Sport, sponsors, activism and politics

[DJC]

And who are the judges of that? What are the guidelines for making such judgements? Is there ok blacking up  and not ok blacking up? Can Magda black up but not Sam Newman? I personally think all blacking up is just cheap and tacky.

Absolutely!

The difference is that Sammy Newman refused to acknowledge that his blackface was in any way wrong and offensive to people of colour generally and Nicky Winmar in particular, and he still won’t accept that he did anything wrong.  Eddie McGuire was still defending Sam’s blackface as recently as 2020.

Magda’s blackface performance was no less offensive than Sam’s.  The difference is that Magda acknowledges that what she did was wrong and hurtful to Indigenous Australians.  She has apologised and sought advice from Indigenous Australians about how to make amends.  Her willingness to explore how to use her gaff to make things better is admirable.

That’s quite a contrast with the attitude of the owner of Lang Prospecting who can’t bring herself to say whether she agrees with the genocidal beliefs of the previous owner of the company.

Of course, the real bonus out of the Magda blackface controversy resurfacing yet again is that a new audience gets to appreciate the Gina Minehart skits; comedy gold and yet another example of life imitating art.