Barack Obama Visits Japan (Blackface Comedy)
In honor of the ongoing Democratic Party primary elections, popular Japanese blog Daily Portal Z ran a story about visiting Obama Station in Fukui Prefecture. The real Barack Obama wasn’t available to go there with them, so they did the next best thing: they painted a Japanese guy black and had him wear a big rubber nose!
Here’s a sample of the kind of pictures found in the post:
Claytonian, who brought the post to my attention, had the following to say in the commentary he posted on his blog:
I’m a little conflicted; I like Daily Portal Z and I think this thing gets funny at times. Especially when Hillary shows up in the article. Then there is the politically-correct, and dare I say oppressed at times, foreigner side to me that always feels its a bad idea to paint yourself up like a black man, or a white woman for that matter. Then yet again, this could be political satire so sophisticated it goes over my head.
In the past, I have expressed my view that comedy acts which rely on parody of the physical features of other races are not my cup of tea. I don’t expect the average Japanese person to understand the hurtful history of blackface comedy, but I still wish that people could understand how someone of another race might feel hurt when they see a Japanese comedian using racial differences for laughs.
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Though I’m usually against it, there really is a fine line. Most of the times I see blackface in Japanese media are when comics (or, sadly, blacks themselves–damn you Bobby Ologun!) play off of low-brow stereotypes all for the purpose of eliciting cheap laughs. If, however, the humor is derived from writing/acting that does not rely on these stereotypes, I would consider the make-up as merely something that completes the illusion.
If this is clever satire, then there should be a rather distinct lack of black stereotypes as Obama (vote for him or not) is an incredibly eloquent speaker who fails to fall into most–if not all–of these commonly-held Japanese stereotypes. If, however, this is just another cheap blackface skit, then I’d expect a fair number of mispronunciations and your typical doofus behavior.
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I’ve been reading this website for several years by now, and I love it because their articles are full of humors and wits. So my first reaction to this was, just another clever article where they try to do funny things. But as I proceeded I did realize it may be perceived as racial stereotyping for non-Japanese, but not necessarily for the Japanese.
Again, I believe the main point for this article was that: 1) it’s funny that there’s a place with the same name as Obama, and that 2) it’s funny to go to the place which is 5 hours away just to witness it.
And I think they were just trying to do an impression of him, just like you’d do for anyone else. But I do think they could have done it less controversially, but I don’t think they had such intentions.
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Come on Irene… this, and the Hilary Clinton “big-nosed blue eyed” parody, is just racism, or at the very least, a complete lack of empathy with the sensibilities of people of different races. Same as western racist comedy playing Chinese and Japanese physical characteristics for laughs up until about 30 years ago.
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I agree that they didn’t have bad intentions. Still, like Claytonian, part of me feels that it is always a bad idea to paint yourself up like a black man/other race.
Their intent was clearly an impression of Obama. They probably didn’t have any black or white friends who looked like Hillary or Obama, but I still wonder what kind of post that would have made if such an option had been available. Would they have gone with better impersonators, or taken the facepaint/gaijin nose road?
Well yeah that’s so true.. to be honest, I thought it was really funny at the very beginning until I realized they were going to paint his face. So that’s what I meant for my first reaction.
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The point of joke seem to be that as he is approaching obama station, the candidate obama: As he is approching to Obama, is he becoming like Obama(candidate)?
As a Japanese I tend to look at it as one of mimicking jokes that Japanese comedians often play.
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/mixifrog/20070128
At the same time I agree with James that it is important for the Japanese to ” understand how someone of another race might feel hurt when they see a Japanese comedian using racial differences for laughs”.
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Yeah, it is an imitation of a celebrity as opposed to a race in general, so in that regard they get a bit of leeway maybe…
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“And I think they were just trying to do an impression of him, just like you’d do for anyone else. But I do think they could have done it less controversially, but I don’t think they had such intentions.”
I also don’t think they had bad intentions (impersonating a famous person or celebrity is quite common for Japanese comedians to do, after all), they did not know about the history of blackface and that many people find it offensive. For Americans especially, it’s seen as a symbol of when black people were actively discriminated against and ridiculed. However, Japan doesn’t have those same strong negative connotations with blackface. Though it was a dumb thing to do (as shazzb0t said below), I could understand, though if I were the blogger impersonating Obama I would not have used blackface.
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Pretty fucking dumb.
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Oh gosh…
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So if a black guy dressed up as Obama it wouldn’t be considered racist, but as soon as a person of a different ethnic group does it, it’s racist?
I think that as long as it isn’t supposed to be racist, it shouldn’t be considered racist.
I’m sick of this über-political correctness.
