Are late night tv hosts being penalized harshly enough?

Jamie Fox Defends Jimmy Fallon
As said in this article, which Marlon Wayans also agrees with, Jimmy Fallon was doing it out of comedic reasons, not hate or rage. And it was 20 years ago. And he apologized immediately when it was brought up.
How harshly do you want them treated? Beat? Jailed? Killed?
I’m sure we have all done something we shouldn’t have. I hope I’m not beat or killed for something I said or did 20 years ago, unless I have murdered someone. And I haven’t.

@chyna is right. These people are entertainers, and if one disapproves of their behavior, then don’t watch, and don’t support their advertisers. If their employers want to fire them, or suspend them that’s their business.
They are not elected officials, or even journalists from whom we expect certain standards.

Are you a priest to be talking of ”penance”?

I would have more sympathy for @KNOWITALL ‘s point if people like Hannity, Ingraham, Levin, Limbaugh, Boortz, and Tucker Carlson had to do penance for the years of lies they told.

Until that happens, they’re all entertainers playing to their audiences. Free speech and all that.

(Unless @KNOWITALL feels that the left has less right to their free speech than the right does.)

Back when Kimmel would do Carl Malone, I would laugh so hard I couldn’t sit up. At the time it didn’t even occur to me (or Carl Malone) that it was a blackface routine. I wonder why.

@elbanditoroso It was just a question, I offered no opinion thus far.
But I do recall a few past incidents where the punishment was more severe so I was curious about other opinions.

@stanley Do you still think it’s funny or have you changed your opinion?
PS Karl with a K.

Community (TV series) had a Black-Face character in the Dungeons and Dragons episode. The character was portraying a Dark elf. Should the episode be banned or is it cool?

@elbanditoroso I absolutely and unequivocably support freedom of speech by all human beings.

In this case I’d hoped to discuss pervasive racism in our country and how and what form of punishment is acceptable.

I’d be interested to hear if everyone agrees with @canidmajor, that no punishment is needed. Especially at this point in time.

@RedDeerGuy1 Did you find it funny or offensive?

@KNOWITALL I felt nothing. I liked the rest of the episode. I also read the Black like me book. I liked that too. It wasn’t meant to be offensive. I thought that the book was based on a true story, too find out what discrimination the Black people experience in America. I covered my head in white weight gain powder in Halloween in university and posed as a Dark Elf. The next year I went as an escaped mental patient and I got so much hell from a fellow classmate that I took it off right away.

@RedDeerGuy1 I’m not trying to be contentious, but how do you determine intent?
Because it was a comedy, does that make blackface non-offensive?
If you later learned that actor was a racist would that change your opinion on it being offensive or not?

@KNOWITALL how do you determine intent? I don’t. Unless it comes off naturally without thinking about it. The goal was not to reference blacks but a fictional race. If someone is offended then they can ask the producer to remake the scene without the black face. Yes I don’t watch Bill Cosby’s movies afterwards so I would say yes that being a racist matters to how I like the act.
I was offended when a dog in a board game was named after me and made fun of. So It should be what a reasonable person would react.

@KNOWITALL You misread my post. I didn’t say anything about “no punishment being needed”. Go back and reread it.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

@canidmajor (sigh) You specifically said entertainers are not held to standards. I find that interesting in regards to racism, semantics aside. Since you are a senior caucasian I expected that.

Black Elvis Should he be punished?

@chyna Exactly what I hoped to explore here. Is it to be presumed racist with superficial reflection or is it subtle racism many don’t notice, as Stan explained?

Do we have to know context or should artists and/or entertainers simply understand anything like that is off limits?

Some of these responses are as shocking as they are ignorant.
Prejudice doesn’t have to come from hate, I would argue it is just as destructful when racism is at the heart of so called “comedy”.

If you think it funny to laugh at a white man mocked up as black & they’re only entertaining us rather than preaching hate, then you are the problem.

Educate yourselves & get out of the dark ages…

Well, I have said before, making your skin darker to portray a character is not necessarily putting down or making fun of black people, but since in society today there is basically zero tolerance for it I guess it can’t be done. I understand the history behind why there is no tolerance.

The thing is SNL dresses and mimics celebrities for a living. That is their schtick. They are equal opportunities make fun of black, white, Asian, it doesn’t matter. So, one of their white comedians fixing themselves up to look like a black celebrity is much much different than some white frat boy making himself look black while his best friend wears a white hood for a Halloween party.

I don’t think he should be off the air at all for this, and even if it happened today I think it shouldn’t be a big deal, but I know it is, so as I said, for now it just can’t be done.

I think the problem our society is having with things like this is mainly a matter of timing. Kimmel did the Karl Malone bit long ago. Some of the other examples of people in black face also happened long ago. None of them were done in a spirit of hatred or rage or even racism. They were done as comedic skits, halloween costumes, etc. Now, fast forward to today. These pictures from 20+ years ago surface and someone tries applying some hyped up modern morality to them and suddenly we expect these people to apologize for them or worse, we expect punishment. That is foolish beyond belief in my book. The people were doing things that were acceptable by the standards of the time and as I said, they weren’t meant to be harmful. I think it is time to get over it and stop feeling so hyper-sensitive about every little thing. And if you believe we should continue to be so hyper-sensitive then I firmly believe we should have a couple thoughts to consider. First is that all cases such as this need to be dealt with the same. If a Dem politician has a black face event from his dim past and there are calls for him to resign, the same ought to apply to Republicans, comedians, news casters, etc. It is hypocrisy to do otherwise…to excuse one and not the other. The second is that we should apply the same standard to all past costumes. If you are a guy that dressed up as a girl for a costume (or a girl as a guy), you should be condemned as stirring gay hatred. If you dressed up as a serial killer you should be condemned as trying to glorify mass murder. If you dressed up as a Disney Prince or Princess, you should be condemned as trying to entice little kids to you like some sort of pedophile. I mean, let’s not go stupid half-way. Either go all the way or not at all.

@KNOWITALL (sigh) Oh, do reread it (again). I said, specifically and exactly: ” They are not elected officials, or even journalists from whom we expect certain standards.” The use of the word ”certain” indicates a specificity of “standards“ that is different from the standards that others are held to.

Punishment for entertainers comes in the manners I mentioned: loss of audience which leads to loss of sponsors which often leads to loss of employment.

And BTW, if you are going to insist on nit-picking my original post, do brush up on the definition of “penance”.

https://www.yourdictionary.com/penance

Your question and details specifically addressed punishment for two persons who happen to be entertainers. If you intended to address systemic racism across the board, fine, but you didn’t. Maybe ask another Q about that?

@ucme It’s interesting you see that from across the pond. I agree. It’s not funny anymore.

And yer, @KNOWITALL, you seem to have no problem supporting your favorite racist enterner.
Go figure.

@KNOWITALL Best to ignore, anyone who finds harmless banter as “inappropriate” behaviour doesn’t deserve your attention on any matter :D

@all This is not a political thread remember.