>> Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is apologizing today after there have been multiple instances
of him wearing either brown face or black face in the past.
The first example that we learned about was when he went to a party at a private school
that he used to teach at.
The theme of the party was Arabian Nights and he decided to use brown face in his costume.
So that led to a firestorm.
And then soon after that, we found out that he also wore blackface and an afro at a high
school event.
And in that case, we apparently also have a video.
So let's take a quick look at that.
So it's super grainy.
>> Yeah, I think that's him.
>> There we go, yeah, that's the video.
>> Yeah, all right, so I am going to have defend them actually, so let's get to it
>> By the way, there was one other example that i just wanna tell you about.
So the third example was from the early 1990s, by the way the first example was from 2001,
and then the third example is from the early 1990s.
In that example he was also wearing an Afro and black face.
>> Yeah, so and he's profusely apologized said it was wrong, it was racist, he just
didn't notice well he should have at the time etc.
Okay, so he shouldn't have done the black face, I'm not defending him on that at all.
On the brown face, I don't think there's any such thing.
So when the scandal was first about brown face, I'm like it's not a thing.
So you have to have a conversation about why black face is offensive.
This is what drives me crazy.
This is why I thought it was wrong to fire Meghan Kelly without having a conversation
about it, I think would have been much better, but they fired her for other reasons.
But anyway, a lot of people in this country that I would guess the great majority of this
country has no idea why black faces offensive.
And it's offensive because they were minstrel shows where the white people would get dressed
up in blackface and make fun of African-Americans with deeply racist tropes.
And then that would lead to violence against African-Americans.
>> It was to dehumanize them, and it led to people continuing their brutalization of the
black community.
Look, I get what you're saying, but I'll let you finish your point.
>> Yeah, let me finish.
>> Yeah.
>> So that's why black face is real, it's offensive and why you shouldn't do it.
There's not a well-known history of brown face in America where there was Mistrel show
of Arabs or Middle Easterners etc.
It's not to say there hasn't been discrimination against Arabs even the KKK used to talk about
Turks as well as me, Muslims, etc.
But they didn't do it in brown face.
So it's just a different thing and I think maybe you think I'm splitting hairs and that's
fair.
But I think that we have to like realize why it's offensive.
And then not get carried away and saying no don't ever get dressed up as a minority of
any sort.
Are you gonna criticize the Japanese for doing white face in their theater?
So it kinda depends, it depends on the history and the context.
>> Yeah, look, it does depend on it and I get what you are saying, because you're right
in that brown phase does not have the disgusting history that you have with the black community
and minstrel shows and all that.
But Brooke said something in response to the story yesterday when the first instance of
brown face came up.
And I think that is a really great concise way to help people understand why it's offensive.
People of color have to constantly consider their behavior and how they carry themselves.
In public just so they don't make white people uncomfortable, right?
So think about it from the perspective of someone who is Arab or someone who is Muslim,
right?
So they're are all these stereotypes out there about them all these thoughts about them.
And so in order to make people, incredibly sensitive people who buy into those stereotypes,
comfortable, they have to be very measured in their public behavior at all times.
>> Yeah.
>> They always have to consider how we feel about things.
And so I don't think it's asking too much for white people to consider how their actions,
and their depictions of people of color, impact others.
>> No, no.
>> Do you get what I'm saying?
>> Yeah, of course, I do, and I think that's fair, but there's just isn't the same history
with it.
So again, it's not to say that Arabs and Muslims, and etc., and Middle Easterners have not been
discriminated against in America or in Canada they have, but not through minstrel shows
and not through brown face.
And so- >> Yeah.
>> Like some people were saying, you're not allowed to dress up as any part of their costumes,
and-
>> Yeah, so I'm with you on that.
>> To me, I'm like no, I mean, so- >> There was an example-
>> There's a lot of history, for example, and even the cartoons used to do it.
I know this is a, I keep bringing it back to me just cuz I know and I can freely say
I don't mind, right?
Of people putting on fezes like Turks used to, right?
I don't care about that at all.
>> Yeah.
>> Because people didn't get killed because somebody put on a fez and did racist stereotypes,
and so that was the thing that didn't happen in America.
>> Yeah, look, I think there's just so many different issues at play.
So just to respond to the brown face thing again, it doesn't have the same history as
black face, but it's still offensive.
So I just- >> I wouldn't recommend doing it today.
>> Yeah, I mean just think about it.
If some a public figure, and I remember back in the day, there were some sports teams that
did this and they got in trouble.
They do the thing with the eyes, right?
>> For Asians?
>> For Asians, right?
>> Yeah.
>> People got upset about that.
The Asian community found that offensive, right?
And so instead of saying, it doesn't have the same history, let's not make a big deal
about it.
If they find it offensive, I think it's important to just listen to their perspective.
But- >> I won't listen.
>> Okay.
>> Of course, you listen.
>> Hold on, the third thing we're talking about is something I completely agree with
you on, and it has to do with the, look, Justin Trudeau and his family got a lot of heat.
I didn't know about this until today.
They got heat because when they were visiting India, they wore-
>> Traditional Indian outfits.
>> Yeah, traditional Indian outfits, and so I'm gonna be honest about something, because
I feel like this is one day gonna come back and haunt me even though I didn't do anything
wrong.
I've worn an Indian sari when I went to Washington DC for an Indian political event.
>> That's nuts, you see, that's what I'm talking about.
>> I know, I know, but here's the thing.
Praveen, who works with us and is Indian, let me borrow that.
I went with her and she's like here's my sari for my wedding.
>> No, no, I'm glad you brought that up.
>> Yeah.
>> Because I thought the criticism of him for wearing a traditional Indian outfit when
he visited India is mental.
He's trying to pay respect, so white people can't wear saris?
That's crazy talk.
No, of course you can wear saris.
That's more respectful than it is harmful.
So if some South Asians say, well, I find that offensive, okay, we can have a conversation
about it.
But you don't speak for all South Asians.
And so because one person or a number of people find it offensive, it doesn't mean no one
is allowed to do it.
>> Yeah, it really depends on what the intention is, right?
So if the intention is to honor and celebrate the culture, I think that's important.
But if the intention is to mock or dehumanize a group of people, well, than that's super
significant.
>> 100%.
>> I think intent matters.
>> Yeah, and so look at the Arabian Knights one, it looks like they had a costume party.
I don't care, I don't think it was meant to mock anyone.
When he puts on the Afro and the blackface, it looks more like mocking, it's a bigger
problem, right?
Context matters.
So when you wear a sari, or some other traditional outfit out of respect, there's absolutely
nothing wrong with that.