The NY Times has no qualms about criticizing the Trudeau photo but didn't print the 2005 photo released in 2018 of Obama palling with anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan and anti-Semitic members of Nation of islam who worked in Obama's office in to help get him elected to the Senate.
We wonder what the liberal media would have done if Trump was posing with David Duke and had KKK members working in his office and part of his political staff to help get him elected.
Watch YouTube Fox News video of Tucker Carlson interview with the photographer at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nafhanRZ4lc
Be enlightened.
7
Can they find something more important to discuss?
10
Benignly ignorant but with that perpetuating ignorance and zero common sense, and then on top of it all- threatening to sue Scheer his opponent because he is losing in the polls- in some bizarre political temper tantrum.
He sounds like another man baby that likes to wear fancy costumes.
1
Theater is theater. Theater examines life and comments on life, in realistic, metaphorical, and abstract ways. Racial differences in complexion are real. Should all racial depictions in theater be banned? How about age? No fake wrinkles or gray wigs for the aged characters? How about white face used by dark skinned people to depict a white person? Politically incorrect?
Context is everything. Was the script demeaning to people of color, or was it representing physical realities of the characters? Does Trudeau demean people of color in word and deed in real life, or was he simply recreating the hue of the character he played?
10
Shouldn't we acknowledge that "brownface" is different from "blackface."
Blackface is a specific historical form of entertainment that is and always was part of a racist tradition. Sensitivity to white people dressing up as other ethnicities is something we have only begun to learn in the last few years. If you do an internet search you will find a number of very recent articles explaining why the latter is offensive.
For Trudeau to have dressed up as Aladdin in 2001 may have been in poor taste but it doesn't mark him as racist in the same way as does a picture of someone performing in blackface as an adult. And for him to have performed in blackface in high school ... I think the crime is the teacher's more than the students'.
The outrage of the opposition is laughable.
6
Trudeau is not a racist.He is a Montrealer and a party person.Now it comes out that privately he can be a wild and crazy guy.I have not seen the least hint of any kind of malevolence that would disqualify my trust.The timing and source of the publishing of the photo should be the basis of the journalism here.So far the media has rather predictably taken the bait and is running out the reel.Its so reminiscent of American politics.Ugh.
9
He really should have shared this info earlier before it was “found.” Us white people are better informed now. At the time we didn’t understand that brown/black face is offensive to many.
1
The conservatives are racist, misogynist, right wingers. They won't talk about their platform because they want to roll back rights that we currently have - like my reproductive rights, never mind the rights of immigrants and marriage equality. So their campaign is focused on attacking the only sane party in North America. May I remind you the conservatives brought us crackhead Toronto mayor Rob Ford and his idiotic brother, Doug, the current Premier of Ontario. Let's focus on what Trudeau is doing now. His cabinet is THE FIRST in our country's history that has 50/50 male female ratio and is culturally diverse. I can promise you if Scheer gets in our 5 minutes of equal representation will be over. I'm making my decision based on what is happening today. Scheer is an affront to our democracy. I don't like this white male superiority complex, but sadly we don't have a female option - which is the answer. Do you see this nonsensical behaviour in Iceland?! Of course not. Its run by women! Over. It. Hating it. Calling Iceland immigration.
2
As stupid as it is I would actually welcome Treudo banishment from politics over this . May be that's the price the proponents of this modern day bolshevism should pay to take a step back and realise the absurdity of these modern day witchhunts. Make no mistake, this is exactly the practices and ideology pushed by the extreme leftists that gave us Trump as the president of the USA.
3
The whole thing is ridiculous. Trudeau goes to a theme party 18 years ago in a costume that was absolutely appropriate to the them of said party and now he's being accused of racism? It's just stupid. It's like saying my kid is a racist for dressing up like an American Indian for Halloween. There is no racist intent in this act. People need to relax.
10
So it’s not “Blackface” anymore, it’s “Brownface”? Is this the latest pc euphemism?
3
Attending a Catholic School we usually had a yearly "support the mission day" where you would put change into a box for the missions. A kid would go to every classroom and approach each child for donations....and here's the bad part! The nuns put a black stocking over the face of the child with the box. The teaching order of S. Joseph's must have been racists. I guess.
