Hey Hey, we're not offended

Yahoo!7 and AAP October 9, 2009, 8:51 am

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Hey Hey It's Saturday created a wave of outrage around the world with a skit featuring men in blackface, but most Australians polled don't think there was a problem with the Red Faces skit.

Some 26,860 people responded to Yahoo!7's poll asking if Australians were offended by the Red Faces skit: 81 per cent said they were not, while 19 per cent said they were.

Yahoo! users are a little more divided on the question of racism, with only 56 per cent of people saying they didn't think Australia was a racist country.

What do you think of the Hey Hey row? Leave your comments below.

Gillard sticks up for Hey Hey skit

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 Australia's treatment of Aborigines.

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

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

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.

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."

The revival of Hey Hey It's Saturday after 10 years had been praised for bringing back wholesome family entertainment, with its debut reunion show winning over local audiences.

But many are now questioning whether the program isn't well and truly past its use-by date after Wednesday night's skit by a group calling themselves the Jackson Jive.

The clumsy performance, aired during the Red Faces "talent" segment, consisted of a frontman in whiteface impersonating Michael Jackson, backed by dancers in blackface and wigs.

American singer and guest judge Harry Connick Jr took offence, giving them zero.

He said if the act had appeared on US television, the broadcast would have been terminated.

Host Daryl Somers was forced to apologise, and the performers followed suit on Thursday.

International media and commentators, especially in the United States, were quick to condemn the skit, with many labelling Australia backward and racist.

"Shame on the host and the other judges for trying to act like this performance was acceptable in any part of the world. I'm too disgusted to write any more," a Chicago Now blogger wrote.

Blackface shows were common in the US from the 19th century, with white performers playing black characters with exaggerated, demeaning characteristics.

The Guardian newspaper in the UK described the skit as "mind-boggling".

In Australia, TV expert Vincent O'Donnell, from RMIT, said it was thoughtless, given audiences had changed.

"For me, it is just tasteless TV, perhaps sensation seeking, and not well thought through," Dr O'Donnell told AAP.

He added that Jackson was beyond satire in the US, while he wasn't in Australia.

Thousands of viewers and commentators took to online social networking site Twitter to give their opinions.

"Thank you Hey Hey It's Saturday for making the world think we are even more rascist (sic)... eh take note dont try and revamp an out of date show," one wrote.

Sydney-based anti-discrimination campaigner Gary Burns said he has lodged a complaint against Nine under the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act because of the skit's "racist connotations".

But others stood up for the segment, accusing critics of being too politically correct.

"Poor old Hey Hey It's Saturday - no harm was meant!" another twitterer posted.

Attorney-General Robert McClelland weighed in, saying Connick had every right to feel offended but commending the way the issue was handled.

"It's one of those events we've seen in the presentation of humour where the wrong note is struck, but all those involved seemed to have acted appropriately to address it," he told reporters in Melbourne.

It didn't take long before Connick was accused of hypocrisy after footage of him impersonating a black preacher 13 years ago resurfaced.

Nine released a statement on Thursday apologising, while Somers went on the defensive, describing it as a "storm in a teacup".

"I think it's blown up a bit out of proportion over here," he told Sky News.

"I think it was just a cultural diversity of America and Australia."

While he again apologised to anyone offended, Somers said he preferred to focus on the ratings, which showed the program was watched by an impressive 2.3 million viewers across the five major cities.

Nine is yet to make a decision on whether the program will be brought back permanently, but a Nine spokesman said the incident will have "nil bearing on what happens next".

Nine is set to repeat both reunion specials on Saturday night on digital station GO!

A Nine spokesman said it was likely the controversial skit would be edited out for the repeats.

