Americans condemn ‘black faces’ skit

9 Oct 2009, 4:20 pm   -   Source: AAP
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An American talkshow raised the treatment of Australia's Indigenous population while debating the skit.

An American talkshow raised the treatment of Australia's Indigenous population while debating the skit.

US Talkshows, news bulletins and talkback radio have raged with debate about whether the Hey Hey It's Saturday Jackson Five skit was racist.

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Americans have condemned the Hey Hey It's Saturday Jackson Five skit, with US TV talkshows, news bulletins and talkback radio debating whether it was racist and if Harry Connick Jr was correct to take a stand.

On one of America's top-rating morning TV talkshows, The View, the skit was labelled "demeaning".

"We are in what people like to call post-racial America right now with (Barack) Obama in office," The View's co-host, Joy Behar, said on air.

"I'm not saying that it (racism) is gone, but we are trying to grow as a country and that's kind of a demeaning sketch that we would never do here anymore."

Behar also raised the treatment of Australia's Indigenous population.

"The Aboriginals, they don't treat them very well," Behar said.

Another host on the show, Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg, added: "That's absolutely true."

'Different humour'

A third host on The View, Sherri Shepherd, said Australians had sent her messages on Twitter attempting to explain the skit, which featured a frontman in a white face impersonating Michael Jackson, backed by dancers in black face paint and wigs.

"It was really interesting," Shepherd said.

"I got a lot of Tweets from some Australian followers on my Twitter and they said our humour is different from your country's humour."

The skit aired on Hey Hey It's Saturday's Red Faces talent segment featuring American singer-actor Connick Jr, in Australia on a promotional tour.

"I know it was done humorously, but, you know, we have 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," Connick said.

Skit aired internationally

The major US TV networks NBC, CBS and ABC all carried the story and morning shows, Good Morning America and the CBS Early Show, also aired segments.

The skit was also debated passionately online.

On the website of leading American news magazine, Newsweek, Australian and American readers argued.

"Thanks Harry Connick, Jr. for showing the world that all whites are NOT racist buffoons," a Newsweek reader wrote.

"As a college-educated, African-American professional who confronts racism daily from cradle to grave, for no other reason than the colour of my skin; it is clear to me now more than ever, that racism against black people will never disappear but continue to be tolerated under various guises."

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Your Comments

Mate

Jo Smith - from Back of Burke, 3 years ago

I suppose the next thing to be condemned will be mime artists for Having white faces Get real!!!!

Same old

Kate - from Canberra, 3 years ago

I'm white, Australian, and yep - I thought it was racist when I saw it (youtube)... and not all that clever either. The act of people of one ethnicity dressing up as people of another isn't itself racist (like how drag queens aren't automatically sexist) - but the way this skit was done, the nature of the humor, the attitude it showed, was. Can Australia hurry up and move on from pretending it's not racist? It's hurting our international cred, as events like this show, as well domestically.

Only one was 'caucasion'......

Ryan - from Australia, 3 years ago

From a report I read from a spokesman from the group, ALL of the dancers are successful doctors and only one of them is 'white' Australian...... It's always the media that keep reporting these sensationalist ideas and never just telling it how it is - show some class SBS and pass the information along instead of putting these stories online for page hits.

Condemn America back

Ben Thame - from Penrith, 3 years ago

Who the hell do they think they are? Hipocrits thats all I can say. The world should condemn America for it's treatment of its native Indians!

The skit

sam - from perth, 3 years ago

I have not been in australia that long and i have to say that i was suprised by what i saw.I'm black myself and was slightly offended by the skit but i do know that the people at the 9 network and the cast of hey hey its saturday did not mean for it to be anything racial but just entertainment at the end of the day

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