Connick Jnr. starts race row over tv skit in Australia.

Connick had every right to be upset. It may not be a big deal in Australia, but it would be in the US. We have a history of comedians dressing up in black face and acting like stereotyped fools. Black face is seen very negatively here.

Connick is from New Orleans which is 70% black. He is a Jazz musician which started as a black form of music. He in no way would have been on the show if he knew it had a black face act. His statement was a way for him to distance himself from the act. I thought he handled it pretty well.

Since black face apparently does not have the negative connotation in Australia that it has here, I can see why you might be confused.

 

I have had white folx tell a n*gg* joke to my face
It was Clearly Obvious they did not mean to offend
but
They did.
they were Clearly Oblivious to how offensive it was.

Easy to laugh . . .and say . get over it . .and blah blah blah
WHEN IT AIN'T YOU ON THE BAD SIDE OF IT
when it is *YOU* being offended. . . .then it is a different story . . .

Rocket River

 

I learned one thing from this thread on cultural relations.

Australians are overly-sensitive and not funny at all.

 

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I thought the skit was harmless (not funny, but not offensive either), but also that Harry Connick Jr. handled it gracefully. He did point out that he realized it was all meant in good fun and that's how I perceived it as well. I can see how those who are always offended by anything might be offended by it, and I guess Connick Jr. realized that as well and wanted to cover his bases. People shouldn't cry racism at every opportunity.

 

So you are offended that someone found a skit you thought inoffensive offensive. That offends me deeply.

 

This is what baffles me. He cries about people being overly sensitive about these things and getting offended over every little thing. And yet here he is getting offended by people being offended....

 

it seems you're a bit confused. we don't address other posters here - especially long time respected ones like RR - in this manner.

 

people need to relax. People of all cultures get made fun of.

 

Do they also get enslaved by another culture? I'm not African American and did not grow up in the time period when this was a heated issue, so I'm not that offended by it.

I also completely understand where the people that are offended are coming from.

On an unrelated note, Why was Robert Downey Jr. OK again? I know there was a reason, I just cant remember it...

 

Actually yes, at some point in history pretty much everyone is from a culture that was enslaved.

Throughout history people have enslaved each other.

It is actually not uncommon at all.

DD

 

Ooooh, the hypocrite, with his ...blackface paint??? Wait, where's the blackface paint that would make this poignant?

 

Because the comedy wasn't Robert Downey Jr. wearing blackface. It was Kirk Lazarus being an over the top method actor that we went and got his skin darkened.

 

I am agog that people defend blackface minstrel shows in the 21st century.

 

Interesting find. Harry's character here doesn't appear to be black. Even if it were, he's not depicting any actual black people; and the little that I saw in this skit didn't explicitly mention race in any way.

 

To clarify, I was referring to white people being enslaved by black people.

And, you are right. That was also, apparently, fairly common:

http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/whtslav.htm

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4f9zR5yzY