CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Inner-city leftie Pearce Keating (29) is today feeling absolutely disgusted by his beloved public broadcaster, after watching a program that makes fun of Aboriginal people and Aboriginal culture.
While streaming ABC’s Black Comedy on iView in his central Fitzroy terrace house, Pearce was appalled by the program’s light entertainment format which is based around pointing out humorous stereotypes that exist in the day-to-day lives of Aboriginal people.
“I just don’t feel comfortable with their use of words like ‘black’ and ‘blackfella’ – it’s wildly politically incorrect. I don’t know how it got signed off on!”
Pearce, who since 2004 has only ever left inner-city Melbourne on international flights, thinks it’s shocking to portray Indigenous people in a way that doesn’t highlight the deep-seated social issues their community faces.
“I just think, there is so much we need to talk about when it comes to Aboriginal Australia, and the ABC has chosen to present them as some sort of jovial minority with good senses of humour”
“Wheres all the stats about poor health and education? Where are all of the inspiring stories about obscure sports being introduced to remote townships for six months?”
“I’m offended on behalf of all Aboriginal people by the Aboriginal jokes in this All-Aboriginal television production”
But it’s not just the jokes about Aboriginal culture that offends Pearce. Seeing gay Aboriginal men stereotyped in a comedic way is also offensive to straight white Greens voters who are devoid of life experience and humor he says.
“The fact that all the jokes based around Steven Oliver’s character are based around him being gay and black is twice as bad”
Mr Keating says that although is he is neither gay or black, he can totally relate to the struggles of the gay and black communities.
“Imagine how gay black people feel when they see a gay black man play a gay black man?”
“We need to close the gap between gay black people and white straight people”
“Making light of their every day life isn’t helping any of the causes that I sign up for on Change.org in a half-hearted attempt of relieving myself of the guilt that comes with cruising through life as easily as I have”
