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[General Patton]

As an Australian, I say we ought to cut the blackface stuff out. If we're gonna take 80% of our culture from the US, we may as well take on 'blackface=bad'

Even after the Hey Hey It's Saturday beat-up, I still have never had it succinctly explained to me why blackface is inherently racist?

 

[Forever]

I think it should be pointed out that ignorance isn't specific to a certain region or country. This could have easily happened in America.

The high rate of stories like this, combined with the track record of Australian GAFers on said issues, lead me to believe that there is something endemic in that culture which engenders racism.

 

[The Adder]

In regards to acting?

Sir Patrick Stewart in Othello did not paint himself brown. He recast the entire rest of the cast with black actors since a major characteristic of Othello is that he is the only one of his race around, not that he's black. Patrick Stewart gets it.

 

[AkuMifune]

Yeah, that's complete nonsense. You essentially say that any form of acting is ignorant and wrong.

Not if you have any common sense about where the line you shouldn't cross is.

 

[Arjen]

The thing is that this isn't, as far as I see it at least, about blackface. It's about people distilling characters, people, and entire cultures down to a superficial feature or two.

Jules chose his occupation. He created his speech pattern. He picked his weapon of choice. And he decide on his facial hair and gerry curl.

Jules didn't choose his skin color.

The problem with this whole thing is that it values skin color over anything else as an indicator. It devalues tge person, people, or peoples you are portraying.

Someone with a note perfect Jules costume who had the portrayal down pat? That impresses me. Someone painted brown in a suit does not.

Alright, I think I get it. Thanks for explaining.

 

[JohnsonUT]

I already asked this on the last page, but nobody wanted to answer: If three white guys want to depict the three wise men, one of which, Balthazar, is black, what are they supposed to do? Make Balthazar white? Leave him out? Or have one of the actors paint his face black? Most people not blinded by the rampant political correctness nonsense would probably conclude that the third option is the most accurate and only respectful one.

What is the basis for him being considered black? Is being black his defining characteristic? If not, why does it matter if the person playing him has light skin? What are the ethnicities of the other two kings? Are they portrayed by actors with the correct ethnicities as well?

If you see it in Germany for example, it's almost always Balthazar - a wise, Arab king.

They portray an arab man with dark black face paint?

 

[wsippel]

Depends why the male actor is playing as a female.

If three white guys want to depict the three wise men, then no it is no racist as the defining trait of the story has nothing to do with race. Blackface and whiteface is often racist because the main defining feature has to do with race and culture and often the proliferation of negative stereotypes.

The story of the birth of Jesus does not change if you have three women play the three wise men, although you might have people yell at you for being unauthentic.

And that's exactly the point: It's about context. It's not inherently wrong, it's not inherently racist. It's just some dude painting his face black for whatever reason. And that reason is what counts. If you see it in Germany for example, it's almost always Balthazar - a wise, Arab king. Obviously nothing racist about it. And while we're talking local contexts and stuff: "Black" isn't considered a race in large parts of the world, and calling black people a "race" would probably be considered racist by many.

 

[Goku]

The thing is that this isn't, as far as I see it at least, about blackface. It's about people distilling characters, people, and entire cultures down to a superficial feature or two.

Jules chose his occupation. He created his speech pattern. He picked his weapon of choice. And he decide on his facial hair and gerry curl.

Jules didn't choose his skin color.

The problem with this whole thing is that it values skin color over anything else as an indicator. It devalues tge person, people, or peoples you are portraying.

Someone with a note perfect Jules costume who had the portrayal down pat? That impresses me. Someone painted brown in a suit does not.

Great explanation, thanks.

 

[shanshan310]

The high rate of stories like this, combined with the track record of Australian GAFers on said issues, lead me to believe that there is something endemic in that culture which engenders racism.

The 'Australians are racists' stereotype has become a thing on gaf, which kind of explains why threads like these are so over reported here. We don't have threads on all the times people of different races hung out at a party together and didn't even notice any differences. Simply put, I don't think browsing the front page of OT makes you an expert on Australia. OT articles are not reflective of the general public. They make news because They are shocking, and the exception.

As for ausgaffers, I don't think I have ever seen anyone say anything racist, just that we have different history and culture here, thus different perspectives.

 

[General Patton]

The high rate of stories like this, combined with the track record of Australian GAFers on said issues, lead me to believe that there is something endemic in that culture which engenders racism.

High rate? Evidence of that?

