Just watched the news there, and they were doing bits on all the Mickey Mouse Saint Patrick’s Day parades around the country. The parade in Durrow, County Laois has cruised into first place in the tasteless Paddy league table. In amongst the wild horses and bewildered old people in wheelchairs being pushed down the street against their will, they had some very strange floats indeed.
The most surreal thing for me was seeing the float containing your man portraying Tiger Woods. He was blacked-up, and dragging a ball and chain behind him. At first I thought they might be making some philosophical point about slavery, but no, it’s just a painfully lame joke about Tiger’s relationship with his wife.
Stay classy, Ireland.
[EDIT - There was a second Tiger Woods character in this parade, but I can't quite tell from the fleeting glimpse whether this was an actual black person, or another man in makeup. Post edited to clarify this.]
This wasn’t a joke about black people, merely it was a white person pretending to be black and therefore there was no malice. I wouldn’t lose sleep over it.
I acknowledged it was a joke about Tiger Woods, but it is tasteless and a fucking embarrassment, to be honest, in this day and age. I won’t lose any sleep over it…
I saw this as well earlier on, and I couldn’t believe it myself. Now, I dont think there was any racist intentions, but at the same time it was ridiculous. You wouldnt get away with doing that in the states. Couldnt they have at least found an actual black guy! And why was there two of them? Lack of imagination for godsake
I’ve no doubt but that there was no real malice or anything, for the simple reason that they did it in the first place. Now, a man darkened up and wearing a ball and chain, that’s the kind of thing that could be taken the wrong way. I can imagine what would happen if that was done in America. So the very fact they did this thing in today’s PC environment strongly suggests it was all completely innocent and they didn’t think of that aspect at all. It still looks so fucking stupid though, that’s the gist of what I’m saying. I’m not accusing anyone of being racist.
Durrow for the European Capital of Culture 2011.
Maybe I shouldn’t mention that I’m from Laois…
Please god if you exist, let him be from Durrow
Well I guess God doesn’t exist…I’m not from Durrow…
I take it people from Laois like golf
Laois people love golf…can’t get enough of it…and we black up to play it as well.
I hate golf…
Now I’m no racist. In fact, some of best friends are black, and I absolutely adore fried chicken. It’s delicious.
But the good people of Durrow had a dream. Now if this was Plan A, can you imagine how shit Plan B was. Something along the lines of a goat in a hat. Would that have got them on the news? Would it fuck.
Oh the city folk may scoff and say they don’t even have real black people in Durrow. But they’ve got real soul. And isn’t that the blackest thing of all?
People of Durrow, I salute you.