Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Rodney Dangerfield - "Hey, Wang! Don't tell 'em you're Jewish" - have made a motza taking shots at their heritage.
So why can't a short arse cash in on his height?
A RACING stunt Down Under featuring dwarf jockeys riding on normal people has been slammed by equality groups.
Tiny jockey Jeremy Hallam said the group were paid to do a job like all other actors.
He said: "We were dressed as characters which were jockeys to be out there and have a bit of fun, entertain and do our job as an actor.
"I'm out there acting as a character. If members of the public cannot differentiate between the character and the person, then that's their problem."
The Pommy Sun getting all "Scandal!" over bad taste - now, that's funny!
Dwarf racing ain't no big thing.
Posted by: Scubloke | 14 October 2009 at 07:11
It all depends. Were they wearing blackface? Was Harry Connick Jr offended?
Posted by: TimT | 14 October 2009 at 11:25
No black-face; one brown-eye.
Posted by: Tony | 14 October 2009 at 11:41
Is it me am I on?
Not sure if this is the correct "offence taking" thread, but here goes. I have been reading some interesting discussions about blackface and why the Americans seem to think they own the rights to indignation, and how they don't realise - you're not going to believe this - OTHER CULTURES USED BLACKFACE WHEN THEY WANTED TO PRETEND THEY WERE BLACK PEOPLE!!!
Unbelievable, I know. Apparently the Irish have a blackface tradition that is not as panty-bunch inducing. So on that note of cultural misunderstandings...
Rove was interviewing the girl group, Destiny's Child, a few years back. And he meant to give them a compliment like they were "really sexy" or "bootylicious" or something, but he ended up offending the hell out of them.
I think he called them "skanks"!
Anyway, it was super funny coz of the ruffled feathers and clipped "oh!"s of indignation from Destiny's Child, and the fact that Rove completely missed his fuckup and kept on blazing thru the interview like he said nothing wrong.
Television gold.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 14 October 2009 at 15:42
Your mum lets you watch Rove?!? Appalled. I am.
Posted by: Tony | 14 October 2009 at 15:48
Fuck, I just knew there'd be a "you watch Rove??!" quip.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 14 October 2009 at 15:51
Glad to be of service.
Posted by: Tony | 14 October 2009 at 16:16
Just found this delightful snippet on Wikipedia about folk character Zwarte Piet (Black Peter - one of St Nicholas's helpers):
Foreign tourists, particularly Americans, often experience culture shock upon encountering the character. Since the last decade of the 20th century there have been several attempts to introduce a new kind of Zwarte Piet to the Dutch population. These Zwarte Pieten have replaced the traditional black make-up with all sorts of colours. These multi-colored Pieten are unpopular amongst the Dutch population and are not catching on.[citation needed] In 2006 the NPS (en: Dutch Programme Foundation) replaced the black Pieten by these rainbow-coloured Pieten, but in 2007 they reverted to the traditional all-black Pieten.[4]
Posted by: TimT | 14 October 2009 at 16:38
Thank you, Tim. Perfect example.
Fucking professional offence-taking assholes have a lot to answer for, I tell you.
If you think about it: "people pretending to be black and colouring their skin black OH NOES!!!" That reaction is 50 times more racist than the deed itself. Why is black skin so Goddamn offensive?
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 14 October 2009 at 16:47
Are the rainbow-coloured Pieten gay?
Posted by: Tony | 14 October 2009 at 18:30
Jewish people, short people, black people, gay people - next!
Posted by: Tony | 14 October 2009 at 18:37
Well...
http://gatheraroundme.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/deconstructing-hilarity-by-cam/
Posted by: TimT | 14 October 2009 at 20:14
Dark skin: racist!
White skin: that's a lot better.
"...the book's portrayal of the Oompa Loompas as dark skinned and skinny African pygmies who worked in the factory for cacao beans, Dahl changed some of the text, and Schindelman replaced some illustrations (the illustrations for the British version were also changed). That new version was released in 1973 in the USA. In the revised version the Oompa Loompas are described as having funny long golden-brown hair and rosy-white skin."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_and_the_Chocolate_Factory#The_original_story
For some reason I'm think of Sam Kinison in Back to School prowling to and fro accross the classroom as he reads the impoved version.
"Good answer... good answer."
Posted by: Big Ramifications | 16 October 2009 at 15:54