And we defend the country because we live here, we are active in the social scene and we know it's not a endemically racist country. There are definitely issues

- (a noticeable unease/resentment of non-English-speaking and first-generation immigrants, for a variety of nonsensical and understandable reasons
- the Government's sometimes awful policy of dumping many cultures in one area, sticking a CentreLink there and hoping for the best
- the indefensible treatment of Aborigines up until the 1970's (and the subsequent poor attitude towards them by many baby-boomers and their ignorant children)

The point AUS-GAF is trying to explain is that yes, Australia has issues with racism, but no more or less than the USA and Europe. It's incredibly frustrating to be tarnished with such a claim by people who don't know any better and base their judgement on sensationalist and contextually-corrupt media beat-ups.

 

[Whiteshirt]

And that's exactly the point: It's about context. It's not inherently wrong, it's not inherently racist. It's just some dude painting his face black for whatever reason. And that reason is what counts. If you see it in Germany for example, it's almost always Balthazar - a wise, Arab king. Obviously nothing racist about it. And while we're talking local contexts and stuff: "Black" isn't considered a race in large parts of the world, and calling black people a "race" would probably be considered racist by many.

And that is still insensitive if you paint yourself whatever to become "arab" because you are literally saying that the defining trait of Balthazar is that he's a wise arab king. You've misunderstood my point. My point is that the race of the Biblical Magi is an utterly irrelevant point that having three Caucasian men playing what an Indian, an Arab and a Persian is a non-issue.

And I don't know any place in the world where painting yourself "black" doesn't mean that you're pretending to be a "black person".

 

[marrec]

The high rate of stories like this, combined with the track record of Australian GAFers on said issues, lead me to believe that there is something endemic in that culture which engenders racism.

Here I was going to reply and a couple of good GAFers beat me too it.

I'll just say that labeling an entire continent as racist seems like it should be considered ironic.

 

[mantidor]

KKK guy is an insensitive prick, but racist? it's like the time Prince Harry dressed as Hitler, he was just being insensitive and a prick, but I doubt he is antisemite.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

I'm sure she had good intentions. Rightht?

 

[IdreamofHIME]

Love how she thinks Africa is a country. Nice added touch to the mess.

 

[Exr]

The thing is that this isn't, as far as I see it at least, about blackface. It's about people distilling characters, people, and entire cultures down to a superficial feature or two.

Jules chose his occupation. He created his speech pattern. He picked his weapon of choice. And he decide on his facial hair and gerry curl.

Jules didn't choose his skin color.

The problem with this whole thing is that it values skin color over anything else as an indicator. It devalues tge person, people, or peoples you are portraying.

Someone with a note perfect Jules costume who had the portrayal down pat? That impresses me. Someone painted brown in a suit does not.

Well said, thanks for this.

 

[CorvoSol]

The bolded is a good point. In the wise words of Paul Kelly, every fucking city feels the same. You need to embrace stereotypes somewhat. I'm sick of everything being so fucking PC.

So:
Australian party = work boots and hats with corks hanging from them or lifeguards.
English party = singlet, handkerchief with knotted corners for a hat and teeth blacked out
American party = cowboy hats or gang signs
Swedish party = viking
French party = beret and bread stick

None of these stereotypes are an accurate representation of the respective population. Whilst it's not strictly blackface, the blackened skin is perhaps going too far and the KKK thing is just fucked up. Wrong country for a start.

Wouldn't a stereotypical Australian party be boomerangs, Kangaroos, and vegemite?

 

[wsippel]

And that is still insensitive if you paint yourself whatever to become "arab" because you are literally saying that the defining trait of Balthazar is that he's a wise arab king. You've misunderstood my point. My point is that the race of the Biblical Magi is an utterly irrelevant point that having three Caucasian men playing what an Indian, an Arab and a Persian is a non-issue.

And I don't know any place in the world where painting yourself "black" doesn't mean that you're pretending to be a "black person".

What's wrong about pretending to be a black person? How is it insensitive? How is ignoring his skin color, which isn't a character trait but part of the characters identity, more sensitive? You know, we hardly have any black people who could depict the role accurately, because black people coming here usually have white partners, and the black skin color is simply gone after just a few generations.

 

[Martian]

I understand that it is less offensive for people if a comedian does a racist/offensive part (dave chappelle being white, the KKK hat in Scary movie 3). So when you take away the context (as seen in those pictures) it becomes offensive rather fast.

That doesn't mean that the people in said pictures are racists in any way. Sure, their costumes may be poorly chosen, but it doesnt mean the people actually meant any offense by wearing them.

