Comments on: Toronto’s Bozak under fire for Michael Jackson costume

By: kellyb9

kellyb9 — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:24:37 +0000

If most people have to google something to find out why they’re offended – they probably shouldn’t be offended.

By: selldannysell

selldannysell — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 22:14:45 +0000

@crossberries — My point was I, personally, was not offended by that. But, the earlier poster was comparing apples to oranges when he talked about Dave Chappelle appearing in white face versus a white person appearing in blackface. Bozak wasn’t trying to be racist. Apparently, you are.

By: aspinaci

aspinaci — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:28:02 +0000

Sad that this is it for hockey news.

By: dannythebisforbeast

dannythebisforbeast — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:08:22 +0000

Grow up It’s Halloween and it wasn’t racist

By: broadstreetbeatdown

broadstreetbeatdown — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 19:10:42 +0000

He deserves it Lindros was dominant in the 90s. mpg44 i hope you like Seattle cause thats where the broke a$$ Devils are going.

By: davebabychreturns

davebabychreturns — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 18:17:11 +0000

I didn’t say that it’s wrong for Bozak to dress as Michael Jackson, hell I never even said it’s wrong to wear blackface.

I just said it’s obviously a sensitive issue for some and that if you’re a public figure and you do it and post a picture to 90 000 people – plus anyone else who cares to look it up – you should probably not expect things to go over all that well.

As for claiming that racism is over and that previous generations actions have nothing to do with what happens today, well I just don’t know how to respond to that. Ask Wayne Simmonds if there is still racism in our society. It may not be legally sanctioned but it sure as hell exists.

Obviously we are all our own people and nobody is the pure product of the past, but to say that centuries of racism are simply null and void now that there’s been 40-50 years since segregation was ended is just myopic. We are all affected by the society we exist within, and our society is in large part the product of the past.

Anyway I’m not going to argue this any further, obviously my views are in the minority in the comments section of a hockey blog so I’ll just leave it at that.

By: dkphilly1122

dkphilly1122 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 17:04:06 +0000

This is just pathetic as was Dave’s statement/ comment up further. There is and always has been racism for every race and every RACE suffered and dealt with it at some point in history. We CURRENTLY live in the PRESENT day where NONE of our ANCESTORS racism has anything to do with who we are or what we do. So to say it is wrong for him to dress as MJ with a MASK, “black face” or not is pathetic. It proves some people are still stuck in the past and have there own issues if they wanna call this Racism. We are ALL equal now, regardless of what the history books say from 75 or so years ago. I am white and have friends of every race, they think this is just as hilarious.

By: jwcamp

jwcamp — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:07:04 +0000

“There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary.”-Brendan Behan

By: jwcamp

jwcamp — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:01:57 +0000

Wait, Michael Jackson was black?

By: eyeh8goodell

eyeh8goodell — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:16:00 +0000

Much ado about nothing. If he’d dressed up as Kunta Kinte then maybe there’d be a point.

By: hockeyflow33

hockeyflow33 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:52:57 +0000

People lead such small, petty lives. Grow up and stop pretending you were offended

By: lordfletcher

lordfletcher — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:44:47 +0000

Over the course of documented history, 2000+ years, we could find something for everyone being racist in their daily attire at work, the way they workout at the gym, or taking a poop in their house. just leave it alone.

for a halloween costume, painting one’s face is no different than a girl wearing a blonde wig to be Marilyn Monroe for a night. If he decided to put on some lip stick too, whatever, he’s just wearing a costume. IN NO WAY IS HE TRYING TO BE ANYTHING OTHER THAN WHAT IT APPEARS!!!

Bozak, did nothing wrong.

By: theenutty

theenutty — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:44:04 +0000

So the “under fire” wasn’t any criticism by the public, but by two hack sports journalists. This happens more and more, somebody says or does something, some irrelevant journalist writes a fake outrage piece, and then all his buddies write an article about person X “under fire”, “blasted”, or some other over the top adjective for something that was said or done. In reality, there is no public outcry, but the media has to generate controversy where there isn’t to keep themselves relevant.

By: davebabychreturns

davebabychreturns — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:18:20 +0000

Personally I have no real reaction to Bozak’s costume but then I’m a white guy who has literally no idea what it’s like to be the target of racism. I might not really be able to relate to those who are offended by it but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a right to that emotional response.