2
Its only funny because it's the left's own fake outrage culture returning to backfired on them.......
9
I can appreciate black and brown people finding offense given that they dont get to home and wash off the make up and go back to their white lives. They live with their skin colour and the racism that exists around that. My dearly departed Polish grandmother would say go find a broom and make yourself busy. You can play the victim card which starts to wear pretty thin after awhile or you can affect change.
3
Let me get this straight‐‐Trudeau wears blackface in a costume party 20 years ago, and it may cost him the election. Meanwhile across the border our president continues to spit racist vitriol, and he very well may be reelected. Yeah, makes total sense.
10
Much ado about nothing. The only reason anyone would think he was being a racist in that picture is because a bunch of white liberals on Twitter and in academia say any white person who colors their face brown or black is racist. Almost nobody in the real world thinks this way.
8
Does this mean no one can use makeup anymore?
I don't see this as racist and am sorry that Trudeau found it necessary to apologize for something he did 18 years ago as part of a costume party.
5
OK I'll try this again. Megyn Kelly was shamed and fired for merely asking the question as to whether one could dress up as a person or character of another race, if it's respectful (I think she used going as Diana Ross on Halloween as an example).
This guy actually did it and the comment section is full of apologists who coincidentally have just come to their senses about this woke-gotcha culture. Interesting.
12
@Max
Kelly opined that dressing up in blackface on Halloween was fine with her.
Trudeau dressed up as a character from a Middle Eastern folk tale at a private gala.
If you want to critique the apologists, at least get the story straight.
6
Yep, you tried again. Wrongly. For the reasons given by Andrew Shin.
Trudeau is a serial cultural appropriator - it's a sickness!
5
You should never apologize when you have done nothing wrong. It's weak.
9
The NYT and the Left helped to make this bed now sleep in it!
12
It seems like all those caught up in "blackface" scandals should simply claim it was actually "brownface," which, judging from the commentariat here, is an entirely different thing and apparently, wholly acceptable.
Who knew?
7
Justin Trudeau is one of the good guys.
This "outing" is part of a Conservative Party conspiracy to destroy Trudeau's chances during the current election cycle.
Canadian media has too little newsworthy to report and has resorted to mimicking its American counterparts. Shakespeare said it best: "much ado about nothing."
Trudeau has always had an interest in drama. He was merely reprising a character from a popular Middle Eastern folk tale.
Let us consider these incidents part of his Lawrence of Arabia interlude, Trudeau as Peter O'Toole.
Trudeau's signature accomplishment is the child benefit, which has lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.
His proposals to increase Old Age Security for seniors seventy-five and over and the Canadian Pension Plan stipend for senior survivors of spousal loss also make sense.
Let us hope the Liberals develop viable plans for prescription drugs and comprehensive dental and vision coverage, not to mention universal basic income.
Brown and black people have done far more harm to one another than whatever offense Trudeau has committed by donning some makeup.
Indira Ghandi's Sikh bodyguards assassinated her in retaliation for the Hindu assault on a sacred Sikh gurdwara.
Thousands of Pakistanis and Indians have perished in the ongoing skirmish over Kashmir.
Sunnis and Shias continue an ongoing blood feud.
How about a bit of proportionality?
Don't worry Justin, you have my vote.
6
I really can’t take much more of this nonsense. I really can’t.
8
As a conservative I cannot believe that I agree with most of the comments on this page! Mr. Trudeau should not have to apologize plain and simple. This just shows you how ridiculous the PC culture and virtue signaling by the left has become. That conservatives are using the same methods as the left should come as no surprise. I for one would leave it alone, and just sit back and enjoy watching the left eat their own. Yummy.
39
@J
Almost all the comments here are from people who are ready to forgive Trudeau. The right wing who blew this issue up, not the left, or the PC culture as you call it.
In fact some have said they will vote for Trudeau now because of this.
If that's all you (right winger, I guess) have is feasting on the misfortune of the Left, I wonder if one day you will have nothing to eat but your own words because the right wing has absolutely no innovative platform on climate change.
