So everyone (well, almost everyone) I spoke to was up in arms about Harry Connick Junior saying that Australians are racist. "Fair enough" I said, "He's obviously just viewing it from an American perspective, where performing a routine in Blackface would be derogatory and spiteful. Obviously, the performance was a little tasteless, and not very good to boot, but I'm sure there were no racial slurs intended."

 

Then I noticed an ad on TV recently for "[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5hf1ICakgI]30 Second Outdoor Cleaner[/ame]".

 

The ad pretty much consists of a Japanese man spruiking the benefits of this particular product. Nothing new there, you might say.

 

However, in this case, there seems to be NO logical reason to use a Japanese man, except to mock his accent. If it was an ad for something particularly Japanese (like an Anime convention, for instance), it would still possibly be racist, but at least the casting would be justfied.

 

Are we, as Australians, so racist that we don't see a probem with ths kind of stuff? I'd like to think not, but then I'm kinda seeing this from inside the system. I'd love an outsider's view on Australia as a country.

 

As for the ad specifically, surely we must have Asian represntation on these forums. Do you guys think it's racist? Are you offended by it?

 

Keep it civil, and no flame wars. i can see this getting out of hand pretty easily. But this is the only forum I frequent, so you'lll hae to deal with my question asking until I go elsewhere.

I live in the Northern Territory, I'm very racist. Not against asians or mexicans, aboriginals.

Recently there was an attack of a man of Filipino origin in or around Sydney I think because some nut job thought he was Japanese. Here it barely rated local news but in Japan it brought on another round of Australia 'The Racist Country' rant.

 

I don't think Australians are any worse then any one else. In fact if we look at it from a historical perspective other than the "White Australia Policy" there has being very little reason for Australia to become a racist nation at heart. We are relatively young as a nation, we have never had any serious wars with our neighbours other than WW2. Which we entered well before Australia was ever in harms way thanks to our commitment to the commonwealth. We go out of our way to give aid to our neighbours when called for and have a high standing in the international community. Why should we let a few retarded bad eggs shape what people think about us.

 

EDIT

 

I don't think Australians are any worse then any one else. In fact if we look at it from a historical perspective other than the "White Australia Policy" there has being very little reason for Australia to become a racist nation at heart.

 

Sorry need to explain this a little more. I mean that thanks to our youth as a nation there is no reason for Australians to have a engrained hatred for any other nation or race. Unlike some other older country's who are well know for there historical hatred towards others.

Edited October 17, 200915 yr by chambersAUS

its becuase other countries dont understand our culture, its a common thing.

 

i run into it alot at uni becuase foreigners are like "what did you just say?" sometimes when im talking generally having a laugh, they just dont understand at all.

 

its not that australia is racist, its just we know how to have a laugh and take the piss out of everything.

 

and the ad isnt that racist, the point of advertisment is simple, get as much attention and make it as memorable as possible, ad's are always pushing this, regardless of the country. so on the ad side of things its not that australia is racist, but more of the advertising comunity can see how to get attention effectively, and they obviously succeded in this case. other wise you would have some other aussie bloke who speaks about the same product with similar lines and no one would take any notice of it what so ever. ethically it might not be right but at the end of the day its effective.

The world needs to be less PC, IMO.

The world needs to be less PC, IMO.

 

Was going to rant, but you pretty much summed it up in one sentence.

i dont think its racist, a person of asian born that learns english half way through his life sounds like that, its a fact in my opinion. im pretty sure english speaking people sound strange when speaking a newly learnt language to a person from another country that speaks that language. Thats for that ad.

 

As for the blackface skit. Each country has their own humour and think that any problems caused by a certain humour offending a country should just be ignored. Simple, Dont like it, dont watch.

 

I know Americans that arent what i call racist but just hate the small minority that uses the racist term used to discriminate African Americans and uses it to talk to other African Americans, and they just see it degrading for that minority.

 

EDIT: and ive seen Harry's video of him being a African American Minister....

