I tend not to do personal posts, but I'm so outraged I have to.
I am
not an Australian who thought that was "just a joke" - why do I feel so
isolated in feeling this? I did not actually watch the show (you couldn't pay me to watch the return of a show that was shit back in the 80's try to reanimate the stale remains of their lost youth), but on finding out about the "Black Face" sketch, I took one look at the footage photo and could not believe what I was seeing.
Add to that the sickening number of people who
didn't feel horrified. Now I get to read the desperate diatribes of fellow Australians trying to rationalise their way out of admitting their ignorance.
For the record, because I saw it brought up - Black Minstrel shows DID air in Australia in the early 70s. I remember it as a very small child. We are NOT that fucking isolated down here that the racism of the "Black Face"
somehow escaped us. As a child of the 70s, it never occurred to me at 4 years old that the gollywog toy I had was supposed to be a black person. A golliwog was like a unicorn or a fairy - a creature of make-believe. I distinctly recall, however, finding out what it was
actually supposed to be later on in my childhood and growing into adulthood knowing that it was, in fact, a symbol of racism. I'm not about to go out and buy a golliwog for my little nephew in 2009, so why the hell rehash a skit from so long ago and air it on national TV containing that
same racist symbol? Hiding guilt behind the "we didn't know, it's just a joke" attitude is bullshit.
And why do I get the feeling this has turned into some twisted issue of patriotism? Other countries are offended by an offensive skit on Aus tv - let's form a protective Australian barrier and argue our way out of it by claiming no one understands our sense of humour! Our nationality is being attacked somehow!
Fuck off.
Horrified and ashamed.