Racist street performance

delta_bravo

I was walking down Grafton Street this morning and spotted the usual activities on the street: musicians setting up and a few of those other performers. However one really got my attention. I had to do a double take when I saw this I haven't been down the street in a while so I don't know if this thing is a regular feature on Grafton street but to me it seemed quite a strange thing to have on the street. Firstly it seems overtly racist and secondly how do they expect people to give them money for doing this? It seemed quite unusual. Nobody others seemed to be paying much attention to it but thats often the case with these buskers that people ignore them. As far as I know buskers need permission to perform, I'm not sure if that applies to non music acts but it seems completely inappropriate to me.

MagicMarker

Context? exactly what were they doing?

El Guapo!

It's two guys in masks. A monkey one and an Obama one. What's racist about it? Are they calling Obama a monkey or are you just looking for a reason to be offended?

Lad Of Banter

Dean09 wrote: »

It's two guys in masks. A monkey one and an Obama one. What's racist about it? Are they calling Obama a monkey or are you just looking for a reason to be offended?

a gorilla, tbh

madalig12

I can't see how that isn't racist....at all. Unless they don't know each other and met there by chance.

Snake Plisken

looks a bit racist alright think the guys behind the masks are eastern europeans, although have to say if I was an american tourist I'd be pretty uncomfortable about what they are implying with the guerilla mask beside their president!

El Guapo!

Lad Of Banter wrote: »

a gorilla, tbh

Some fúckin banter you are!

J Bourke

Do people go out of their way to be offended by stupid shit??

All I see is a gorilla sitting next to Barry O'Bama. Get over youself. :mad:

Rented Mule

Barrack Obama and a gorilla are walking down Grafton st .....

fullstop

Dean09 wrote: »

It's two guys in masks. A monkey one and an Obama one. What's racist about it? Are they calling Obama a monkey or are you just looking for a reason to be offended?

Sure everything's racist nowadays around here, didn't you get the memo?

Almaviva

Pretty shocking alright. You just cannot go around insult gorillas like that.

squod

Where did the monkey get that coat?

theT

delta_bravo wrote: »

I was walking down Grafton Street this morning and spotted the usual activities on the street: musicians setting up and a few of those other performers. However one really got my attention. I had to do a double take when I saw this I haven't been down the street in a while so I don't know if this thing is a regular feature on Grafton street but to me it seemed quite a strange thing to have on the street. Firstly it seems overtly racist and secondly how do they expect people to give them money for doing this? It seemed quite unusual. Nobody others seemed to be paying much attention to it but thats often the case with these buskers that people ignore them. As far as I know buskers need permission to perform, I'm not sure if that applies to non music acts but it seems completely inappropriate to me.

And in what way is this racist? Theres a good reason nobody was paying attention to it.....

Dr Turk Turkelton

About time someone highlighted the problems with these freaks coming over from Africa.

I mean look at the size of one of them-sure there won't be a banana left in the country if we keep letting gorillas in.

Kenny Logins

How exactly is that racist? I don't get it..

cml387

I suppose that the fact that black footballers get taunted by morons making monkey sounds has passed all you guys by?

sfwcork

Is the gorilla on the left or right?

cml387

sfwcork wrote: »

Is the gorilla on the left or right?

For example

Lad Of Banter

Actually,

It's quite a cleverly constructed political statement.

In 2007, Sen. Joe Biden said "Social Security is not the hard one to solve. Medicare — that is the gorilla in the room, and you’ve got to put all of it on the table."

In 2010, Obama Agreed That Medicare Is “The 800-Pound Gorilla In The Room”

http://www.gop.com/news/research/gorilla-in-the-room/

biko

It's two guys in masks that's sitting next to each other.
Without context it's nothing.


Is this racist? Without context we don't know.

senorwipesalot

Unless they started throwing sh1t at each other its not racist.

sfwcork

cml387 wrote: »

For example

Here fishy fishy

ted1

Don't think it's racist, just think its stupid

ITS_A_BADGER

you can examine different situations and make your own conclusions

KyussBishop

If the performers are comparing Obama to a Gorilla (a common dehumanizing racist comparison, comparing black people to monkeys), then there's pretty much no way this isn't racist?

If this isn't what it's supposed to mean, then what political statement is being made?


If there's another political statement behind it that actually makes sense, then it may not be racist, but it's sure looking pretty bad...(find it hard to see how the performers wouldn't see potential, for it to be seen as racist)

cml387

biko wrote: »

It's two guys in masks that's sitting next to each other.
Without context it's nothing.


Is this racist? Without context we don't know.

Good point. I wonder how it would be interpreted in Harlem, for example?

Dr Turk Turkelton

The op is clearly racist against people in fancy dress.

ITS_A_BADGER

KyussBishop wrote: »

If the performers are comparing Obama to a Gorilla (a common dehumanizing racist comparison, comparing black people to monkeys), then there's pretty much no way this isn't racist?

If this isn't want it's supposed to mean, then what political statement is being made?


If there's another political statement behind it that actually makes sense, then it may not be racist, but it's sure looking pretty bad...(find it hard to see how the performers wouldn't see potential, for it to be seen as racist)

maybe they arent making any political statement at all

J Bourke

KyussBishop wrote: »

If the performers are comparing Obama to a Gorilla (a common dehumanizing racist comparison, comparing black people to monkeys), then there's pretty much no way this isn't racist?