Edited October 17, 200915 yr by LeClair

http://blogs.theage.com.au/schembri/chopper3.jpg

 

We may be a little more racist then most other modernised countries but that might be because we have thicker skin.

What Aussie doesn’t think the Australia episode of The Simpsons was funny or at least didn’t bother them?

 

http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/f/fic-spau.gif

Edited October 17, 200915 yr by snakeyyyy

First things first.. I don't think that ad was meant to imitate Japanese english, cause Japanese accented english sounds NOTHING like that. If anything, it's mocking Hong Kong, Singaporean or Malaysian Chinese accented english..

 

I grew up in Singapore and of overseas Chinese descent (Malay/NZ chinese),

I'm not really insulted by that commercial, knowing full well that it's really just a poke at the way we (South Eastern Asian Chinese) speak English, which in all rights has become an international language with no 'correct' way of speaking it.

its only racism when theres hate behind the message, "racist" jokes are just pisstakes on stereotypes, they're not actually racist.

One more thing is ignorant people only find out a certain amount of information about it due to Media manipulation. All types of media put a subjective view on topics. *CHOKING COUGH* A Current Affair *COUGH COUGH!!!!!* they just need to hear the jist of it then go out saying stuff without seeing the big picture.

Edited October 17, 200915 yr by LeClair

I think Australia's a fairly racist country but not because the of the Michael Jackson thing (I just thought the media was using the term "racism" to blow the whole thing up to the next level - I think people were more angered by the fact that he recently passed away).

 

Like Chuc, I'm of an asian decent and I've actually copped a fair number of brush ups with people on the trains, bus stops, shopping malls. What they all have in common is the fact that they're all over 50 years of age and live in a community that share the same view.

 

I'm even more surprised when they do the same thing while I'm in uniform on ANZAC day :S

 

I don't blame them because they were probably brought up in that particular way. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not taking a stab at everyone over 50

 

 

its not that australia is racist, its just we know how to have a laugh and take the piss out of everything.

I too often join in on the fun (most of the time at my expense but it makes my jokes that much more funnier) although the international students never really 'get' our humour

Like Chuc, I'm of an asian decent and I've actually copped a fair number of brush ups with people on the trains, bus stops, shopping malls. What they all have in common is the fact that they're all over 50 years of age and live in a community that share the same view.

 

Your very right, the socital attitudes of our forefathers was 'they are different, we don't like them'.

Nowdays the younger generations are alot more accepting and as time goes on, the situation will improve.

 

I'm even more surprised when they do the same thing while I'm in uniform on ANZAC day :S

 

That would mostly because back in 'their day', they were facing an invasion by the japanese and were fighting them back - who they saw to be all the asians(a stereo-type)(unable to recognise the huge different between the asian countries and people).

Racism is weakness and fear. To me. I am caucasian.

My child is of "mixed descent". A beautiful woman is a beautiful

woman... wherever she comes from... and this (while not a totally sound

ideological base for one's view of the world) sums it up -

a person or a people's worth is never definable by their genetic forbearance -

it is their acts - their thoughts and deeds which define them.

 

Comedy often pushes the boundaries and sometimes steps over

but we often don't know where the boundary is until someone screws up,

for better or for worse.

 

Comedy which thrives on testing the limits in places such as race, religion, sex,

whatever - it's part of our culture. I don't enjoy it but I accept it as part

of the culture I live in. Rodney Rude, for instance - is disgusting to me

but I accept that others enjoy it. I would no more ban their enjoyment

than they should stop me from enjoying Monty Python or Not The Nine

O'Clock News. Humour which exists purely to divide us, to sow

distrust and hatred (Rodney Rude was never that intelligent - I am clearly

not talking about him) is little more than a wart on the anal sphincter of existence.

A friend of mine once saw Austen Tayshus at a pub and the

comic spent the entire gig belittling and insulting the audience. The great

Marcus Aurelius wrote (in his classic "Meditations")that the worst thing a man

could do is to make himself some kind of blemish on the world and to extrapolate here - if

a comedian can do little more than devalue other human beings,

he's not worth much himself.

 

blah... so much more to say...