6
J Trudeau is white, very privileged and blessed with many enviable traits. He obviously had a lot choices and would, no doubt, excel at whatever he would chose to do. He has chosen to fight for social justice and to publicly navigate all the pitfalls, mistakes that privileged white men face when wanting to be part of the upward movement of human evolution. I commend him for facing and admitting to his mistakes. These are things that happen to all of us. We don’t like it, and many of us refuse to admit to there being a wrongdoing. J Trudeau said it was wrong because he’s committed to change.
As well, we have Jagmeet Singh who is a leader of another Canadian Party and also campaigning. He is fighting racism and religious intolerance within his Party and with some Canadian voters.
I hope both these young men stay open and upfront about racism and religious intolerance. This is the only way humans can evolve out of dark and evil times.
3
Oh come on! It was an Aladdin costume! Twenty years ago! The world is in so much actual turmoil (burning planet, literally insane leader of USA who could end civilization tomorrow, etc.) and this is news that people care about? If Trudeau didn’t have my vote in the upcoming election (I was thinking I’d vote NDP or Green) he has it now because I am so sick of the politically correct scolders who pretend to be so fragile and offended that they can’t put anything into context. People don’t care if twenty years ago Justin dressed up as Aladdin when he was a drama teacher. Look at what Trudeau does NOW, not two decades ago when lots of people went to silly costume parties. Nothing he has done since becoming PM has been remotely racist. Look at all the people of mixed races in his cabinet. Look at how many Syrian refugees he (we) welcomed into Canada, not to mention welcoming all the refugees fleeing the USA because they’re afraid of Trump’s truly racist policies. Put things into perspective, people!
12
He has confessed readily, apologized quickly, no ducking, no crying "fake news". Enough already. The sky isn't falling, Canada.
6
I am a progressive, but this is getting to be a bit much. While Mr. Trudeau made a mistake, he also apologized for it. I am all for being PC, but we shouldn't throw out the baby with the bath water. As with Mr. Northam, a different time, which does not make it alright, but does mean we should forgive, now that they know better.
5
If we start looking at the present we'll realize the time we've been wasting looking for the mistakes people did in their past. As a result, we are oblivious to the good they do.
3
I felt so good today seeing after exhausting months that this is the most urgent and stupid issue of the day. Apparently, everything else is going well on Earth.
Seriously?
5
As my son would say......Oh get over it already.
6
If we want to get riled up about something in the theme of Arabian, how about concerning yourselves with the Saudi butchering of an American journalist.
11
As the chairman of the Global Organisation of People Wearing Glasses (GOPWG) I would like to say in the name of all members worldwide that Harry Potter has deeply offended us by wearing glasses. That was a mean and racist thing to do. The fact that he was 14 at the time is irrelevant. He should have known better.
5
I wish people would stop apologizing for things they did years ago, and start telling the professionally offended to go pound sand.
14
Context matters. His politics is inclusive and anti-discrimination, and this was an Arabian Night party. The Conservative party is openly racist. Period. Intelligent people tend to get outraged by politicians' actions, not how they look in a decade old party. This is a racist Conservative party using faux outrage to frame someone whom is against them. As a POC, I find the timing both opportunistic, and insulting. Do these Conservatives think we are so idiotic that we cannot identify the differences in context?
4
Hey, my Mom used a burnt cork to make me into a black-faced hobo for Halloween. That was 65 years ago. Big deal.
2
Well, let’s ban Halloween parties in case someone’s choice of costume offends, and no more children’s face painting either. Trudeau has sincerely apologized and it happened two decades ago. I’m sure Andrew Scheer is rubbing his hands together with glee today and praying that this will vault him into the P.M.’s office, but he needs to focus on more important matters instead of vilifying Trudeau. We have the most dismal candidate choices for this election and I'm more interested to hear about concrete plans for the economy and climate change - the PC's have failed to disclose a plan for climate change because I suspect they don't have one. Let's not be distracted from the important issues.
5
You have hit the nail on the head. Dismal indeed.
2
Apology issued, received, and accepted. He’s still better than the alternative!!! He’s still more inclusive than the alternative!!! His cabinet is very diverse!! His actions and words since then speak a lot louder.
4
I grew up in Canada and a brown Asian and NOT conservative in most of my views. I took no offense to JT's photo and just laughed at it. Though, I reserve the right to dress as 'whitey' for future costume parties myself.