 

[Red Blaster]

Wouldn't a stereotypical Australian party be boomerangs, Kangaroos, and vegemite?

a stereotypical australian party involves people showing up in blackface and insisting its not racist

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

Blackface is an American thing and this is Australia. There are no Americans at this party so I don't see why they should ascribe to American norms.

The middle finger is offensive in the Western world, almost everyone in the world knows that. But in Asia you'll see people blatantly pointing at things with their middle finger. It doesn't mean they are trying to offend. It is a finger and they are using it to point, that's what it is. In this case, people are painting themselves black in an African themed party because there are a lot of black people in Africa. Don't try to go above and beyond to add any superficial meaning to it.

The KKK guy is a whole different story.

 

[fanboi]

Just found this in my daughters room (4 years old)...

Unintentional funny regarding todays discussion...

 

[Enzom21]

Blackface is an American thing and this is Australia. There are no Americans at this party so I don't see why they should ascribe to American norms.

The middle finger is offensive in the Western world, almost everyone in the world knows that. But in Asia you'll see people blatantly pointing at things with their middle finger. It doesn't mean they are trying to offend. It is a finger and they are using it to point, that's what it is. In this case, people are painting themselves black in an African themed party because there are a lot of black people in Africa. Don't try to go above and beyond to add any superficial meaning to it.

The KKK guy is a whole different story.

There has never been blackface in Australia?

 

[Stet]

Blackface is an American thing and this is Australia. There are no Americans at this party so I don't see why they should ascribe to American norms.

The middle finger is offensive in the Western world, almost everyone in the world knows that. But in Asia you'll see people blatantly pointing at things with their middle finger. It doesn't mean they are trying to offend. It is a finger and they are using it to point, that's what it is. In this case, people are painting themselves black in an African themed party because there are a lot of black people in Africa. Don't try to go above and beyond to add any superficial meaning to it.

The KKK guy is a whole different story.

Blackface isn't just an American thing. It was going on in Australia as well. http://bellanta.wordpress.com/2007/11/15/the-larrikins-hop-blackface-minstrel-routines/

 

[Linkyn]

Seems like this whole thing is blown out of proportion. It's true that very few of the guests actually took the time to research the topic, but using tribal wear, face paint, costumes of historical figures is really far from offensive. If you start portraying the current, urban state of a country or continent, every geographic theme party is going to be exactly the same because of globalisation.

The only thing that really bothers me is the KKK costume, but not even because of the costume itself, but just because it doesn't fit the theme of the party. If a KKK attire suits the theme, you should be able to dress up that way without getting this much backlash. Wearing the costume does not condone the life or actions of the impersonated. After all, plenty of people dress up as undead for halloween, but very few of them would actually advocate eg eating brains.

To give another example, we had a '20s-theme party last year, and while most people went with a Capone-esque look or chose costumes modelled after famous people from the period (Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, Lenin, etc.), a KKK costume would have been perfectly fine for me (simply because the clan was very strong at the time).

 

[Enzom21]

Blackface isn't just an American thing. It was going on in Australia as well. http://bellanta.wordpress.com/2007/11/15/the-larrikins-hop-blackface-minstrel-routines/

But it's just an American thing!
http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/arts/black-face-minstrel-shows

 

[AkuMifune]

I was so nervous my holocaust party wasn't going to go over well, but since it's just a German thing I'm not worried anymore.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

There has never been blackface in Australia?

Blackface with a capital B only exists in the US and a few other countries, with its historical connotations to offend and belittle. The act of facing your paint black exists everywhere in the world.

Blackface isn't just an American thing. It was going on in Australia as well. http://bellanta.wordpress.com/2007/11/15/the-larrikins-hop-blackface-minstrel-routines/

I think your blog post illustrates quite nicely actually, taught me a few things I didn't know.

Even with this transnational logic at work, however, it is not possible to make everything said about the American minstrel-show applicable to Australia. Each of the historians I’ve just mentioned see minstrelsy as a way for white Americans to come to terms with abolition, with the consequent troubling presence of free blacks in public places, and the competition for work between black Americans and the white working-class.

Obviously, Australia had its own history of violent struggle between Aboriginal people and white colonists. But there was not a daily confrontation and inter-relation between white and black in Australian cities as there was, say, in New York. Australian working-class resentment was directed primarily at Chinese labourers – a fact no doubt influencing minstrel efforts to distinguish representations of blackface from Asianness there.