Edited October 17, 200915 yr by mandatory05

*Don't know if that japanese style ad even shows in Australia as i do not have a TV ..... Please enlighten me if you have seen it ?

 

 

Are we racist .. Yes , we are highly racist country in relation to the Australian Aboriginal Community ...

 

As for people from other nationalities i am sure we are but i feel that Australia has been dubbed in the international media as a volatile racist country and their is a generation that wants to live up to the name.... hence it sticks and brands us as a country to the international community as a racist country even more .

Edited October 17, 200915 yr by Captain_Russy

The world needs to be less PC, IMO.

 

Can't agree with you anymore...

 

Just ask Mr.Mencia

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD1JJcrNDjg&feature=related]YouTube - Carlos Mencia - Not For The Easily Offended Part 1[/ame]

not even close... unless you've spent 12 months or more in an aboriginal or torres strait island community then you have no real justification to comment on this topic.

 

we look after our indigenous people quite well.

Edited October 17, 200915 yr by Rarmy

dont think Australia is a racist country, like others have said before. we have thicker skin (mainly because its in our nature to take the piss out of each other), everyone is too PC (he'll i'm dead against pcness).

 

if anything, from my experiences here and what i've seen on tv etc (you could have a point Tommi). general whatever is said or done is not considered racist if its against either whites or christians, hell then its just fair game, any other race or religion tho and man you can almost hear the pc's bleeding heart beating faster as it comes running to bash you into submission for being so antiwhatever.

albatross...

 

refer to my last post, I'd urge you reconsider your opinion.

Edited October 17, 200915 yr by Rarmy

Meh, we're a multicultural nation. The ad is no more insulting than showing white aussie blokes as beer swillling idiots. I'm disturbed by neither.

 

True story, my dad is full blood Maori and for the first 14 years of my life I NEVER EVER noticed his skin was a different colour than mine (Mum's family is scottish decent so she has fair skin and red hair and us kids have a half breed olive colour tone because of it) until a very aggresive woman came to our school and lectured us on how we never realised how intolerant we all were.

 

Everyone is racist to a degree. You can't look at someone and not notice that they are a different skin colour/features and then not automatically classify them. It's instinct to familiarise everything you come into contact with based on past experiences. It's whether or not you have malice behind that catagorisation or not.

Edited October 17, 200915 yr by Rikidozan

not even close... unless you've spent 12 months or more in an aboriginal or torres strait island community then you have no real justification to comment on this topic.

we look after our indigenous people quite well.

 

albatross...

refer to my last post, I'd urge you reconsider your opinion.

 

Since you felt the urge to address me twice i thought it be polite and respond even though i steer clear of these threads usually.

 

Talk to me in a TS or VOIP soon about cultural heritage

Edited October 17, 200915 yr by Captain_Russy

australia is just easy going, we have less racial crime than almost every other country in the world, and considering we have one of the most diverse nations, i think we are doing pretty bloody well

 

this song by avenue Q sums it up pretty well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc5ztwJvfUA

Everyone is racist to a degree. You can't look at someone and not notice that they are a different skin colour/features and then not automatically classify them.

 

thats not racism. if you actually hate someone because they are different to you or you think they are inferior humans etc then thats racism.

pogo isright thats half the problem, observation is NOT racism and people get all up in arms because someone notices you have a different accent

Not really offended by the ad; it's a pretty ineffective one ad wise, but to me (half Australian/Japanese) it is a bit too light hearted to be insulting.

 

As for the topic, I think racism is prevalent in a fair few areas around the country but I don't believe that Australian culture is inherently racist, nor do I think that the majority or even a large minority is.

 

I think the reason why others might see Australia as a racist place is because we, as individuals, are far less likely to berate a friend/relative/etc if they -were- in fact racist, because it's quite difficult to offend us in the first place and harder still to get us to react to something. I'm sure most of you have the odd friend, colleague or relative that says some things about those from another culture that you find distasteful, if not overtly racist. This doesn't mean that they're racist, they may just be ill-informed or listen to a bit too much 2GB.