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Jeremy 02:39pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_ States To any Americans thinking about posting here in the future, do some research first. To the ladies of the View, shame on you for having such a narrow-minded one.
Jeremy 02:30pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
"The United States Senate has yet to take action on the measure." Australia has taken action for the abuse of aboriginals in the past, the government has publicly apologised. How dare any person from the US claim Australia is more rascist than the US.
Jeremy 02:27pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
....to “offer an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States” for past “ill-conceived policies” by the United States Government regarding Indian Tribes. The United States Senate has yet to take action on the measure.
Jeremy 02:25pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
In 2004, Senator Sam Brownback (Republican of Kansas) introduced a joint resolution (Senate Joint Resolution 37) to “offer an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of the United States” for past “ill-conceived policies” by the United States Government regarding Indian Tribes. The United States Senate has yet to take action on the measure.
Jeremy 02:24pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
As usual the American media grabs onto anything that will distract its citizens from their own failings. "We Americans aren't rascist, err, because those terrible Australians are"...duh, okay...
Jeremy 02:21pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
"They call the Arabs 'haji.' I mean, it's one thing to worry for your life, but then to have to worry about friendly fire because you don't know who in the hell will shoot you?" Tammie LeCompte, May 25, 2007, "Soldier highlights problems in U.S. Army"
Jeremy 02:19pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
"LeCompte also endured taunting on the battlefield. "They ridiculed him and called him a 'drunken Indian.' They said, 'Hey, dude, you look just like a haji--you'd better run.' " Tammie LeCompte, May 25, 2007, "Soldier highlights problems in U.S. Army"
Jeremy 02:16pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
"Beyond disturbingly high mortality rates, Native Americans also suffer a significantly lower health status and disproportionate rates of disease compared with all other Americans." The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, September 2004
Jeremy 02:15pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
"It has long been recognized that Native Americans are dying of diabetes, alcoholism, tuberculosis, suicide, and other health conditions at shocking rates." The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, September 2004
Jeremy 02:14pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
The Aborigines, they don't treat them very well," Popularist musings from the usual uninformed idiots on the IDIOT BOX.... shall we look at the American Indians today people?
Jeremy 02:06pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
A real Australian is anyone who lives here and follows our laws. Not difficult to understand.
Jeremy 01:55pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
"42 boat people who PURPOSELY broke your immig laws just got given refugee status. Theyre all from AFGHANISTAN. What if some are TERRORISTS"..... maybe they don't want to be killed by US drones??? Scaremongering works in the US, not OZ.
Jeremy 01:51pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
"obsurb as it sounds" --- if you can't spell "absurd" I doubt your "facts" on Australian politics and society. Go back to kindergarten and GROW UP. I think even the British would have a chuckle if you called them the superior race, pint anyone? Cheers.
Jeremy 01:47pm Saturday 07th November 2009 WST Report Abuse
"oh yeah we catch em before it potentially may happen"... or we don't provoke them in the first place... As for the VIEW TV show, I wouldn't even know blackface existed were it not for Ms Goldberg and Mr Danson. ...and the Goodies TV show. Hippocrites!
Peter J 04:43pm Wednesday 21st October 2009 WST Report Abuse
As obsurb as it sounds to be a real "Australian" one must be of British descent. as they are the "superior"race". Australias head of state is the British monarchy. Now there is a real joke. It does appear that some Australians have a very different interpretation of what is acceptable behaviour.perhaps this lack of moral derives from their brutal convict past.
a/a gee 05:26am Tuesday 13th October 2009 WST Report Abuse
blueprint - i agree with you. the skit was NOT racist in AUSSIE CONTEXT. and it was NOT MEANT for american tv, where its considered RACIST. HCJ was opining his PRIVATE convictions. it was the idiots in The View that called aust RACIST.
a/a gee 04:59am Tuesday 13th October 2009 WST Report Abuse
stewart - her "Aussie" rapists called her "black", NOT the American media. They did NOT even catch the story. Even if they did, she would NOT be called black because she was not OBVIOUSLY aboriginal, nor African.
Stewart 10:37pm Monday 12th October 2009 WST Report Abuse
a/a Gee - in the last 8 years since 9/11 we've never had a terrorist attack.. Hmm doesn't that say something.. oh yeah we catch em before it potentially may happen... Oh and your American Media may have called Brimble Black but us aussie's saw her for wat she was... Aussie.... Oh an a/a gee how long have you lived in OZ... Probably never....
Blueprint 09:01pm Monday 12th October 2009 WST Report Abuse
So Rob Goldsmith, what do YOU watch on TV then?
Blueprint 08:58pm Monday 12th October 2009 WST Report Abuse
Are all you ppl aware that it was a dark-skinned man that wore the white make-up to portray Michael Jackson? Anand Kumaradeva's cultural background is Indian and he was not the only performer from the Jackson Jive who was from a non-Anglo heritage. Granted, there are racist ppl living in Australia, as there are living in the U.S. Racism is everywhere, but so are communities of people who are non-racist, who see past skin and hair colour and who also have a SENSE OF HUMOUR.