I didn’t say Noah was offensive in that particular bit (I do think he’s been offensive in others, which I mentioned specifically). I said he went for the easy joke, for the stereotype, and that he does that when speaking off the cuff. Whether one finds that offensive or not depends on how sick one is of the stereotype.
I looked for it and couldn’t find the video where he reported this, but Noah got trolled during his visit to Spain for carpool karaoke with Shakira. I don’t know if he was a primary or secondary target; maybe the person who “informed” him actually believed the story of that so-called lisp some Americans like asking about (well, some Americans and one South African guy) coming from a king who lisped. That’s pretty much the definition of trola: a convoluted story intended to pull somebody’s leg, and which only works so long as the target doesn’t stop and think. Between being in Spain and retelling the story in front of an American audience, Trevor Noah hadn’t stopped to think; he still believed it at that point (I don’t know if he has realized how stupid the question is or how stupid the explanation is, since recording that video).
“Powerful forces” indeed. The power of the fucking people. An hour after the venue was announced it was all over. A message to the rest of the world: this is how you fucking do it. Shut them down. Don’t give them a platform. Don’t accept this. To Southern and Molyneux: tofa from Aotearoa.
In the interview both linked and partially quoted the OP.
He was asked if he would apologize for offending them. He said no. Then he said that they just wanted to be angry.
If someone thinks people deserve an apology, they give it. They don’t make excuses about why they shouldn’t have to apologize. They don’t make themselves out to be the victim of the people who are upset. They don’t try to argue for why the people they offended are wrong.
I had actually grown to really like the new Daily Show, so this whole joke and then Noah’s response have been a big disappointment for me. I don’t get the “it’s a cultural barrier” idea that the joke would be funny if I were South African. Or why he thinks touring a museum about Aboriginal Australian culture makes some difference. You don’t need to know anything about Aboriginal women, aside from the fact that they exist, to realize the joke is insulting and demeaning to them.
I wish he’d issue an honest apology. There’s nothing wrong or shameful in admitting you did something wrong in the past.
In my understanding, the “ugly” label for Australian Aboriginal people is a particularly pernicious (and, indeed, ugly) stereotype, dating back centuries, and used in similar ways to the ape/monkey dehumanization stereotypes against African Americans. If so, then that makes this joke particularly egregious and offensive. I hope Noah realizes this at some point and apologizes.
I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’re correct; that’s why I called out the comments. Trevor Noah never said “No one deserves an apology for this.” IIRC, he never used the word apology or the word deserve. I don’t recall him saying “no I will not apologize” at all, perhaps you could quote that?
It seems clear to me that he was telling other people, other people who say they’ve never met a beautiful Aboriginal woman, that they just haven’t met one “yet”. If even if they don’t meet an Aboriginal woman who they find beautiful, maybe something else about her is beautiful besides how she looks.
So, I don’t think it is a joke really. Or if it is supposed to be a joke, it’s not really funny.
And I still don’t know what he is supposed to apologize for. Calling out other people who say Aboriginal women aren’t beautiful? HE’S not saying they are not beautiful, since the first line is “All women of every race can be beautiful”
The “yet” - the non bigoted answer would be “that’s a bigoted stereotype” or “yes, there are plenty of lovely aboriginal people”. His “yet” implies that it’s a reasonable belief. And I think that’s the basis of the joke.
Not the end of the world, but that’s how I see it.
That’s some serious candy coating. The joke ends with:
So maybe they are beautiful because despite their looks, they are porn stars in the sack. I’ve said I’m leary of judging a joke snipped from a long special, but you are being full of shit the way you are trying to frame what was reported on.
I don’t think I am. Plus, I don’t know what “maybe they jump on you” has to do with a porn star. And I wouldn’t use the word “despite”, and I notice that he didn’t either. That’s your own construction, which of course makes the statement worse than it actually is.
Plus, there is always what he DID say - “All women of every race can be beautiful”
Well, that’s a load of willful bullshit. “Maybe they jump you” and pantomiming a blow job confuses you porn star wise? “It’s not all about looks, maybe they…” is so darn different than “despite their looks”? You can fuck right off with your fake misunderstandings.