Culture

The AFL Star At The Centre Of Australia’s Latest Blackface Controversy Has Responded

"I grew a set of balls and painted my boy brown" was a real phrase written by someone.

by Osman Faruqi  26 August 2016

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Another day, another blackface incident in Australia. This time around a Perth mum has attracted heavy criticism after dressing her son up as West Coast player Nic Naitanui, complete with face paint, and bragging about it on Facebook. But that’s not even the worst bit.

Here Are All The High-Profile Australians Who’ve Defended Blackface Lately

The woman described the incident as her “Queening moment” (Queen of what? Racist morons!?) and admitted that she was warned by friends not to do it. Despite admitting she was “worried” about the decision, she went ahead and did it anyway.

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Yes, you read that right. “I grew a set of balls and painted my boy brown” was a real phrase written by someone. Naitanui has responded to the controversy on Twitter, writing that it “hurts my heart”.

“It’s a shame racism co-exists in an environment where our children should be nurtured not tortured because they are unaware of the painful historical significance ‘blackface’ has had previously on the oppressed,” Naitanui said.

Blackface controversies have become so common in Australia in recent years that the BBC was prompted to write in article in February titled “Why do Australians keep wearing blackface?”. What a great international reputation we have.