MELBOURNE--After the unexpected controversy surrounding his appearance on the Hey Hey Reunion Special, Harry Connick Jnr. was expecting a relaxed night in front of the television to sample some Australian-flavoured hoops action in his hotel room. But he was shocked to see yet another racially insensitive image on his TV screen.
"I can't believe it!" Connick said, exasperated. "There was some guy on the New Zealand team -- CJ somethin' -- who was apparently tryin' to mock black Americans by dressing up like a golliwog. I heard him interviewed and he's got an Australian accent, but tryin' real hard to sound like a black American.
"He's trying to impersonate a black American -- the golliwog wig, the attempted accent, and he probably has a painted black face, too.
"After a successful 3 point basket he did this exaggerated hands-in-the-air routine, again tryin' to mock the buffoonery of black Americans.
"To top it off, he top-scored with 32 points, again reinforcing the stereotype that black people are better at basketball than everyone else. Sorry, I don't mean to bring things down, but I find that racist and offensive."
Radio talkback switchboards again lighted up with this new wave of controversy. "Mr. Bruton is obviously a racist. He is ignorant to not know about American culture in a historical sense like that," a caller on a talkback radio show said. "You can't put your hair up in a golliwog style like that and think it's alright. This is the 21st century, Mr. Bruton! This lack of historical knowledge of black-white America race relations clearly suggests that Australia is backwards and racist."
"Every culture in the world should be aware of the historically racist connotations that exist with blackfaces and golliwog wigs," another caller commented. "If they don't, clearly they need to watch much more American TV to learn that these kind of things are taboo in American culture, and therefore should be taboo everywhere else."
Asked how they will know that it is taboo, the caller said, "They'll know [it's taboo] because painted face routines are conspicuously absent in the States. Unless you watch White Chicks or Tropic Thunder -- but they were okay because they were moderately funny with more professional makeup."
"Everyone ought to be offended by this CJ's golliwog impersonation," another caller said.
"This CJ ought to know better! Apparently he has an American father. Doesn't even his father know anything about black American history, apart from, of course, the black tradition of naming your son after yourself?"
"I can't believe it!" Connick said, exasperated. "There was some guy on the New Zealand team -- CJ somethin' -- who was apparently tryin' to mock black Americans by dressing up like a golliwog. I heard him interviewed and he's got an Australian accent, but tryin' real hard to sound like a black American.
"He's trying to impersonate a black American -- the golliwog wig, the attempted accent, and he probably has a painted black face, too.
"After a successful 3 point basket he did this exaggerated hands-in-the-air routine, again tryin' to mock the buffoonery of black Americans.
"To top it off, he top-scored with 32 points, again reinforcing the stereotype that black people are better at basketball than everyone else. Sorry, I don't mean to bring things down, but I find that racist and offensive."
Radio talkback switchboards again lighted up with this new wave of controversy. "Mr. Bruton is obviously a racist. He is ignorant to not know about American culture in a historical sense like that," a caller on a talkback radio show said. "You can't put your hair up in a golliwog style like that and think it's alright. This is the 21st century, Mr. Bruton! This lack of historical knowledge of black-white America race relations clearly suggests that Australia is backwards and racist."
"Every culture in the world should be aware of the historically racist connotations that exist with blackfaces and golliwog wigs," another caller commented. "If they don't, clearly they need to watch much more American TV to learn that these kind of things are taboo in American culture, and therefore should be taboo everywhere else."
Asked how they will know that it is taboo, the caller said, "They'll know [it's taboo] because painted face routines are conspicuously absent in the States. Unless you watch White Chicks or Tropic Thunder -- but they were okay because they were moderately funny with more professional makeup."
"Everyone ought to be offended by this CJ's golliwog impersonation," another caller said.
"This CJ ought to know better! Apparently he has an American father. Doesn't even his father know anything about black American history, apart from, of course, the black tradition of naming your son after yourself?"
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