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Ultimately, it doesn’t depend on just one person’s perspective. Blackface is bound piss people off.
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That may be, but it’s still unrightful.
Reminds me of a South Park episode, where the children didn’t see the obvious racist message in a picture. It’s only racist if we believe in racism.
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I’m with ponta in that if you’re going to make yourself look like Obama you need to, well, try and make yourself look like Obama. Obama’s blackness is not the issue of the skit, his name is. However the fake nose is clearly racist, in that Obama’s nose is more like your average Japanese nose, and not a massive Roman beak. This is the “gaijin” stereotype: Obama is a foreigner so he ‘must’ have a foreigner nose.
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well said, i totally agree with you
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If Obama becomes President, do you think this kind of thing will happen alot? in Japan and in other countries that do the blackface thing on the media or…um..yeah^.^;
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To be honest with you,
I find Japanese to be not as sensitive as Americans in the comedy department. Bobby Lee and Margaret Cho makes fun of their own race all the time. Russell Peters makes fun of Asian and other races, but it is all in the name of comedy. If the main purpose is humor then why not? Why do we have to focus in the bad and not the good? I think that people should take it easy. If you are too sensitive, there’s little enjoyment.
Maybe I have a carefree personality, I dont’ know.
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I wouldn’t use the word “sensitive” as there are quite a few topics J-comedians won’t discuss, though maybe it’s because most rely on long one-liners and shtick as part of the show.
While I’m not too familiar with the first two comedians that you’ve listed (Cho’s no good imo), from what I’ve seen, they usually bring up stereotypes that they face and make the idiosyncrasy of it the joke (common Western style actually). At the same time, not to send blows just one way, they also critique their own mannerisms while relating it to general attitudes. They also don’t seem to make fun of their race most of the time; I’d say they stick to poking fun at their nationality while critiquing is done for Asians as a whole. Anyway, what’re ya doing listening to some weirdo Koreans in the first place
? You need more Bobby Olagun! (can’t stop watching…)
Same deal with Russell Peters, such as when he brings up the perception that Chinese are bad at English and yet, for the most part, use it in a more proper manner than Canadians, which is followed from a skit showing how cheap they are (while relating to how cheap Indians also are).
So yeah annie, Western humor isn’t simply about the “lulz” as the internet loves to quote, but about bringing up sensitive topics (race/gender issues most of the time) through humor so as to make it more accessible without the tension. A common issue one might point out is the portrayal of whites that some of the harder African-American comedians display, but a quick sum of it is that in the end of it all, whites are usually given the feeling of being in ‘power’ so it’s taken in good form.
As for this Blackface comedy (or anything similar), I have no qualms with it in general though I do find the whole nose part tacky and uneducated; basically in bad taste which is why I think it incites annoyance more so than Western comedians (I’ve probably seen more Japanese who’ve had larger noses than blacks per volume). Also, since humor is generally seen as a guise for an underlying message, expats may be suspicious of this type of humor (a white buddy of mine laughs at cracker jokes by Dave Chappelle, sorry about the language, but was irritated with white-man-big-nose Japanese comedy…kind of odd since he has a small nose)
I’d say if you were probably less “carefree”, you’ll notice these differences, but I understand where you’re coming from; I gotta be less “carefree” in class as well ’cause finals are on the waay ahhh
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It’s time to ban all humor, as it’s inherently full of making fun of someone. It’s just a question of time till the politically correct folks get around to attacking jokes based on being short, fat, or too good looking.
In any case, it’s the West with the history of extreme racism that feels all guilty and hypocritical, so it’s touching to see concern for what Japanese humor contains.
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Remember kids, pointing out the uniqueness of other people in any way, shape, or form is considered racism. We are all supposed to be color-blind drones, with absolutely nothing remarkable about us.
/sarcasm
Lower your noses and come back to reality, your prudish behavior is completely unwarranted here.
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I’m really getting tired of this Blackface thing(-_-)
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That really is horrendous poor taste and really not very funny.
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I see nothing wrong with this at all. It’s parody of a famous person, nothing more.
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Other races don’t understand the underlying thoughts behind blackface, so I won’t try to explain.
What they did isn’t cool and as a person of color, disturbing that in 2008, we still have to see crap like this, holdover thinking from early 20th century.
Al Jolson would be so proud.
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So, if they dressed up as a white celebrity with “white face” you’d find nothing wrong with that? I’m just trying to understand what you see as right and wrong. If it’s one sided like you’re making it sound.
Also, lets not forget, he’s only half black and half white. I’m still not sure why everyone considers him to be black, when really that’s only half of what he is.
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It’s only racist if it’s against Blacks, or Jews. Period.