The combined effect of these things meant there was not the same intensity in Australia to the dynamic Lott identifies in white Americans’ relationship to blackface. He speaks of white Americans’ voyeuristic fascination for black bodies, which built up a kind of Freudian charge from frequent contact in urban places. He also speaks of a white longing to mock and plunder black culture, to steal from it and hobble its power.

Neither of these related forms of desire existed with the same forceful immediacy in Australia. As a result, the minstrel-show was never as socially threatening there.

Paragraph making my own since it was a bit hard to read.

 

[wsippel]

There has never been blackface in Australia?

I obviously can't speak for Australia, but I think this should help pointing out the cultural differences and explain why other parts of the world aren't so sensitive:

Sabac el Cher, personal servant and confidant of prince Albert of Prussia, officer in the Prussian army and wearer of the Iron Cross, and his wife Anna Maria.

Their son Gustav Sabac el Cher, also an officer in the Prussian army and a famous conductor. (1908)

Europe had black artists, musicians, actors and even decorated soldiers when discrimination and systematic racism were still rampant in the USA.

 

[Enzom21]

Blackface with a capital B only exists in the US and a few other countries, with its historical connotations to offend and belittle. The act of facing your paint black exists everywhere in the world.



I think your blog post illustrates quite nicely actually, taught me a few things I didn't know.



Paragraph making my own since it was a bit hard to read.

It also existed in Australia.
http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/arts/black-face-minstrel-shows

 

[Mercury Fred]

Welp, this is fucking depressing as hell.

Sidenote: A friend of mine here in NYC is gay and black and he always, always always has random Australian guys after him. So much so that it's hard not to think that there might be some kind of fetishization happening. He's a nice looking guy but not quite the omg heartthrob that you would think would net some of these extremely hot and hunky Australian guys.

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

It also existed in Australia.
http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/arts/black-face-minstrel-shows

I stand corrected. I still think my message is useful for those who think blackface is universally offensive. It is not considered offensive in, say, mainland Europe or Asia and you can't expect others to ascribe to American cultural norms because hey 'murica.

 

[DonasaurusRex]

Indeed, it's disappointing to see Americans think their culture is the only culture in the world. Blackface is something American, most people don't even know about it. That is what we're arguing about here. It is different from painting your face black.

Whats disappointing is you dont have to paint your skin at all to have an african themed party...perhaps whats more disappointing is the people at the party dont get that. Maybe the most disappointing is, the people defending it don't understand that a party that is supposed to represent a continent of 55 nations, features people attesting to what they think makes them "African, a visual attribute. The KKK thing is...i dunno fuck them for that, but there's no functional reason to paint yourself in order to wear African themed attire or have african themed decor.

How stupid can you be? If I wanted to have a french themed party i wouldn't go straight to the make up section and say how best to make myself "look" french. I would look up fashion , design, decor , accessories and cuisine. So i could know what to WEAR, how to DECORATE, and what to COOK , not what physical attributes to alter. They are fixed on an external attribute. That alone should be a big warning flag on their mind set and how they view black people , not africans because they arent all black.

If they are clueless as to why people are upset i wont say they were being malicious but boy are they ignorant.. That doesn't mean they didn't do something utterly retarded however. Their actions had the same consequences of them doing something hateful. They did something really stupid from what i see in those pictures, provided there was no malicious intent. They did however do something offensive.

 

[Animation-Imp]

I can't believe this is still going on...
Seriously, it was an innocent party, where a small amount of people dressed up in a theme.
Even the kkk dude does not bother me.
There is no intent to offend.

And still people jump on this and form a lynch party.

And the generalisation going on in this thread.
Australia is suddenly the most racist country in the world...
How wrong and painfull are remarks like that?
I feel for the aussi gaff members who have to go through this right now.

 

[THRILLH0]

The high rate of stories like this, combined with the track record of Australian GAFers on said issues, lead me to believe that there is something endemic in that culture which engenders racism.

Welp, this is fucking depressing as hell.

Sidenote: A friend of mine here in NYC is gay and black and he always, always always has random Australian guys after him. So much so that it's hard not to think that there might be some kind of fetishization happening. He's a nice looking guy but not quite the omg heartthrob that you would think would net some of these extremely hot and hunky Australian guys.

Oh my god, this thread has officially jumped the shark.

Lets just be thankful that these guys didn't have to worry about being shot for looking at a cop funny.

 

[zeemumu]

how do you have a theme party for a continent that's bigger than most countries...combined?

