RACISM? in AUSTRALIA?
Well, Australia has not had a good history with Racial issues, and I think it’s because they are just plain ignorant about it. See below for a link about Racism in Australia.
I am sure it was not intended Racism, but that’s what it looks like for an outsider.
The Show started in 1971 and was mainly a kids show that had variety acts, and various funny characters on the show. With puppets and jokes, it was a very funny combination. Think of Bozo’s circus without Bozo. The show stopped being aired in 1999, and everyone missed it, and was amazed that there might be a REUNION show, just 1 show, once, to again glimpse into all the funny characters of the show, and a chance to relive some funny memories. It used to be on from 9am to Noon on Saturday’s, and then the show got famous and also became a grown up’s show, just like the Simpsons. And it eventually was on 9pm to Midnight.
So when I heard that there was going to be a REUNION SHOW last night, I couldn’t miss it. It was going to be 3 hours of awesome memories of the characters I remember, all fat and balding and old and gray!
Well, I saw the anticipated ” HEY HEY IT’s SATURDAY ” reunion show LIVE, because it was a great live show when I was a kid here growing up. On one of the segments of the shows, about 20 years ago, in 1989, had a group of performers dressed up as the Jackson Five, and of course, Michael Jackson….. however, they were not black people. Because it was a REUNION show, they brought back the most memorable acts, and the JACKSON JIVE was one of them….
In the segment of wannabe talents, or the amatuer performers spotlight….. Harry Connick JR. was a guest Judge on the show, the reuninted Jackson Jive, as they were called, were not black, they were just Australians using black face. Australians do not know the connotation that black face is making fun of black people. It’s just not known, it’s not a crime here, so no one thought much of it until Harry showed distaste for it.
Well, you should see the clip of that segment, and Harry Connick’s reaction….
http://pedestrian.tv/news/view/3330/racism-scandal-at-hey-hey-its-saturday-.htm
And unfortunately, Harry has cancelled all of his tour dates in Australia for this year, and now the Aussies are upset that Harry has now “DISSED” Australia. They have even retaliated and found footage of HARRY in black face himself ! So now the Aussies are calling Harry a hypocrite, and making a fuss over him making a fuss over a kid’s variety show……
well, what do you think?
I think Harry’s screwed no matter what he does now. There is no way out of this one, let’s see if his press manager can handle this better than the Letterman scandal…….we heard about that here in Australia….
Also, it has come to light that the Jackson Jive performers are not all WHITE. So I think it was just some initially innocent, but poorly chosen fun.
- W
a link about Racism in Australia…
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/09/jackson.australia/index.html
a reaction from the show’s host Darryl Sommers who explains it well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5erTCH2aPiQ
The Aussies talking about the American Over-reaction on the media.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YuM_IBl5Tc&NR=1
Kamal even had a say on TV !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLuK6atUyZM