Now that I think of it, I dressed up as Tiger Woods after he got the golf club to the head. Sorry to all the golf club aficionados I may have offended.
A crazy story in my family background is that JT's dad Pierre Elliot Trudeau (PET), in the early 1970's (maybe late 1960's) sneaked off at night during a foreign trip to visited my dad's uncle who was a famous astrology in his country. PET supposedly was told that he would have 3 sons and they would be named X, Y, Z. I think PET named his son's based on that conversation, though only way to know is talk with Margret Trudeau to see if there is any merit to this.
Only blind liberals care what people did 20 or more years ago, but they only care when it's theme that offends some people today regardless of the contemporary mores. In this case, Mr. Trudeau is in costume for a party. He was not making fun of people of color, and perhaps he was showing his respect for them.
2
Honestly, who cares?
As a Canadian POC, I honestly don't care.
All this does is highlight the need to talk about outrage/call-out/cancel culture.
The left was dumb for engaging in it. And now that the roles are reversed, they'll need to figure out how to deal with it.
And as time goes on, and more of our past is easily accessible online, we as a society need to figure out how we will handle these situations.
3
@SAnd as time goes on, and more of our past is easily accessible online, we as a society need to figure out how we will handle these situations. WOULD IT REALLY HURT TO DO SOME OF THAT "FIGURING" NOW?
2
A lot of people seem to not remeber what passed for humor in 2001. Holding what people did 18 years ago to today's standards is ludicrous.
3
I had not realized that Canadian Politics was as cheesy as our politics, back stabbing, political correctness and frying someone for something that REALLY DOESN'T MATTER.
2
When I was 13, as a joke, one Halloween I dressed up as a girl. No one complained except my father. He was insulted because he thought people would think I was gay. I'm still working on a 2nd heterosexual marriage.
1
As an American who has been living in Canada for nearly 10 years and is seeking permanent residence and ultimately citizenship here, I have experienced both Conservative and Liberal governments. While I am ambivalent about Trudeau personally, I would hate to see my adopted home revert to a government committed to total inaction on climate change and silencing government scientists because of a tasteless choices Trudeau made in his twenties or while in high school. The left needs to consider the consequences when it attacks its own for decades old errors in judgement that took place in a different cultural context. The possibility for personal growth and forgiveness is also, or should be, one of our values. Arguably the best outcome is a minority Liberal government forced to work more closely with the Greens and NDP. But a return to a Conservative government would be a terrible setback. One need look no further than Ontario under Doug Ford to see that.
11
@Craig Axford ".... total inaction on climate change and silencing government scientists"
And that's it? That's the choice?
It's either Trudeau of total inaction on matters of such importance?
@kenneth I intentionally raised the possibility of a minority Liberal government forced to work with the NDP and Greens. However, whether we like it or not neither of those parties is currently in a realistic position to form the next government. While in particular ridings the choice isn't between the Liberal and Conservative candidate - take Green Party leader and MP Elizabeth May in my neck of the woods, for example -nationally it will come down to Trudeau and Andrew Scheer, at least in the near-term.
Is the issue that he darkened his skin? So it is OK for kids to dress up for Halloween as Aladdin or Jasmine if they don't change their skin? I don't think we have sorted this out completely yet as a society. I ask myself this--is any depiction meant as a slam at a race or ethnic group or is it just recognition of an interesting difference or even admiration? At Halloween kids and adults often dress up in various ethnic dress, not just as ghouls or cartoon characters of indeterminate category. Society's guidelines on what is OK are all over the place.
11
Granted “Black Face” has un ugly history but to call dressing up as Aladdin in Brown skin tones racist? Maybe we have gone off the rails here. What if a person wore green skin tones for a witch? Or maybe green skin tones for a belly dancer - is it racist or a wink to Star Trek. Or maybe pale white face for a ghost - nice touch or an insult to albinos?
1
Anyone offended does not remember 2001
5
@Quinn huh? The Diamondbacks? I remember all too well. They took 4 out of 7. But what does that have to do with Justin Trudeau?
@Quinn Right. If only these people could remember 2001, Trudeau would not have been photographed in brownface.
I guess there's a logic in there somewhere.
