Letter to the Editor: Too much fuss over Trudeau’s blackface
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau is begging the Canadian public – all of whom are squeaky clean – to forgive him for donning a turban and blackface at a costume party almost 20 years ago. A bit crass, perhaps.
Surprisingly his critics so far haven’t also commented on his blackened hand placed on the bare upper chest of the young woman standing beside him. But then Trudeau is not Trump — he’s younger, a bit more handsome and not conservative in his politics, so he can be allowed that much as long as he doesn’t step out of line.
But it’s hard to see what the fuss is about — we’ll soon be coming to a time of year when people will don offensive, and borderline blasphemous, “sexy” nun or “boozy” priest Halloween costumes along with a variety of other stereotypes such as “native American”.
This is year after year without a whisper of protest, so why Trudeau?
We are often told we “live in more compassionate and caring times” now all that guilt and shame associated with religion and sin has been consigned to the historical dustbin.
In fact we find whole new classes of guilt, shame and sin have been created, with a vindictive and mean-spirited social media public baying for blood at the slightest slip.
Along with “sin” it seems the corresponding virtue of “forgiveness” was also dumped.Public figures these days will rue that ill-timed fart or nose-pick at any public event, least some cameraphone-wielding critic is around to record it for posterity for them to be ‘outed’ and shamed, forced to undergo public penance