Poorly, apparently.

 

[THRILLH0]

If they are clueless as to why people are upset i wont say they were being malicious but boy are they ignorant.. That doesn't mean they didn't do something utterly retarded however. Their actions had the same consequences of them doing something hateful. They did something really stupid from what i see in those pictures, provided there was no malicious intent. They did however do something offensive.

Fucking WOW.

 

[Mercury Fred]

Oh my god, this thread has officially jumped the shark.

Lets just be thankful that these guys didn't have to worry about being shot for looking at a cop funny.

Wait, what? What's your problem here?

People are talking about how Australia has some weird race shit happening. Sometimes racism and fetishization of said races seem to happen in accord. I related a story of a remarkable number of Australian guys (seriously, they flock to him in a way no other type does) going for my friend.

 

[Htown]

I can't believe this is still going on...
Seriously, it was an innocent party, where a small amount of people dressed up in a theme.
Even the kkk dude does not bother me.
There is no intent to offend.

And still people jump on this and form a lynch party.

Even the kkk dude does not bother me.
There is no intent to offend.

And still people jump on this and form a lynch party

Even the kkk dude does not bother me.

And still people jump on this and form a lynch party

kkk
lynch party

sometimes...

aw forget it

 

[Jag]

I related a story of a remarkable number of Australian guys (seriously, they flock to him in a way no other type does) going for my friend.

Maybe they needed him for their African themed party?

But judging an entire continent based on the action of a few idiots is pretty idiotic in itself.

 

[dbztrk]

Welp, this is fucking depressing as hell.

Sidenote: A friend of mine here in NYC is gay and black and he always, always always has random Australian guys after him. So much so that it's hard not to think that there might be some kind of fetishization happening. He's a nice looking guy but not quite the omg heartthrob that you would think would net some of these extremely hot and hunky Australian guys.

I'm gay , black and I live in NYC. So please point these hunky Australian guys in my direction.

 

[A More Normal Bird]

Blackface definitely has a history in Australia and there were also representations of Aboriginals in art that were very similar to the stereotyped images of black people that were used around the world at that time (the Mr. Popo style). However these stereotypes and images are not as prominent a part of racial culture/history in Australia as Blackface was/is in the USA. The very fact that there are Australians in this thread that are unaware of this history should make this obvious.

I think Americans tend to forget when discussing this topic that Australia did not have an African slave trade and that the largest dark skinned population group (Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders) is just 3% of the population.

I wouldn't expect Australians to know something as specific as the klan. Just racism in general, if even that much about American history.

I think you'll find that due to its status as a global superpower and its vast quantities of cultural exports that the average Australian knows more about the US and US history than the average American would know about Australia. In fact, there was a TV campaign a number of years ago aimed at encouraging the learning of Australian history which pointed out that many people (possibly even a majority, I can't recall) could tell you that George Washington was the first US President but could not identify Sir Edmund Barton as Australia's first Prime Minister.

 

[Jado]

I don't agree. Painting your face black today doesn't have the same meaning or intention it had decades ago. Therefor I don't agree with not painting my face because it used to be evil. I want to be able to paint my face without people thunking I'm a racist or have racist intentions, How I would do that I don't know because I'm colored myself, but still I want to be able to.

Nigger, today, does not have the same meaning it originally did. It was neutral, then it became bad, and now even the blacks use it with each other! I don't agree with not being able to say "nigger" without someone thinking I'm a racist idiot. How can I go about saying the word and getting away with it? I'm "colored," so I want to be able to act like a complete idiot with no repercussions. Help GAF.

So if darkening your skin does not have a long history of being tied to systemic racism and oppression, as it apparently does not for Australians, then it is not offensive to them. Right?

If a black or brown person told an Australian it's offensive to them, should they continue on with thinking it's no big deal? You, for example, know that black people on this very message board are bothered by it, so would you still partake or condone it? Don't you think that at some point Australians should recognize that as a part of a globalized, developed nation, they can no longer cling desperately to willful ignorance and claims like "that's not part of our history, so we'll continue being offensive assholes?"

How so, the history of blackface isn't the sole reason why it is offensive. It is offensive for far more basic reasons, namely you are literally taking another culture and using it as a prop for whatever reason. It is the reason why minstrel shows died as they were seen as a vehicle to push negative racial/cultural stereotypes across the United States because it was literally "white people" taking what they thought of black culture and running with it.

If the purpose of whiteface is the same, then yes it is offensive.

