Photo shows Canadian PM Justin Trudeau wearing brownface at 2001 party

[OnlinePoker]

Source: CBS News

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under fire after a photo emerged of him wearing brownface to a party at a school where he was a teacher nearly 20 years ago. Trudeau, who faces re-election next month, said Wednesday night he "regrets it deeply."

"I should have known better," Trudeau told reporters. "I'm pissed off at myself. I'm disappointed in myself."

Trudeau was a 29-year-old teacher at West Point Grey Academy when the picture was taken, Liberal Party spokesperson Zita Astravas said in a statement to CBS News. The photo, first published by Time magazine Wednesday, was taken at an annual dinner, which had an "Arabian Nights" theme. Astravas said Trudeau was dressed as a character from Aladdin.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justin-trudeau-brownface-photo-time-magazine-shows-canadian-prime-minister-party-2019-09-18/

[DrToast]

1. Doh!

No beuno, but he seems to be accepting responsibility for it.

[LisaM]

2. And he was dressed as a character from a movie.

I don't think it's great news in our toxic culture, but I do find it different from being dressed as a minstrel or something.

[DrToast]

5. True, also does it even have the same negative connotation in Canada?

[luvtheGWN]

35. That's really the point. No, it doesn't.

Consider that Trudeau welcomed over 25,000 Syrian refugees (you know, those middle eastern types with slightly darker skin) a few years ago, and has never demonstrated one iota of racism, because he wasn't brought up to think his skin colour was better than anyone else's.

The Conservative Party is desperate, and more and more is using GOP election tactics to do everything to smear Trudeau.

[not_the_one]

49. black face in the minstrel context is to mock, demean, insult

I only saw the one photo of Justin as the middle eastern (Aladdin?), and ...

DAMN was he hot!!!

There was not one scintilla of mockery, demeaning insult received. If anything, it was very flattering.

If the rest of the photos are the same, this is nothing more than fake news, for the purpose of smearing Trudeau as if he was the equivalent to a fucking American republican.

Now THAT is an insult.

[Polybius]

3. 2001!

This is far worse than politicians here that were caught doing the same thing in the 60's and 80's.

[EveHammond13]

4. I can't say that I care.

[Polybius]

6. So blackface is cool?

It doesn't bother you if politicians that agree with you do it?

[EveHammond13]

7. stop.

[Polybius]

11. Blackface in 2001 is disgusting

How you don't care sends the wrong message.

[EveHammond13]

13. blocking. you are being ridiculous.

[Polybius]

14. When you can't find a response you block?

That's how you win debates on serious issues?

[Demonaut]

50. because

deal with it

[Polybius]

54. The response was to EveHammond13

Not sure why you felt the need to revive a 6 day old post to a user that was hypersensitive.

[Demonaut]

55. it was new to me

[Doodley]

17. Do you think skin lightener is racist? Are self-tanning products racist?

Is coloring hair racist? Is dressing up with meticulous effort to pay tribute to somebody or a fictional character racist? Is it racist for a white man to have blue paint applied to his skin to star in Avatar racist? Is it racist for a woman's body to be painted gold in a James Bond movie? Are sunbeds racist? When you stereotype people, when you denigrate people based on their color, that's racist. But color of all kinds is a beautiful thing. Let's celebrate it.

[Polybius]

18. No

I tan at the beach. Going to a costume party in blackface isn't remotely the same, but you know that already.

[Doodley]

19. You try to make your skin darker by going to the beach, but darkening skin to play a fictional

character for a few hours is a big problem for you. Explain the difference.

[Polybius]

21. One offends black people

For that reason alone we should never do it. It was big in the 30's.

But I'm done with this. We can't agree. I won't block you like the last posted did to me though, I'm sure we agree on many other issues.

[Doodley]

22. Who told you that nobody is offended that you try to color your skin by going to the beach?

[Polybius]

23. No one ever told me

If they did, I would be willing to listen. But I go for many other reasons. I enjoy the beach. It's fun.

[George II]

15. Who said it was "cool"? The difference between Trudeau and other politicians is.....

...he IMMEDIATELY apologized, and didn't use the weary old "to anyone I may have offended". He apologized unequivocally, no weasel words.

[Polybius]

16. He should have known better in 2001

I'm not calling for him to resign or anything, and I am glad he apologized. But saying one doesn't care is ridiculous.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

31. He himself said he should have known better. He didn't say he didn't care. Duh. Beat the dead horse.

Since you are glad he apologized and you are not calling for him to resign, then put real meaning behind that by moving on instead of endlessly flooding this thread to bash him needlessly. What more do you want him to do, since you are glad he apologized and you don't want him to resign?

Is he not progressive and liberal enough for you? You want him to apologize 10 times because 9 wouldn't be enough for you?

Give it a rest now. He said he made a mistake. You've said he was a bad guy about 20 times. Do you need to say it 20 more?

You want to beat down the liberal north of you and install a Conservative Prime Minister in the election on Oct 21? Keep beating your dead horse.

[Polybius]

34. I did move on

I just needed to get it out there by saying what I said and blasting the act. He did what he did. I responded to his actions. Then I read his apology. Now I moved on.

