Racism

[Dormouse559]

Well, it did fly in the States not so extremely long ago (among white people anyway...), and for all I know, there could still be some people here who do that for smaller audiences or something, but yeah, it is racist and not something I can recall being done publicly in my lifetime.

EDIT: It's definitely done in some older cartoons here, but I'm not sure most people these days who are exposed to them realize that that was what was being done in them.

He wasn't talking about the past as far as I can tell. Of course blackface is still done, especially at costume parties, and a lot of people don't mind or don't say anything. But I'd wager most of time we don't hear about it mainly because they don't get caught. But even a bit of media attention on them (social or mainstream), and the blowback is swift. And that's just blackface done in private. Blackface in a professionally done TV show like what Prowler shared? Unimaginable.

[vijayjohn]

Blackface in a professionally done TV show like what Prowler shared? Unimaginable.

I dunno about "unimaginable" per se. It looks like SNL did something pretty close just nine years ago.

[Dormouse559]

Granted. Nonetheless, I'd say there's an unwritten rule in television against blackface. SNL broke that rule and got hit for it.

Also, you've gotta admit there's a certain blatantness to caking yourself in black makeup, calling yourself Professor Machimbombo and bringing up a bunch of occult stereotypes that the SNL performance didn't have.

[Prowler]

I didn't mean in the past, but today.

Blackface is done in many parts of the world for comedic purposes. It seems to mostly have a negative connotation in USA. I remember several years ago a Japanese singer pulling blackface off because he wanted to perform a song by a black musician who was his favourite musician of all time, so he felt he needed to try and look like him. I don't think he had racist intentions in that case at all, even if blackface is considered a racist thing in a country like USA, per example.

How did I find this video? Well in a football(or soccer) forum I'm an active user of, another member posted this video saying it was amusing but added "someone should tell this guy that blackface shouldn't be done in the 21st century. Apart from that it's a good video".

Granted. Nonetheless, I'd say there's an unwritten rule in television against blackface. SNL broke that rule and got hit for it.

Also, you've gotta admit there's a certain blatantness to caking yourself in black makeup, calling yourself Professor Machimbombo and bringing up a bunch of occult stereotypes that the SNL performance didn't have.

That's a stereotype of certain Africans in my country being into that kind of stuff. Sometimes, when I exist a metro station, a Black guy will be handing over flyers or some sort a small piece of paper and it's usually about some African professor who can read your fortune. That's what the video is making fun of.

[vijayjohn]

Blackface is done in many parts of the world for comedic purposes. It seems to mostly have a negative connotation in USA.

Yes, it definitely does.

[Prowler]

I guess a business with a name like this wouldn't be allowed to open in USA either:

[vijayjohn]

I'm starting to think you're answering your own question about what made my friend think people in Portugal are racist.

I think this is about as bad from an American perspective as that video.

[Prowler]

I'm starting to think you're answering your own question about what made my friend think people in Portugal are racist.

I think this is about as bad from an American perspective as that video.

And for the record, this is a quite respectable Pastelaria. Loo kat reviews here: https://www.zomato.com/pt/grande-lisboa ... tro-lisboa

I wonder if the Dutch get flak for the Zwarte Piet.

[vijayjohn]

I wonder if the Dutch get flak for the Zwarte Piet.

The Dutch "get flak for the Zwarte Piet" in the Netherlands itself.

[Prowler]

I wonder if the Dutch get flak for the Zwarte Piet.

The Dutch "get flak for the Zwarte Piet" in the Netherlands itself.

I see. The only controversial tradition we have here is bullfighting. It's actually kind of amusing how the law states it's a crime to abuse animals but bullfighting is an exception since it's protected under "culture". Meaning it can air on a state run channel!

[linguoboy]

EDIT: It's definitely done in some older cartoons here, but I'm not sure most people these days who are exposed to them realize that that was what was being done in them.

I thought all those cartoons had been pulled. Even 20 years ago, when I went to see Buggs Bunny in the theatre, they had excised a bit where he imitates a Black slave (he does the dialect but no blackface).

[Prowler]

EDIT: It's definitely done in some older cartoons here, but I'm not sure most people these days who are exposed to them realize that that was what was being done in them.

I thought all those cartoons had been pulled. Even 20 years ago, when I went to see Buggs Bunny in the theatre, they had excised a bit where he imitates a Black slave (he does the dialect but no blackface).

You're talking about those notoriously banned Looney Tunes shorts? Those are quite old and can all be found on youtube. They're mostly WW2 propaganda shorts iirc. Same for Disney shorts of the time. I recall seeing one where Donald Duck dreams he is a nazi but then wakes up and is glad it was all a dream.

If you want something really creepy watch a couple of North Korean propaganda cartoons.

[vijayjohn]

EDIT: It's definitely done in some older cartoons here, but I'm not sure most people these days who are exposed to them realize that that was what was being done in them.

I thought all those cartoons had been pulled. Even 20 years ago, when I went to see Buggs Bunny in the theatre, they had excised a bit where he imitates a Black slave (he does the dialect but no blackface).

This one was never pulled. In the US, first, the black character was replaced with a white one with a different voice, then she was brought back but just made to speak something closer to GA. In other countries, it was never modified in the first place:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODeWKTKkN2Y
(OK, I suppose that isn't technically blackface, but...)

