From Queertwocents.com:
Singer/actor, Harry Connick Jr. was asked to be a guest judge on the Aussie variety TV show Hey Hey It's Saturday and was shocked when a group of Jackson 5 impersonators, called the Jackson Jive, appeared on stage in complete blackface! Connick gave the group a zero rating for their performance and was booed by the audience, later, he gives everyone a good talking to about why blackface is so wrong. Believe it or not the group says it was meant to be a tribute to Michael Jackson! It reeks with racism from start to finish. On air, Connick says, "If I knew that was going to be a part of the show, I definitely wouldn't have done it." This incident has created controversy in Australia, especially on talk radio, where listeners feel that Connick was over-reacting!
The video is insulting, period. Interestingly enough, Shane said that someone sent him an email saying that what this group did was no different than Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of a black man in the movie Tropic Thunder.
In addition, some have pointed to Connick's portrayal of a black minister on MadTV and labeling him as a hypocrite.
I'm guessing that soon people like Larry Elder or Thomas Sowell will come out of the woodwork publicly disagreeing with what Connick did.
Things like this only underscores people's ignorance. Certainly, white actors have portrayed people of a different ethnic origin. And black actors have also. I remember a certain skit on Saturday Night Live when Eddie Murphy portrayed a white man.
But these actors (including Downey, Connick, and Murphy) used appropriate theatrical makeup. They didn't take what look liked shoe polish and slathered it on their faces. Nor were their performances ignorant caricatures of people from a different race.
What Connick did was right and highly appropriate. And he should be commended for it.
Robert Downey Jr.'s character in "Tropic Thunder" WASN'T African-American. He was an Australian actor PLAYING one in the movie-within-a-movie, and the running jokes is that he refuses to break character, to the annoyance of his African-American co-star.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bil. I stand corrected. ;p
ReplyDeleteOne of the points being made in Tropic Thunder with the Downey character was the reality vs merit vs race vs sensitivity argument. It was intended to be a modern blackface performance to skewer not only the old blackface performers, but also our modern ideas on race and political correctness. And it's very effective at that, especially since the Aussie character plays the role of the African American character very well, even though his unfamiliarity with american culture in general and African-American Culture leads to some moments of unintended disrespect (using the theme to the Jefferson's as an inspirational speech). The Jackson Jive, on the other hand is a cheap shot.
ReplyDeleteHey i think they should be fired because they are stupid for doing that skit than they should be sued...
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