Australian television hit by racism claims

Post Reply New Topic

In recent weeks two of Australia most popular TV shows, the TV drama "Neighbours" and popular comedy show "Hey Hey it's Saturday" have been hit be racism claims
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/202 ... ion-on-set
https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/t ... aab701a158

Over the years I have never watched local television content here in Australia due to the cringeworthy content. Now my original reasons have been validated. Suggest my fellow Aussies boycott this crap.

Neighbours was huge here in the UK in the 1990's!

It was a window into how all Australians lived. You all had dogs called Bouncer and when you got upset you about something you rang the Erinsborough News!

Why am I not surprised?

That is a rhetorical question, by the way.

I expected this thread to be about sky news anchors parroting something tucker carlson said on faux news.

I have to admit I immediately assumed this thread was probably about some kind of petty drama that barely deserved mentioning, but... wow. The soap opera stuff was pretty bad, but the "Hey Hey vs. Kamahl" thing is just beyond words. Appalling isn't enough to describe it. And the guy has the rotten nerve to complain about what "cancel culture has done to humor" like he's a victim or something and then be like "stop whining, get over it". What the f*****g f**k?.. What universe does that person live in? Can someone really act like that after those "jokes" (no matter how long after it) and not realize that they're wrong? How is that possible?

I do believe there are too many instances of oversensitivity being unconditionally encouraged nowadays when it shouldn't be, but this is in no way a case of that. I had no idea racism was not only "bad" in Australia, but that bad.


When friends in America can't believe how racist people have been toward you in your country... that's not a good sign...

Well said. I was shocked watching old clips of Kamahl on Hey Hey. It's disgusting.

We managed to wipe out an entire unique race of people (the Tasmanian aborigines) who like the Carib in south America no longer exist after colonisation. Racism is well and truly ingrained.

Read about the Adam Goodes incident. A champion aboriginal footballer (and Australian of the year award recipient) who was subject to racist taunts by thousands of football fans and not one thing was done about it by the authorities.

The impression I get from reading about this is that Australia and Australians in general today aren't directly racist but still the acceptability of extreme racism when it happens is widely shared. As if, culturally speaking, people refrain from being racist themselves as a matter of "manners" but not really respect and consideration toward fellow human beings.

It's really shocking how there can still be any debate over whether those very public and high-profile incidents are about racism or not. Especially considering how level-headed the targeted public figures involved seem to be.

I have mixed with a lot of non-white Australians since my University days, I also remember school-yard talk and I can assure it runs very deep. I think the non-direct nature is no different to any other western country although often it manifests overtly as in the Adam Goodes, Kamahl and more recently the hounding of female media personality Yasmin Abdul Majid who was forced to move to the UK to avoid death threats over he comments about muslim women. Her black skin mean't the white skinned muslim community offered her no support. Race is more powerful than gender or sexual orientation. The only thing more socially determined is disability. Race and disability automatically determine your social status.

I can't see much evidence that Australia is any less racist as any other country

That's precisely my point, it isn't.