2
This was worth a World Alert? This is a perfect example of the media blowing something up to sell papers. This is not a front page headline. I’m sorry the NYTimes couldn’t show some restraint. Report the real news, don’t make the news and then sit back and watch what you’ve caused, like you did with tRump before the election and every day since then. This is a little itty bitty speck compared to what is tearing our country and world apart. STOP IT.
22
@JoAnne hungate You didn't have to read it, Jo.
He did it multiple times and it's laughable to see people claim the Prince of liberalism didn't know on multiple occasions this was racist and wrong. Getting chuckles from his white racist friends was more important.
6
The whitesplaining get over it comments are typical. Still wonder why you are losing those black votes?
5
@Hellen WHO is losing those votes?
4
Some years ago a member of the press threw an unsuspecting Robert Stanfield a football as he disembarked from his campaign plane. After several successful catches, he missed one. Picture in the paper next day: STANFIELD FUMBLES THE BALL. It cost him the election. Best Prime Minister we never had.
And so it will be with Justin Trudeau. Sacrificed on the alter of political correctness.
11
This news item does not belong on the front page. The world is on fire, Donald Trump is president, war looms in the Persian Gulf, the country is in constitutional crisis, and the Times is pushing *this* as the day’s most important news story.
18
@Nick This was one of several news stories on Page One. Is it really the only one you saw?
3
@Nick It's only the most important story on the front page if you ignored all the other stories on the front page.
@kenneth Thanks, kenneth. When I opened the site this morning on my phone, it was the forst/top news item. But note that I didn’t say it was the only story I saw. If you had read my comment, you would see I actually wrote: “This news item does not belong on the front page.” And that continues to be my view, because I don’t think the garbage behavior of the prime minister of Canada should be on the front page of the paper of record.
2
Almost no one thought this was racist back then. Face paint, powder, wigs and costumes were common when "dressing up" in costume. In 1993, my daughter dressed as the princess from Aladdin wearing a dark wig. It's a costume. No apology needed.
19
My son dressed as Alladin for a school show. Nobody was hurt.
2
@gloria You have a point, Gloria. No one did much thinking back then.
Excuse me, most reasonable people did not consider dressing in costume as offensive back then. I'm as liberal as they come, as are many making comments, I'm sure, and, honestly, I still think costumes are costumes. What fun is it to dress up as someone exactly like you?
1
This needs to stop. Put it in perspective. I remember growing up and there were lot's of actors in black face dancing or whatever in the movies. That was confusing to me as a kid. I can see how that could have hurt feelings. But these 1 or 2 times done without malice especially to play a character is not a crime. We have all become way too politically correct. We are all the same inside. Watching every word we say is exhausting. There is a sense of humor and a sense of decency. It doesn't mean if you mess up your life should be over. This country needs to lighten up.
17
@karen "Watching every word we say is exhausting." And "watching" every picture we pose for? Aw, that must be so exhausting.
3
@karen "Put it in perspective." If you really and honestly want perspective, put yourself in the place of a black woman watching a white man joke about the color of your father's skin.
3
I'm confused. Would it have been acceptable to wear an Aladdin face mask instead of makeup? Perhaps it's time to ban all costume parties for fear of offending someone today or decades in the future.
When viewed with context, location and intent, imo this event did not involve racism. Insensitivity perhaps, but not racism.
What is offensive to me is when low character political opponents resort to these types of media stunts.
19
In my heart I know Justin Trudeau to be a Good Man I doubt that there is a bigoted bone in his body . I encourage anyone who has the inclination to read this address he gave to Parliament I believe in 2017 , he was on the verge of tears. Alas I had to shorten it to meet the NYT limit on the number of characters.
During the Cold War, hundreds of gay men and women were fired from their government jobs and the military.
"It is with shame and sorrow and deep regret for the things we have done that I stand here today and say: We were wrong. We apologise. I am sorry. We are sorry," he said in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
Mr Trudeau's words were greeted by a warm round of applause from all parties
.Mr Trudeau also said Canada must do more to end homophobia and discrimination, such as bans on gay men giving blood and the continued criminalisation of people who do not disclose their HIV status.
"We are all worthy of love. Whether you discover who you are at six, 16 or 60, we are all valid," he said.
