Offended by the obviously absurd
Tracey Spicer
From: The Daily Telegraph
August 30, 2011 12:00AM
I APOLOGISE to anyone who was offended by the children's costumes in the Book Week parade.
The red wig worn by my son, dressed as Ron Weasley from Harry Potter, was clearly offensive to rangers.
Disturbingly, my daughter evoked the image of Pocahontas, trampling on the tender sensibilities of the American Indians.
And don't get me started on the child who dressed as Zorro, disparaging anyone with Hispanic heritage.
Never mind that the theme for Book Week was One World, Many Stories.
Next year it will be restricted to costumes depicting Anglo Saxon characters except Hagar the Horrible, whose name implies Scandinavians are not very nice.
As a fourth-generation Viking, I find this particularly galling. Seriously, what is the world coming to?
Last week, two blokes dressed up to pay tribute to their favourite rugby player, Radike Samo, as part of a contest to show support for the Australian team in the Tri-Nations decider.
Let me highlight several words in the previous sentence: Tribute; favourite; support.
They did not paint their skin black to imply that Pacific Islanders are inferior to white folk. They did so to honour their rugby hero.
This was not an act of racism. It was an act of veneration.
Yet the judge, jury and executioners of twitter sent them straight to the gallows.
Keen to fly under the radar after a crash in popularity, Qantas buckled: "We apologise the photo of 2 Radike fans offended people. We've spoken with Radike and whilst he has no issue with it we have removed the image (from our twitter page)."
This was no heartfelt mea culpa. It was a whitewash, to avoid a boycott on lucrative routes to the United States.
After Harry Connick Jr's outburst over the Hey Hey It's Saturday sketch, I wrote an opinion piece entitled Seriously, Can't We Just Have a Laugh Anymore?
I received hate mail from across the US.
One radio station asked if I would go on air to debate the issue with a leader of the African-American community.
Apparently I was seen as some kind of Down Under Hitler, calling for a pure Aryan race.
I declined politely, adding, "You might want to grow a sense of humour."
Of course, there is nothing remotely humorous about African slavery: It is a stain on the pages of American history.
The original blackface minstrel shows of the 1800s were racist, propagating the stereotype of the "happy go lucky darky" on the plantation.
But in most modern allusions, performers turn this idea on its head. They use it for the purpose of satire.
Take Robert Downey Jr's character in the hilarious movie Tropic Thunder. He plays an Australian actor portraying a black soldier in a parody of Apocalypse Now: "I'm just a dude playin' a dude disguised as another dude," he says simply.
And that's what the Jackson Jive was doing on Hey Hey - wearing wigs and makeup to imitate the famous five, not belittle them.
As for Radike Samo, he found imitation to be the sincerest form of flattery.
"These guys were paying me a tribute. It was a bit of fun, and I think it's great they regarded me as their favourite Wallaby," Samo said. "I didn't have an issue with it at all. I was glad to be in a photo with them, so I don't know why anyone is getting worked up. That sort of reaction is just silly."
This is the crucial point.
Before you scream "racism", perhaps you should ask the alleged victim what they thought? I wonder how many of those who complained on twitter were members of an ethnic minority?
Real racism does exist in Australia.
But let's not get distracted by pointless petty examples of political correctness.
Instead, let's expend that energy where it's needed: Increasing the life expectancy of indigenous people; making immigrants feel welcome in our communities; and never judging a book by its cover.
Otherwise, I fear for the future for our children.
Picture this: The Book Week parade in the year 2020.
A five-year-old boy nervously approaches the stage dressed as his favourite book character, Noddy.
The principal frowns; parents begin to chatter; someone makes a phone call.
Within minutes the police are there, pulling the screaming child from the stage.
His parents are charged with inciting racism.
Giving more power to the fun police could one day become a very serious matter.