Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Another "minstrel" show -- with the usual protests

Britain: White comedians dress up in "blackface" (actually brownface) makeup.
"Thousands of viewers have complained that the Christmas Day show by comedy duo Matt Lucas and David Walliams on BBC1 was racist.

The spoof documentary set in an airport and called Come Fly With Me featured the pair as a range of minority characters. Lucas darkens his face and wears a beard to play a Muslim worker called Taaj. He also adopts a strong West Indian accent to play a black woman called Precious who works in the coffee shop.

However, many viewers failed to see the funny side and took to internet forums to complain about the programme – the first of a six-part series – likening it to ‘a minstrel show’.

The show, broadcast at 10pm, was the second most-watched show on Christmas Day, attracting an audience of 10.3million. BBC1 bosses said they had not yet established how many complained to the corporation.

Source

Must not laugh at exaggerated minority characteristics

5 comments:

Spurwing Plover said...

If those wackos dont like it tell them to watch something else like NAPOLEON OBAMA oinking to the public

Anonymous said...

Yet Eddy Murphy's portrayal of a white man (a black man made up to look white) in "Coming to America" was OK. The racial double-standard is just amazing.

-sig

Anonymous said...

When some ppl see the truth about themselves highlighted (or the "group" with whom they identify) and understandably don't like it - they often go into classic "denial" - sometimes quite aggressively, so much is their obvious embarrassment.

Anonymous said...

"Beware of those who cry racism, for they are the true racists..."

Anonymous said...

In todays world, being "offended" can be very profitable.