Justin Trudeau

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/09/19/world/brownface-blackface-yellowface-trnd/index.html

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface

We attended a fancy dress party a few years ago with one of my sons friends who had dressed up as Barack Obama - with dark brown makeup on his face.
There was never any thought of racism, the young man concerned was a massive fan of Obama and everything he stood for and had achieved in his time in office.
Obviously nobody else thought it was racist either - he won first prize!

Eloethan - Renaming wasn’t just related to skin colour. My friend Giovanni arrived in the West Midlands from Italy about 50 years ago as a six year old.
He was enrolled in a Catholic primary a school where the nuns asserted “We can’t be doing with that, we’ll be calling you John!’ Such sensitivity!

Sounds like you mix with people who are similarly unaware of the racist connotations of blackface Magpie

Oh dear, what a lot of views, where to start?

I try to be PC wherever possible (I was a teacher, we’re all PC in teaching) but I do get a tad fed up at times where offence is taken, often on behalf of others, where non is meant. I think most people try to keep up, and we should only be upset when real racism occurs. My dear old Dad, bless him, loved The Black and White Minstrel Show, but he was the least racist person you could ever meet. You see he regarded the show as entertainment and he enjoyed the songs, but he would never have behaved in a racist way, he was far too dignified and caring. He wrote in my autograph book, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ Wise words. Of course that show isn’t acceptable now, but we shouldn’t look for problems and take offence where none is meant.

Rosina, thankfully that nonsense about the poppies seems to have disappeared. Of course we should honour our dead, soldiers from all over the Commonwealth who died in the two World Wars in the last century. Yes, they were black, they were brown,
they were white, they were Asian. We honour them all by wearing our poppies.

Actually - blackface is racist. Lots of things were ‘entertaining’ or ‘harmless’ back in the 60s and 70s but we nowadays we tend to be better educated and understand the historical, social or political context of these ‘harmless, funny’ issues.

SirChenjin,
"Sounds like you mix with people who are similarly unaware of the racist connotations of blackface Magpie"

You are clearly missing the point I was making. There were NO racist connotations in that particular instance.
And for the record it was a public event so people of all races, colours, creeds, sexual orientation etc etc were present.

Actually I did mention that the show is not acceptable now! But it was acceptable when it was aired, and just because you SirChenjin choose to view it from today’s perspective, it doesn’t make all the people who watched it, including my lovely father, racists!

Magpie - you can deny all you like, but blackface has racist connotations that have been well known for years, and certainly as recently as Obama’s presidency. See the links I posted upthread.

Yes I was setting the B&WMS from today’s perspective maddy - to show that we’ve moved on from those days, as Trudeau would have known. We know that it’s not entertaining because we understand the context now.

Can you not understand? The practice of "blacking up" has seriously unpleasant associations for black people - of segregation, discrimination, disrespect, ridicule, denigration, etc, etc. Can you not put yourself in someone else's shoes and see how it feels for them or at least understand and accept that it hurts and offends many people?

I think the phrase "political correctness" is a a misleading one, which evokes a knee-jerk reaction. It is not about politics (or only politics in its widest sense - not party politics). It is about having an awareness of people's feelings and treating everyone with courtesy, respect and decency.

It has been acknowledged that many people who watched the Black and White Minstrel Show (that included me, as a child, and my parents) were sadly ignorant of the offence it caused in portraying and reinforcing in the public psyche a gross caricature of black people. But that was at least 50 years ago, not 20.

As Trudeau himself said, he should have known better. When he came to office I was hoping he would be different but this latest revelation, on top of the previous corruption scandal, has changed my opinion of him.

I was thinking they might ban getting into Japanese costumes for " The Mikado" . The ladies wear Japanese make up and the men sport pigtails .

The Mikado has certainly generated a lot of debate over the last few years, with its racial stereotyping, yellow face makeup and use of tape to narrow and elongate the eyes. You might be interested in this article www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/12/25/arts/music/reviving-the-mikado-in-a-balancing-act-of-taste.amp.html

Yellowface

There was a case in the USA earlier this year when a girl wore a chomsum to her prom and Chinese pupils accused her of "cultural appropriation".

Hmmmm. It's all a matter of make up. People acting, pretending to be someone else. Personally, as a woman, I don't feel insulted by drag Queens dressed up and made up as women.

It’s a bit more than make up - there is a racist historical context. Lots of links upthread explain it.

I do kniw that it's possible to see a racist link! It's also possible to consider context and date of action.

Who are the PC Police? Are they a higher level than the PC Brigade?

Where can I encounter such groups?

Not ‘to see a racist link’ - there is a racist link, and that link was well known 20 years ago by people of Justin Trudeau’s age (I’m in the age group, we were pretty well aware of it)

It feels like the PC Police must hold a higher status than the mere members of the Brigade

Get a life anyone who condemns the man for such a trivial matter.

In your opinion, what is trivial about the historical context of blackface and its racist connotations?

At least Lenny Henry saw the funny side as he introduced himself as Justin Trudeau.

Yes, he mocked JT when he was presenting at an event on the importance of diversity - getting more people from ethnic minority groups, disabled people and women into television

At least Lenny Henry saw the funny side as he introduced himself as Justin Trudeau.

That was the best reaction of all, imo. ! It did what it was supposed to do.

It certainly was the best reaction.
LH always laughed at himself. He starred in the Black and White Minstrel show many years ago too.