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You must not be from the U.S. or Canada right, Karisu? In the United states, half black and white people are generally considered black. People consider him black because he identifies himself as black. I’m half and half as well, but I consider myself black. It’s how I was raised, and thats the type I identify with the closest. Generally, if one has any trace of sub-saharan ancestory (which Obama clearly has, his father being directly from Kenya) is seen as black. What I’m saying is, Obama has time and time again identified himself as an African American, thus, that is how he is viewed and portrayed.
If you still do not understand, you should dig up a little information about mulatto’s and the One Drop Rule to better understand why Barack is usually considered black. Reading a little about the U.S. Civil Rights Movement would probably be a good idea. Oh, and look up the history of “black face” too while your at it. Knowledge is your friend, Karisu. Don’t turn it away, embrace it.
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You’re right, I’m American.
I’m very well aware of what “black face” was in the first half of the 1900’s. And while I can’t remember the finer details, I was certainly schooled on Civil Rights Movement. As far as I’m concerned it’s ancient history though. Call it apathy if you will.
And I’ll also never understand why someone not originating (as in born) from Africa would consider themselves “African American”. It’s a ridiculous term.
Now, I wasn’t aware that Obama himself considered himself to be black. I’d personally never heard him mention his race.
Fact is, if people want equal rights, they need to be treated equally. So, if you find “black face” wrong, you better find “white face” wrong as well. Otherwise I see nothing but hypocrisy.
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@karisu
You said it buddy.
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whiteface/blackface or any other face….it’s all the same. Racist. It’s not a form of flattery at all. THIS particular item is about blackface, so that’s what people are commenting on.
I don’t remember whose comment it was, but the blackface and racist remarks started the day Barack announced he was running for president. A Hampton newspaper being the latest to ‘apologize’ for running a piece about ‘Barack is My Homeboy’. It was full of racist garbage. I guess they thought, just like the folks that thought that dressing up in blackface was a stroke of genius, that nobody else would see/read about it. Imagine their suprise….
(If people don’t know, they should LEARN the history behind it, before discounting it and saying/thinking, ‘oh THEY are just being sensitive…AGAIN’.)
The racism will only continue, because at this late great date, some people unfortunately view people who are different as inferior somehow and those differences make them ‘uncomfortable’. I expect to see more blackface, nooses and racist comments published over here.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
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Things are different in America and Japan.
The cultures and histories are not the same.
Also, humor that is offensive in some places is not in others.
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Explain that to Danish newspapers; it may not have been offensive there, and they had every right to print it, but it sure got a reaction.
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Actually it should have been explained to the Muslims.
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Why did this man painted his face and put a rubber nose? Is this a joke? or Making Fun of someone? Well I really think that was very Stupid.
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Hey this is the country that re-released Little Black Sambo a couple of years ago… The concept of racism seems to escape most people in Japan…
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Oh, I didn’t know that it was re-released. Having grown up in Japan and read that book as a kid, I was very surprised when I heard it was banned, probably just like any other Japanese people. But now I do understand the logic having lived in the U.S. for several years.
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If it’s a problem that has to do with US race relations I don’t see why it shouldn’t be available in Japan…
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The Story of Little Black Sambo is availabe on eBooks which is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and it is also available on Amazon com.These are not for the Japanese.
Google
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman. –
Amazon.co.jp： The Story of Little Black Sambo (Wee Book for Wee …
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You people are way too sensitive.
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Are you white?
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That’s your argument?
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Well, I’m black and I agree with Chris. Regardless of how Americans in general think of blackface, it’s not some objectively bad thing. It’s cheap humor, sure, but not “bad.”
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That guy looks nothing like Obama. FAILURE.
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He looks more like Antonio Fargas (Huggy Bear in Starskey and Hutch) than Obama. They should have just hired a black actor from an agency.
There’s also a station called Yoda in Japan. If the guy went there dressed as Yoda that actually would be very funny.
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I think it’s obviously lame and racist, but I’m not surprised, considering how they don’t ever really learn about racism and the reason why blackface is wrong.
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Please define “blackface” in this context.
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we dont need to learn and follow the western style racism. YOU need to learn more about outside of the western world. why do you impose your concept of values on others? What’s wrong with black skin? you are racist isnt it?
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Japanese people of Obama city in Japan supports Barack Obama
http://www.chunichi.co.jp/s/chuspo/article/2008020701000473.html
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I hope Barack will like it!!!
O, whathever…he WILL be the next president of the US!
I LOVE BARACK OBAMA!!!
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As a black person I find this hilarious. C’mon, people, it’s satire. Get a sense of humor and move on.
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Why’s noone talking about the “whitefacing” of Hillary? She appears there too, with blue eyes and all lol.
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