Justin Trudeau

Yes, LH uses humour to highlight ignorance very well

He is also horrified now at his appearance on the B&WMS

I agree that Lenny Henry’s reaction was hilarious but that doesn’t lessen what Justin Trudeau did - not just once but numerous times in a supposedly more enlightened era.

No it doesn’t Pantglas2

We had lots Morris dancer groups in town a few weeks back wearing all sorts of fantastic costumes and disguises including black faces, red faces and even green faces. I don’t think anyone thought any of them were racist.

Morris dancers blackface has drawn a fair amount of criticism but the origins are unclear. This explains a bit more en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Morris

Hang on, I'm 54. At 34 I DEFINITELY knew blacking up was wrong. Very, very, very wrong. Exceptionally racist.

He was wrong. He's a sensible bloke. He's probably been concerned for years that this would surface.

How many of you are people of colour? It is NOT for white people to say what isn't racist. In fact, I would go so far as to say, that if you are white and claiming something isn't racist, that you are part of the problem.

No I don't see the problem with what the did nearly 20 years ago.
All that should matter is what he does now.

Again the really important crisis is pushed to one side.

I should have also said that while I was young when the disgusting black and white minstrels was on TV I did not watch it.
I thought is was wrong even then, my parents were ahead of the curve and I knew it was offensive.

I wonder if everyone on here claiming T's past should be ignored, would say the same, should Jeremy Corbyn have a nasty skeleton in his cupboard.

So, put me right.

If you go to a fancy dress party 'dressed' as someone from a different culture it's fine so long as you don't try to reproduce their skin colour? Or is the act of trying to dress like them also racist? (I seem to remember a big fuss about 'cultural appropriation' not so long ago).

And if a white actor 'blacks up' to play Othello, they're being racist? Or is it just offensive?

Depends on if the whole remaining cast is white (re: Othello). If the cast is all white, then Othello should be played by a person of colour.

If the cast is mixed, Othello could be any colour. No need for artificial enhancement.

A white person can perceive racism.
I am intelligent not ignorant, but to look back and make him resign now is ridiculous.
So people can't make a mistake and own it?
Once that mistake is done it's forever?
What a terrible world that will be.
And please it's not only white people that can be racist.....I know it exists in many different cultures.

Blackfaces in Morris Dancing has another history nothing to do with race but to do with disguise, poverty and being "owned" by the landowners.

Plenty of skeleton's perhaps in Corbyn's closet.
But irrelevant in this topic.

What about Prince Harry dressed up in an SS costume that really pissed me off.

Well, circa 1970, I was in an amateur dramatic society and we entered a drama competition. I played the part of an Indian doctor and had to have a black face and hands - does that make ME a racist? What a load of nonsense.

Incidentally, at the end of the competition ( in which we were runner up), one of the judges commented that I had obviously forgotten to put make up on my feet as they showed a whiter shade of pale below my sari! That caused a laugh and some applause from the audience....obviously a racist bunch!

Obviously white people can perceive racism. A hell of a lot of white people on here who can't though.

Yes, Fairydoll2030, a very racist bunch.

I doubt if Othello was played by a person of colour when it was first stage, GagaJo. Shakespeare intended his character to be a 'Moor'. Wouldn't that have been integral to the play? Doesn't having it played by a 'white' white person take away part of its essence?

And you're surely not suggesting that actors should confine themselves to roles which reflect their own ethnicity? Only Russians can act Chekov, only Norwegians in Isben, only the
French can play Moliere?

I'm curious about this. It seems to me, as with all things, that 'intention' could be considered...

No, I'm not. Hence, if the cast is mixed ethnically, then the 'moor' doesn't need to be of colour. If white characters can be asian/african, black characters can be white. It's ACTING. It is possible to act oppression. Gay characters don't have to BE gay to act the part.

No, MaizieD, but then the female characters in the 16th century would have been played by women. We don't do that anymore either.

Urgh. Typo. The female characters in the 16th century would have been played by men.

Poor old (or should I say young) Trudeau!!! I daresay though if it had been Boris or Trump you'd all be singing a different tune, but Trudeau is a leftie so he must be forgiven.

Personally i think it's ridiculous, it was years ago, and when we had the black/white minstrels who thought anything about it
It gets on my nerves all this racism calling and trans stuff
There is just too much PC going on,
You wont be able to breathe without prmission soon
Sorry it's late not read the full thread, so there might be a of different opinions or all been said before, but i don't see why he should resign
Just imagine if Alf Garnett was around now,he would be locked up

Yes, Alf Garnett would be locked up! He was awful. Imagine the hurt he would cause in real life.

quizqueen Most of the people on here who think it's a matter of little importance are not "lefties".

I expect I would be described as a "leftie" (though I think the more respectful way of referring to someone's political leanings is to describe them as "left wing" or "right wing") I certainly don't minimise Trudeau's behaviour. I didn't think it was a resigning issue - largely because it would undoubtedly make a martyr of him in some people's eyes. Having subsequently read that he "blacked up" on several occasions, I would hope that he has, in any event, lost the trust and support of many people. I imagine the corruption scandal has also severely dented his image - he's not the person he initially presented himself to be.

Gagajo,
Obviously white people can perceive racism. A hell of a lot of white people on here who can’t though.

Gagajo, do you know which people on here are white? If you do you’re extremely clever, because I don’t and no one else does. I don’t know if you’re white, black or brown. And you don’t know if I’m black, brown or white.

Blackfaces in Morris Dancing has another history nothing to do with race but to do with disguise, poverty and being "owned" by the landowners

There’s no definitive reason for Morris blackface and race may have had something to do with it. The link I posted upthread gives you the history of it.