By GottaLaff
Much more here:
A few months ago, Harry Connick Jr. was in Australia for a reunion with his dear old gang on a TV variety series called Hey Hey It’s Saturday.
More like Hey Hey It's Racism:
The Jackson Jive, all Afro wigs and black face paint, led by their late superstar brother, Michael, done up with a pasty clown visage and aviator sunglasses. Not cool, said Connick: “If they turned up looking like that in the United States, it’d be like Hey Hey There’s No More Show,” the crooner spat, giving the group a score of zero in the episode’s mock-talent competition. (The Aussie judge beside him was much more forgiving, allowing for a smile and a 7.)To the host's credit, he did apologize... after the fact:
“I know that to your countrymen, that’s an insult to have a blackface routine like that on the show, so I do apologize.” Connick thanked him, adding, “I know it was done humorously, but we’ve spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons, that when we see something like that, we take it really to heart."You know why? Because it's not 1830 any more.
After today's post about KFC's ad, one wonders what's up with Australia's racial attitudes these days. And by "these days" I mean 2009. The present. Post 1830.
The sketch brought international backlash with some US bloggers describing Australia as a "racist" country, while other news outlets said the Jackson Jive was "vile" and "disgusting". [...]Connick went on to say:
Marina Hyde from Britain's Guardian newspaper described Australia was "the world's most savagely self-parodic country,” and introduced the skit as, “news of an important breakthrough in race relations". [...]
"In Australia, of course, [blacking up] is perfectly acceptable, and we thank the nation for yet another important contribution to the annals of human culture."
"If I knew that was going to be part of the show, I probably - I definitely - wouldn’t have done it.”You know who would have? These people (click on images to enlarge):
H/t: Greg Skilling
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