If this isn't want it's supposed to mean, then what political statement is being made?


If there's another political statement behind it that actually makes sense, then it may not be racist, but it's sure looking pretty bad...(find it hard to see how the performers wouldn't see potential, for it to be seen as racist)

YOU'RE the one making the racial connection here. All I see is 2 lads in masks.

Moghead

Those guys are outside brown thomas most days. There is about 4 or 5 of them doing the whole moving statue thing. Never saw them with the Obama or gorilla masks before though.

Tombi!

Would it not have made sense to actually ask them what they were doing instead of giving us a picture and asking us to do detective work?

KyussBishop

ITS_A_BADGER wrote: »

maybe they arent making any political statement at all

Maybe, but it's pretty odd; I'd be surprised if they didn't see how it could be interpreted as racist.

el dude

All they're missing is a KKK hood.

Smiles35

There's a couple of lads in eastern europe doing a Putin mask and peanut head routine

delta_bravo

J Bourke wrote: »

YOU'RE the one making the racial connection here. All I see is 2 lads in masks.

Do you not find it unusual that 2 people decided to wear a gorilla mask and a Obama mask, wear identical clothing and then sit out on Grafton St looking for money?


Just to refer to earlier posts, I never said I was offended by it. I said I believe it to be racist. It definitely has some connotations with racism as someone earlier wrote about recent monkey chants being directed at football players coming to mind.

KyussBishop

J Bourke wrote: »

YOU'RE the one making the racial connection here. All I see is 2 lads in masks.

That's fair enough, it just makes me immediately think of recent stuff like this:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2184303/Gael-Clichy-Bananas-thrown-pitch-Limerick-game.html

cml387

It could of course be a comment on the state of US healthcare as was stated earlier.

I look forward to their take on the problems of bilingualism in Belgium or France's burgeoning public sector deficit.

J Bourke

delta_bravo wrote: »

Do you not find it unusual that 2 people decided to wear a gorilla mask and a Obama mask, wear identical clothing and then sit out on Grafton St looking for money?

Not unusual, just open to interpretation maybe?

You see what you want to see, if you're inclined to be easily or willfully offended you'll put 2 and 2 together and come up with racism.

Absolutezero

Beggars.

WindSock

It was probably deliberately done to provoke a reaction or discussion by some first year students of some kind.

biko wrote: »

Is this racist? Without context we don't know.

Dunno, but why is Michelinman in a snazzy wheelchair in the background?

Boombastic

Obama is doing an impression of Micheal Jackson not sure why it's racist?

Edit: unless they had a race?

Irish Guitarist

It's either meant to look ridiculous and nonsensical or they're comparing Barack Obama to a gorilla because they think he's incompetent. George Bush was frequently called a chimpanzee even though he was, and as far as I know still is, white.

KyussBishop wrote: »

Maybe, but it's pretty odd; I'd be surprised if they didn't see how it could be interpreted as racist.

Would it also be racist if someone wore a polar bear mask and his friend wore a Pat Butcher mask? I always thought Pat Butcher looked a bit like a polar bear.

Smiles35

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

Would it also be racist if someone wore a polar bear mask and his friend wore a Pat Butcher mask? I always thought Pat Butcher looked a bit like a polar bear.

I don't know, If the polar bears were looking for work as hookers might feel sorry for them

Boombastic

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

......
Would it also be racist if someone wore a polar bear mask and his friend wore a Pat Butcher mask? I always thought Pat Butcher looked a bit like a polar bear.

I think that'd be classed as a crime against humanity:D

A_Sober_Paddy

This is no way racist...people these days don't know what real racism is...apparently telling someone to go back to their country is racist by today's standard too...PC gone mad

latenia

If anyone doesn't think that's racist then you're either naive or stupid. The implication is quite obvious and I'd be mortified if an African-American tourist saw it. If I see them there myself tomorrow I'll be having words.

Difference Engine

Two people dressed up, sitting there not doing much and no one understands what's going on.

That's just called a sh!t street performance.

Even if they were trying to offend someone they have failed miserably. What's the story with the Gestapo coats?

Difference Engine

latenia wrote: »

If anyone doesn't think that's racist then you're either naive or stupid. The implication is quite obvious and I'd be mortified if an African-American tourist saw it. If I see them there myself tomorrow I'll be having words.

You might want to find out what they are doing before you go in all guns blazing. What if it turned out to be two black guys under the masks?

GoldenLight

I actually think people maybe jumping the gun here, all I'm seeing is a picture of a gorrilla, next to Obma, and as some pointed out politically it could be Obma sitting with a gorrilla in the room.

Now in saying that I really don't know if it's racists, it could be satire, (I would have to know a little more info).

What I find extremely interesting though, is that some posters are assuming it is actually racist, which would imply to me the second they see a gorilla and a person of colour in the same room, or on the same street, they automatically think, that there should be a link, now that is racist.

Who knows maybe that is what the performance artists wanted to imply, if so they where successful

MagicMarker

latenia wrote: »

If anyone doesn't think that's racist then you're either naive or stupid. The implication is quite obvious and I'd be mortified if an African-American tourist saw it. If I see them there myself tomorrow I'll be having words.

The implication is racist, but without context it remains merely an implication.

Also, not all black people are African-American.

Where To

Not all gorillas are black either.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake_%28gorilla%29