[luvtheGWN]

36. He was at a COSTUME PARTY, for gawd's sake!

Dressed as a character from The Arabian Nights (which was the party's theme). Tell me how that is so different from your teacher in public school having you dress up as an "Indian" for the Thanksgiving pageant? Maybe with slightly darker skin and war paint -- or maybe the teacher picked the children with the darker skin to play the "Indians"....and you thought nothing was wrong with that twenty years ago.

Again, he was at a COSTUME PARTY. Nothing to apologize for, just dealing with the Conservative Party's dirty tricks (which they've adopted from the GOP).

[IronLionZion]

38. I'm brown and I'll give him credit for that

He clearly did not have racist intent

[Doodley]

8. He should not have to apologize for dressing up with makeup as a fictional character. Sorry, but

that is not racist.

[EveHammond13]

9. +1

[cate94]

12. +1, n/t

[2naSalit]

20. +1...

The actual point.

[emmaverybo]

24. +1

[PSPS]

25. Peter Sellers did the same for his character in The Party.

[Jose Garcia]

37. Perhaps Canada wasn't as progressive as the US 18 years ago

[BannonsLiver]

40. In what way/s is it "far worse"?

[Mosby]

10. I guess that's it for him, he had a nice run.

[emmaverybo]

26. Yes, the Western world has misunderstood and oppressed the Arab world for centuries, Has nothing

to do with a fantasy or fiction. Will not, pervasive anti-Arab sentiment, evaporate when people stop
dressing up. There is no demeaning tradition of brownface tied to anti-Arab oppression.

The original work giving rise to popular culture themes in animation, cartoons, film, musicals was certainly not ethnically, culturally, societally accurate, but it was not intended to portray Arab characters as stupid grotesques.

Traditional casting, a white-centric practice that gave us Lawrence Olivier as a Moor, and a host of other grease-painted actors portraying stereo-types, must be challenged, but let us not trivialize
and conflate or drive people out of office for playing with costumes, make-up, and a magic carpet at a fantasy theme party.

[tirebiter]

27. How's he performed in office?

For instance Gov Northam had more than half of the Virginia Blacks saying he should not resign and he’s on tack to having Virginia 100% carbon free by 2050 and he’s transferring 100acres of Mattaponi land to the tribe so Trump can’t take it away and make some money from a back room deal. Just a couple things...

[BannonsLiver]

42. By all accounts he's been a good PM

[OnlinePoker]

43. I would say fair, not good.

Positives - brought in policies to help lower income Canadians, legalized pot, had the most inclusive cabinet ever.

Negatives - bought the Transmountain pipeline and authorized expansion which will allow oil sands bitumen to be shipped out of Vancouver, broke ethics codes twice including once to try and influence the justice minister to drop a criminal case against a major Quebec corporation (and then forced her to resign), raised taxes on the middle class.

[BannonsLiver]

44. Most would disagree.

Everyone will always have their boutique issues and wants that don’t get serviced. I suspect that is the case with your dislike of him.

[Turbineguy]

28. Oh dear.....

Hey, here's an idea! Maybe they can make trump Canadian Prime-Minister as well!

[CTyankee]

29. Had he been drinking?

I wonder, since drinking can lower your ability to make judgments about what you are doing. I'm not saying he might be drunk, but even a couple of glasses of wine could alter his decision making ability in this particular occasion (party).

[MFM008]

30. Dont we have

Enough to worry about here?

[Vinca]

32. I would still take Trudeau over Trump as the leader of my country . . . in a nanosecond.

Also, see clips of Yul Brynner in "The King and I." It's not the same as appearing in black face.

[stonecutter357]

33. Donald Trump is a racist pig !

[demmiblue]

39. NEW: Global News has obtained a video of Justin Trudeau in blackface. This is the 3rd instance...

NEW: Global News has obtained a video of Justin Trudeau in blackface. This is the 3rd instance of Trudeau in blackface and is not from the other two events where Trudeau was in blackface

Link to tweet

This is really disappointing.

[onetexan]

46. exactly. Trudeau apologized. Forgotten tomorrow.

[Owl]

48. Exactly.

[dustyscamp]

45. If Trump or Maxime Bernier did this they would throw it under the rug or make excuses

Trudeau appears to be genuinely remorseful about it so Canadians should give him a chance

[VarryOn]

47. One can do or say a racist thing without being racist...

It gets down to intent. Did he intend to make fun of, demean, or embarrass brown or black people? I dont think so. After all, he's got a history of being a nonracist amd someone who appreciates and helps those of opposites races and cultures. He's got a record of working to make lives better of such people. These three instances are complements of a history of racist behavior.

No one who knows him or who are political opponents would say in honesty that they think he's a racist.

No doubt, he made bad decisions when he was younger, and no doubt, he wouldnt do it again.

He's apologized for being a dumbass, was geniune in doing so, and Canadians should move on!

That said, his bigger problem is and should be over the SNP Lavalin scandal. I'm not convinced it'll take him down. They certainly got close to the line.

[Demonaut]

51. and cheetos are mocked by trump

[secondwind]

52. Frankly, I've always thought blackface is what people do when they don't have a costume.

I’ve never considered it racist.

[dawg day]

53. What a very quaint little scandal--

Compared to a president committing treason and extorting an ally to illegally fabricate a crime by a political opponent....

And that's only the latest horrible travesty Trumpism.