Justin Trudeau said "it shouldn't be a big thing" for the prime minister of Canada to walk in a gay pride parade
This is not Mr Trudeau's first state apology as prime minister. On Friday, he apologised to indigenous victims of residential schools in Newfoundland and Labrador.
In 2016, he apologised for the Komagata Maru incident of 1914, when Canada turned away hundreds of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim passengers trying to emigrate from British-ruled India.
11
I really do not know what to think about this particular incident involving the prime minister, but the overriding issue of brown/blackface is something we really need to figure out. How do we discern the line? What is ridicule, what is flattery, and what is simply harmless fun? Is a college student who captions a photograph of herself using a clay mask with a line from the Black Panther really setting out to diminish black people? That's an issue facing a U.S. university right now, and the general consensus is that it was an act of racism, but I'm not so sure. The Black Panther is a character from a movie, not a real person. To me, it's not the same thing as the teenager at my local high school who captioned a Snapchat photo with, "My and my boys out to exterminate some Jews." Yes, that really happened, and it was clearly an act of bigotry and a conscious attempt to threaten. But is a white child (or adult) who wants to dress up as a black super hero for Halloween a racist? Yes or no? The rules are being rewritten, and I'm floundering, as are many others it seems, to figure it all out.
10
@Allison I think you're right in your distinction. One is racist, the other isn't. It's not that complicated.
1
What Trudeau did, in this instance, was not a mistake.
He went to a costume party, in costume.
Should people be offended by Carl Weathers (a black man) dressing up as George Washington in the movie, Rocky? It's absurd.
He did make one HUGE mistake. He apologized. That apology will help perpetuate this PC nonsense and encourage those who want to go around being outraged and offended.
17
Even if he wins the election he will lose. This exposes the hypocrisy of both Trudeau and those who laude him. Just like democrats he has lost all moral authority to preach to others.
4
Just like the democrats? I could say the same and worse, for any political party.
2
@Hellen Gee, how many people knew Trudeau was a Democrat?
How many people even realized our Democratic Party was that big in Canada?
That's pretty darned impressive !
2
@Helen, your party lost all moral authority long before the stable genius opened his mouth on the downward spiral of his own escalator.
2
I hope he loses to a more conservative rival, but this is 20 years ago and merely foolish by a man who is devoted to multiculturalism. If people were cancelled for foolishness the cancel bins would overflow.
3
OMG do Canadians have problems! Only looking from here, it seems like they have very small fish to fry. Trudeau isn’t pushing his ice hockey resorts or his family’s top line woolen mittens made in China while boasting for Canada first. Trudeau hasn’t made any shady payments to secret love affairs, nor is he colluding with one of Canada’ arch rivals like Brazil with secret calls. His taxes are public and his government retains its officers instead of changing the out like stinky hiking socks. He is diplomatic abroad and as popular as maple sirup at home and abroad and has welcomd immigrants with open arms, he! This whole thing sounds about as important as Obama’s tan suit.
13
@Robb Kvasnak "This whole thing sounds about as important as Obama’s tan suit."
Or President Medici's routine use of torture.
How else would one be authentic dressed in this costume? What next? Mimes can't wear a white face? How about we, as rational adults, LISTEN more and judge on words and deeds rather than costumes and makeup at parties?
9
@Marie In The City A racist appearance IS a deed !
2
Trudeau should have shown up as a WHITE Aladdin in a long Victorian overcoat with longjohns and a Napoleonic hat.
All would have been well.
.....come to think of it...No!
He should have then profusely apologized for being dressed completely out of character and thrown out of the party.
5
When is the idiocy of judging people by today's standards for something they did decades ago going to end?
8
@Concernicus Right. Hitler and his storm troopers
were so very long ago. Let's forget about them and enjoy the nice Autumn weather .
It's all about intent. Did Trudeau intend to demean anyone? Even in this era of PC, his intent at that time must be factored into the equation now.
FULL DISCLOSURE: While at university 40 years ago, my late wife and I attended a Hallowe'en costume party. She dressed as a brick. I went dressed as a bricklayer. I want to apologize to all of the bricks in the world for my lack of sensitivity at that young age. I did not intend to demean them or their vital role in our society. My apologies also to anyone who NEVER did anything in the naiveté of their youth that they regretted later in the fullsomeness of maturity.
