Comments on: Hey Hey, it’s controversial

By: nemo

nemo — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 10:08:10 +0000

hi Zehra, I wonder what you consider this feedback for, since I didn’t really direct it at anyone (except maybe Harry …plus, thus is quite an old post. Anyway, good points about relative cultural sensitivities

By: Simona

Simona — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 07:26:02 +0000

StuartThanks for giving me ctonext, clarity and meaning to an event in time that seemed confusing and challenged my own thoughts on the issue. On the anniversary of Monty Python how much of what they did seemed funny at the time for me and potentially is quite taboo for others, now I see possible conflict.What delay in progressing as a human race does such ongoing reflection create when the taboos and old ways keep getting celebrated. Hey Hey, Monty Python and even dare I say it war memorial marches keep us in past paradigms. lets only look forward, live in the moment and learn from the past thanks

By: Dudao

Dudao — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 07:17:51 +0000

that our historic slarevy was of disadvantaged English and Irish by the English crown.We do however have our own issues to deal with in how the majority in this country relate to indigenous Australians.I dare say that it never occurred to the participants in Red Faces that they were doing a “black face” act – they only thought as far as delivering a parody of the Jackson Five. There is a potential issue here of the taboos involved in people of any ethnic group portraying characters of *any* other ethnic group. Does this taboo mean that Sir John Gielgud should never have played Othello?In sober hindsight, the team at Hey Hey should perhaps have recognised that this act was not only being viewed by an audience of millions in Australia, but globally (they knew this from the previous week). They also know that Facebook and Twitter had brought awareness of the show to the world. Knowing this, they should have considered the USA audience and their taboos.It is not easy when talking to a global audience to take into account all the culture involved, but the tools we are now using to communicate are making this an increasing priority – if we want to communicate effectively. – Keith

By: Zehra

Zehra — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:33:37 +0000

Thanks for the feedback. I am cosntantly trying to find examples of where a cognitive view of culture can be used to clarify areas of conflict and guide action toward opportunity.I have recently done training as President of an Inline Hockey club on discrimination, bullying and harassment. The message continually put forward is “It isn’t about intention, it is about impact” and I agree with these sentiments. In some states in the USA, this is not the case and as a result victims are far less likely to stand up and declare their offence.People often quote the above in times of cultural conflict and some of the anti-Hey Hey comments in the media have been variations on this, however idealistic laws usually include the concept of “reasonableness” which allow them to work in the real world. The law-makers understand that while ignorance of legal requirements in the area of harassment and discrimination is not a defence, the focus on the person being offended means there is a process of continual learning and adjustment required for full compliance and benefit to occur.It is this process of learning that I was trying to focus on and we are all going through it, whether it be a legal discrimination issue, or a cultural one.I remember being in the USA during the . As four lives were lost and 474 homes destroyed, the only mention in USA Today was of a threat to koalas. I was initially offended that the American press would care so little about such a threat to our nation’s capital and it’s human inhabitants, but after some thought I couldn’t expect them to be aware of the fire, let alone the importance of it and it was wrong of me to hold an offence against them.My post is not so much to comment on whether Hey Hey was right or wrong to allow a black-face skit, but more about the process of learning involved in cultural conflict that increases compassion for other’s sensibilities and taboos. I hope this process has informed many Australians about black-face and how offensive most Americans find it, and it seems to me that this learning process (and the broader cultural advancement that derives from it) is often hindered if there is not a respect for how others see the world, and also how they might transfer these ideas to other.I agree Keith that we have some way to go with the Aboriginal question in Australia. Following this train of thought, I would suggest that there should be more discussion, more acknowledgement of the facts around discrimination and more learning on both sides.Taboos can be useful, however if the taboo is transferred without the reason for it, then when the context changes (like to another country or another generation in the same country) the taboo can not only lose it’s effectiveness, but cause offence instead of understanding.For this reason I applaud Harry Connick Jnr. He suppressed his disgust, discussed the details of the offence (back-stage) and then helped teach Australia about why it was so offensive. Bravo!!Less taboos, more respect, patience and understanding. These are fairly common values. But cultures aren’t a thing to manipulate. They aren’t shared understandings that can be changed all at once. They are a conglomeration of all the individuals world views and the only way to see lasting cultural change is for each individual to commit to learning from every transgression, whether they are the aggressor (Jackson Jive), the by-stander (Harry, Daryl and the viewers) or the victim (African Americans).

By: Nemo Thorx (nemo) 's status on Thursday, 08-Oct-09 15:01:53 UTC - Identi.ca

Nemo Thorx (nemo) 's status on Thursday, 08-Oct-09 15:01:53 UTC - Identi.ca — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:02:18 +0000

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