Plus no one ever pulled printed cartoons AFAIK.

[Prowler]

That's the only maid I remember from Tom and Jerry. I watched Cartoon Network religiously in the late 90s so I basically watched Tom & Jerry everyday.

What about racist or politically incorrect ads? I remember this one from one of our main telecommunications companies:

► Show Spoiler

It should read "Imperdível" and "Aprovado". Clearly making the old joke of East Asians(usually Chinese) not being able to pronounce the letter "r"... but I recall the ones in this ad being Japanese instead.

here's the video of the ad itself:

► Show Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPXZcfSFjDM

[vijayjohn]

That's the only maid I remember from Tom and Jerry. I watched Cartoon Network religiously in the late 90s so I basically watched Tom & Jerry everyday.

What about racist or politically incorrect ads?

Yeah, the US has had issues with racist ads in recent years, too - online at least - even though this is yet another thing that is not supposed to happen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdFRWf-CNC8

[linguoboy]

You're talking about those notoriously banned Looney Tunes shorts?

Nope. There are a number which were never banned since they only had one or two short bits that were egregiously racist. Instead, these scenes were edited out in the versions rebroadcast on television and elsewhere. (Or at least that's what I thought.)

This is the scene I was talking about. The full short film, called "Southern Fried Rabbit", is freely available everyone except in the UK.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8D93Awa434

Another notable example is the original Fantasia, a Disney film consisting of shorts set to classical pieces. The sequence set to Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, featuring scenes of centaurs preparing for a ball, originally included a racist Gollywog caricature polishing the centaurs' hooves:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdi3zX9DKm8

Since it's set to a famous piece of music, my ex was impressed that they managed to cut the scene in a way that's not noticeable unless you're looking for it. (The remove and entire measure from the score, so there's no sudden jump in the audio.)

[vijayjohn]

Same for Disney shorts of the time. I recall seeing one where Donald Duck dreams he is a nazi but then wakes up and is glad it was all a dream.

I remember seeing this as a kid because I had it on VHS (and I'm pretty sure I still do). Judging from the comments on YouTube, I'm not the only one, which leads me to believe that the title is wrong (as some of the comments also suggest):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1t2-VpzjZY
Maybe it's no wonder (some) Americans still associate all things German with Nazis.

[Prowler]

Tbh it has always seemed to me that Americans in general actually have a rather positive opinion of Germany and that their nazi jokes are just that: jokes. Their aversion to France seems to be much stronger.

It seems to me the stereotypes of European people and nations in USA and the rest of the Americas are quite outdated. Probably brought along with the Europeans that migrated to the Americans decades/centuries ago and thus those stereotypes remained.

[vijayjohn]

Tbh it has always seemed to me that Americans in general actually have a rather positive opinion of Germany and that their nazi jokes are just that: jokes. Their aversion to France seems to be much stronger.

You can actually get pretty serious remarks in this country about how German is a "Nazi language" if you say you're studying it, although it might depend on where in the US you are. I wouldn't expect too many people (even other Americans) to be aware of this, though.

As for French, perhaps you're thinking of the whole "freedom fries" debacle? Because otherwise, idk, I thought most Americans kinda liked the French. We have always had kind of a love-hate relationship with France, though.

It seems to me the stereotypes of European people and nations in USA and the rest of the Americas are quite outdated.

Maybe that's because if they weren't outdated, they'd be much more boring.

[Prowler]

Tbh it has always seemed to me that Americans in general actually have a rather positive opinion of Germany and that their nazi jokes are just that: jokes. Their aversion to France seems to be much stronger.

You can actually get pretty serious remarks in this country about how German is a "Nazi language" if you say you're studying it, although it might depend on where in the US you are. I wouldn't expect too many people (even other Americans) to be aware of this, though.

As for French, perhaps you're thinking of the whole "freedom fries" debacle? Because otherwise, idk, I thought most Americans kinda liked the French. We have always had kind of a love-hate relationship with France, though.

It seems to me the stereotypes of European people and nations in USA and the rest of the Americas are quite outdated.

Maybe that's because if they weren't outdated, they'd be much more boring.

I guess. I mean it seems tons of Americans have German ancestry. Seems more common than Anglo Saxon ancestry. Are there even many of what you'd call WASPs in USA nowadays? I mean there's tons of Americans of German, Irish and Italian ancestry. Oddly enough it seems every President except Obama(half-black) and Kennedy(fully/mostly Irish Catholic I think) have fit that category. Although I've heard Trump is of German ancestry is that correct?

Freedom fries? I had totally forgotten about that. It seems many Americans consider the french cowards and ungrateful for World War 2. As if it was that easy to stop Nazi Germany from invading and taking over your own country.

I wonder how Americans in general feel about Japan. Both countries were bitter enemies in WW2. Plus there was that industrial rivalry in the 70s-80s or so when Americans feared Japanese companies were gonna buy theirs. Here in the Old Continent there doesn't seem to be any aversion towards japan. You'll find just as many Japanese products as you'll find German ones in most European homes, I'd say. Not to mention Japanese cars are considered very reliable as well. Also, I'm from a younger generation(born in 1990). People of my generation grew up with Japanese animation and games everywhere. Hard to see Japan as an "evil" nation when many of their products were a big part of your childhood.