant to be taken that way or not. That Mr. T video certainly wasn't along the same vein as this...

or this

or this

WHOA! That last guy was married to Whoopi Goldberg!

I'm not sure if they were married but she is the one who put him up to that.

 

[Batty]

You get offended so often I am offended.

That's racist!





Isn't it?