From Guest Writer Chris French
So I thought I would re‐ignite the debate over the controversial Red Faces skit several weeks ago by giving the American media a bit of a hard time.
I should start by saying that I did not consider the act funny and I respect what Harry Connick had to say, after all he is entitled to his opinion and part of me agrees with it.
However I think Joy Behar from the U.S. talk show The View should have a little think about this comment she made the following day.
“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.”
Uuuuummmmmm, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences recently gave Robert Downey Jr. a Best Supporting Actor nomination for doing exactly that in the motion picture Tropic Thunder.
Where was the outrage? Oh wait there wasn’t any. Was that because people found his performance funny? Or is it because we love Ben Stiller movies and accept that he was just trying to entertain us.
The nature of comedy is that in order to get a laugh performers are forced to continually push the boundaries of good taste, and you know what, sometimes they go too far. The unfortunate thing for these performers is that often they don’t know how far over the line they’ve stepped until it’s too late.
Perhaps it’s time we the audience took a bit of responsibility. After all, we demand to be entertained. We push filmmakers, comedians, musicians etc… to provide us with little moments of joy to help us get through the day.
The 2004 movie White Chicks saw two black men dress up like white women, and a sequel is in the works. So does that mean it’s ok for black people to take the piss out of white people? I have no problem with it, but then like most Aussie’s I’m capable of watching a performance or comedy act and accepting it for what it is.
Perhaps American’s take issue with things like this because secretly they feel like they have to. To say the U.S. is far ahead of Australia in terms of civil rights as some U.S. reporters have claimed is absolute garbage. America may be pro black on paper, but I think the reality of the situation is far different. The average black family earns almost $17,000.00 per year less than the national average according to the 2000 Census, while poverty runs near 25% for black people compared to the national average of 12.4%. With someone like George W. Bush being in control up until recently I find it difficult to believe that those figures have changed too much in the past nine years. I think the U.S. feels obliged to take a strong stance internationally because they know that they have a lot to feel ashamed for at home.
Is our nation any better, no, we’re just as bad. The difference is we don’t go and slam other cultures when a comedy act goes wrong. We simply accept that somewhere along the way the intending meaning has got lost in translation.
Chris French is a writer and novelist who has worked many years in television and in the production of movies. An avid social commentator, Chris is also known for his Blog, go to: www.chrisfrench.com.au
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