The black face skit on last night's hey hey it's saturday is causing a huge uproar. Most Australians according to talk back radio seem to be genuinely shocked and disgusted at the reaction by Harry Connick Jnr. Let me say, I am NOT one of them.
This is the type of humour (and I use the term loosely) for which Hey Hey is renowned. They laugh at anything which is the standard gamut of joke fodder in Australia; fat people, men dressed as women, women's body shape and other more nefarious items such as (rarely seen) black face.
Now, don't get me wrong; I understand, but do not condone, the reaction of a vast portion of the Australian audience. It's one of ignorance. Most Australians are completely unaware that the black face is a symbol of black oppression and humiliation in America. However, as the law would say, ignorance is no defence. I'm not eloquent enough to explain the entire history of blackface, but this wikipedia link will give a good introduction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface
I remember the original skit from last night's show when it first appeared twenty years ago and I wondered how they could be so ignorant back then - especially as the performers are all apparently intelligent educated men (doctors)! To see it again last night, I just knew Harry Connick Jnr would be horrified. I was embarrassed for him, for Australia and for the apparently iconic show Hey Hey It's Saturday. Harry had no choice but to refute it and I'm glad he did.
How the producer let it get to air, I will never know!
Anne-Lise
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