I read an article by Robert Mackey on http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/10/turkish-tv-anchor-dons-blackface-to-address-obama/. The article talked about how a Turkish news caster, who was of white fair skin, painted his face black when addressing Obama’s speech to Turkish parliament. The news station was a witty, tabloid, sort of news station. Like it was not a serious prime time news program addressed to a vast population. The news caster painted his face not because he was racist but because of the myth “that a person who asks for a favor darkens his face, but a person who then refuses to grant that person a favor has an even darker face.” He was basically saying how Obama should be on Turkey’s side in fighting their Kurdish adversary’s.
The article is interesting because it talked about how Americans would take the painted black face differently than the Turkish people. It really hits on how America has different ideology. We would be more accustomed to completely condoning the notion when in reality it was not a racist gesture but rather playing off of a Turkish proverb. It also shows how America’s ideology has not penetrated to all corners of the globe. What we may think is wrong could be a strong political statement in another country; our view is not hegemonic.
The article is significant because it tells people to wake up to other cultures subjectivity. It makes us see the world outside of our eyes so to speak. We can get so caught up in our own worlds, so much so that when a political statement like that emerges our ideology immediately tells us that it is morally wrong when in reality it is not being portrayed that way by another culture.
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