People seem to like to hide behind their own ignorance of race and racism, but the fact is that racism is alive and well in our society even if it’s frowned upon in many forms now. The inequalities caused by the overt racism our ancestors lived with and perpetrated take more than a few decades to even out and the psychological effect of living in those conditions can last even longer..

Blackface is part of a long and shameful tradition of dehumanizing black people, and making the choice to include that in your costume of a black celebrity or figure (which – obviously – is otherwise totally fine) is simply begging for an overwhelmingly negative reaction. Even if that reaction is totally unjustified you have to know it’s coming.

I know this isn’t going to be popular, but if you think blackface is okay because “whiteface” is, you’re being an idiot.

If you think that a semi-public figure dressing up in a costume that includes blackface, taking a picture of it and then tweeting it isn’t going to get a negative reaction, you’re being an idiot.

Apparently Tyler Bozak didn’t think that would happen so I guess he is an idiot as well.

(Don’t get me wrong, we all do idiotic things from time to time, myself included.)

By: spavs412

spavs412 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 14:08:53 +0000

It’s Halloween right!?!? Isn’t this what our culture roughy us to do since we were born…. WTF people

By: bluenoser23

bluenoser23 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:34:31 +0000

The world needs a collective enema. This is such BS. People just love to search out anything to be offended about. Too many people narrowly defining themselves into this group or that one. Not nearly enough people pulling their head out of their rear end. Bill Maher calls this “fake outrage” and this is a great example of it. So now that you know: please stop this BS!!!!!

By: 0ffsides

0ffsides — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:24:36 +0000

Jason Vorhees wears a hocky mask, does this mean that every netminder to don a mask is a deranged serial killer? People need to lighten up, it’s a costume for crying out loud. Put the pic back up Bozak and let all the haters show their true colors, be it white, black, red, yellow. I think their skin is just thin.

By: tarotsujimoto74

tarotsujimoto74 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:11:13 +0000

You really like him, but don’t know how to spell his name?

By: crosberries

crosberries — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:09:49 +0000

So your saying as long as I don’t exaggerate my lips my black face for tonight will be fine?

By: crosberries

crosberries — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:09:01 +0000

So your saying as I don’t exaggerate my lips my black face for tonight will be fine?

By: antkowiak666

antkowiak666 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:07:44 +0000

sooo this is considered racist….but when the Wayans brothers did white face for the movie”White Chicks”that was for the sake of comedy right!?!
people need to relax and stop being offended so easily and have a good laugh once in awhile.

By: stoneegratz

stoneegratz — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 12:54:20 +0000

yeah, cause youre white….duhhh

By: tmoore4075

tmoore4075 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 12:48:22 +0000

I do have a problem with this……those pants are way too damn tight.

By: kiopta1

kiopta1 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 12:42:36 +0000

I consider myself racially sensitive and this is garbage. Nothing he did is racist or ignorant. I really like Jimmy Hendrix am I racist for dressing like him for Halloween and wishing I could play guitar like him?

By: csilojohnson

csilojohnson — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 12:13:36 +0000

What’s all this black face talk. I thought MJ was white….

By: cleekk

cleekk — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:51:48 +0000

It is because in this day and age of reality shows, your low IQ people are always looking for a reason to be outraged. And of course, the idiot media is only too happy to stoke the flames of nothing.

By: mgp1219

mgp1219 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:13:11 +0000

I meant say any black person. Sorry.

By: mgp1219

mgp1219 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:11:46 +0000

It’s a friggin’ COSTUME!!! Aren’t costumes supposed to be something other than who we actually are? It’s not racist because it is not portraying any black in a way that is degrading. Whoever has an issue with this neds to put things in perspective.

By: dutchman1350

dutchman1350 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:10:29 +0000

Dressing as an accused pedophile is more insulting.

By: icelovinbrotha215

icelovinbrotha215 — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 10:58:39 +0000

Halloween itself is dumb and unnecessary (look up the origins of this ‘holiday’ and wonder why people celebrate this day). That being said, I’m not really sure how this is racist haha. He dressed up as MJ. I’m surprised he pulled the pic. I don’t see anything wrong with it.