Well-stated and point taken, but when does that ever happen? The post I was replying to was trying to make a fuss about how whiteface would be deemed acceptable (unlike blackface), when I doubt he could provide examples displaying a clear pattern of disrespect and discrimination among people using whiteface. Whiteface, malicious or not, just about never happens in the first place. The one that always comes up is the Wayans' movie "White Chicks" and that's a dubious example at best.

The only thing that really bothers me is the KKK costume, but not even because of the costume itself, but just because it doesn't fit the theme of the party. If a KKK attire suits the theme, you should be able to dress up that way without getting this much backlash. Wearing the costume does not condone the life or actions of the impersonated. After all, plenty of people dress up as undead for halloween, but very few of them would actually advocate eg eating brains.

...a KKK costume would have been perfectly fine for me (simply because the clan was very strong at the time).

Well good for you! There are people legitimately upset by the presence of nooses, blackface, Klan outfits, Nazi military uniforms, etc. and it has nothing to do with being "too sensitive." The KKK and their widely known robe is not a silly Halloween costume like a damn zombie or a stylish 1920s mobster. I question your intelligence in making such a stupid comparison.

I understand that it is less offensive for people if a comedian does a racist/offensive part (dave chappelle being white, the KKK hat in Scary movie 3). So when you take away the context (as seen in those pictures) it becomes offensive rather fast.

That doesn't mean that the people in said pictures are racists in any way. Sure, their costumes may be poorly chosen, but it doesnt mean the people actually meant any offense by wearing them.

Comedians have gotten in trouble for being outright racist (e.g. Michael Richards). Using race as a joke to highlight racism is an entirely different matter (e.g. Louis CK). Learn the distinction. Also, a well-meaning person can be racist through their ignorant actions, as is the case with this party. It's not just "good people" and "evil racists."

 

[Wynnebeck]

As a black person, I really don't see anything wrong with having an African themed party if people respectfully wear the traditional clothing and be realistic. The blackface? No excuse. KKK outfit? That made me laugh.

 

[J_Lee]

I usually can defend somethings of people being just too sensitive, well not this time.

As a black person, I really don't see anything wrong with having an African themed party if people respectfully wear the traditional clothing and be realistic. The blackface? No excuse. KKK outfit? That made me laugh.

Now this is what I can defend.

 

[terrisus]

3. You're 21 and you can't spell.

That was my thought on reading a couple of lines into that.
And she wants to teach English there?... Yeah...

 

[saelz8]

I think you'll find that due to its status as a global superpower and its vast quantities of cultural exports that the average Australian knows more about the US and US history than the average American would know about Australia. In fact, there was a TV campaign a number of years ago aimed at encouraging the learning of Australian history which pointed out that many people (possibly even a majority, I can't recall) could tell you that George Washington was the first US President but could not identify Sir Edmund Barton as Australia's first Prime Minister.

When I was in Australia I noticed that quite a bit of news was from the US. IE, shit happening locally here. It was kind of strange.

Whereas, here in the US, there's hardly ever news out of Australia. Maybe 1 or 2 stories an entire news year. Many Americans don't know anything about Australia, apart from Kangaroos. I don't think I'm exaggerating either. It's a COMPLETELY lopsided cultural exchange.

 

[Mercury Fred]

I'm gay , black and I live in NYC. So please point these hunky Australian guys in my direction.

Lol, my friend hangs at Nowhere and the Eagle a lot. Seriously, I go have a drink with him and some giants walks over to chat him and and, ta daaaa, it's an Australian.

 

[MikeDown]

Besides the one with the Klansman, I don't see what is racist about the party.

 

[bomma_man]

Welp, this is fucking depressing as hell.

Sidenote: A friend of mine here in NYC is gay and black and he always, always always has random Australian guys after him. So much so that it's hard not to think that there might be some kind of fetishization happening. He's a nice looking guy but not quite the omg heartthrob that you would think would net some of these extremely hot and hunky Australian guys.

I mean instead of just attributing that to some closeted fetish maybe you should take into account the fact that the African population in Australia is minuscule and probably not that well represented in the gay scene?* I used to live in an area with a lot of African refugees but I still only saw a couple of stunning African girls around. We're not exactly spoiled for selection, but that doesn't stop me from being attracted to the idea of rooting an African girl. It's probably just a lot easier to do in the US.

*don't want to make baseless assumptions but I'm not sure how accepting of homosexuality a lot of first generation Sudanese immigrants would be? I genuinely don't know.