7
@James Osborne "Laying" may have inappropriate sexual connotations.
Busted!
I write to protest the world-wide depiction of Jesus Christ as white and unconnected to Judaism. I became aware of these irregularities at Sunday School but was assured by my elders I would understand when I was older. It hasn't happened. At 84 years I'm running out of time.
I am sad to read Mr. Trudeau's remarks. But then I remember I read a political apology.
7
Those who are offended are the media and those vying for our vote. For those who are offended be sure not to put your kids in costume this Halloween for fear of cultural appropriation of fairies. bunnies, pirates, etc etc.
8
This is not a one-off incident. Trudeau is a serial offender.
2
This is Canada and although Trudeau's Conservative opponent is borrowing a page from the American zeitgeist of faux political correctness to attack him, this is not who we are. Read some of the Editor Selected responses from people of colour in our country and find out how much this matters to them. There are so many legitimate issues one can bring up with regard to Trudeau's unfitness for office. SNC Lavalin ring any bells?
For years, we Canadians have fought tooth and nail to keep our culture and our identity separate from the behemoth to the south. Now we have to suffer not only insults from your president, we have to sit like ducks, roll over and bow to current American compulsion to throw everyone under the bus who can be thrown under the bus if they have faintest whiff of political incorrectness anywhere about them. That the men whose whiffs are more like stenches are able to survive and thrive in this climate tells you how venal these character assassinations are.
These stories, now two of them by the same authors do not warrant front page coverage and Trudeau does not deserve them. There are other issues he needs to be called to account for and I haven't seen them on the front page and probably won't.
7
When you build a liberal brand based on inclusion and equality but do the opposite that is called hypocrisy...resign.
1
One of the most intelligent statements ever about skin color was made on 60 Minutes by one of my favorite actors, Morgan Freeman.
In response to a question by interviewer Mike Wallace about what to do about race, Freeman said, “Stop talking about it. I'm going to stop calling you a white man, and I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man. I know you as Mike Wallace. You know me as Morgan Freeman. You want to say, `Well, I know this white guy named Mike Wallace.' You know what I'm saying?”
There is a small negative to Freeman's advice: a few thousand people would be out of work or at least away from the cameras. But the race-talking heads on news media, many politicians, professors and others who earn their money talking about race could find honest work.
It's time for us, in the US and other countries, to decide what we want.
Do we want to be like Rwanda, when tribal warfare caused the worst genocide since WW II: "In 1994, violence fuels the launch of what would become the worst episode of genocide since World War II: the massacre of an estimated 500,000 to 1 million innocent civilian Tutsis and moderate Hutus."
Do we want to be like Somalia, with 5 tribes, each tribe hating the other 4 and constant fighting for 1000 years?
What do we want? It would cost nothing if we followed Mr. Freeman's advice: Just stop talking about it.
Please, let's give it a try.
Are you listening, newspeople? Politicians? Professors?
9
@Azalea Lover
That is pretty stupid advice from Morgan Freeman.
White people have no problem seeing race when white women call police on black people walking down the street, when white cops shoot black children playing the park, when white managers throw out resumes with black sounding names, when white families move out of neighborhoods when black families move in.
But I guess that since Freeman is a multimillionaire he is less concerned with such issues. But the rest of us still need to face them.
Incidentally why is it that only Black people are admonished to stop talking about their issues? No one ever tells Jews to stop talking about Anti-Semistism, Asians or Hispanics to stop talking about ethnic bigotry, white women to stop talking about sexism, etc. Only Black people are supposed to shut up and pretend everything is fine.
Everything is not fine.
1
Trudeau is being smeared with this brownface business. Coloring your skin for a role in show biz is not insulting or racist. It is what is done with the role that counts. One could be playing a "colored" hero. Archie Bunker, an extreme racist, was white, as I recall. It is a form of identification - good or bad You want to tell the audience your character is a German, you put him in lederhosen, a Frenchman, a beret, an American, a loud shirt and a camera over his shoulder. It is a type of shorthand, no more or less, and becomes racist only if the words or actions of the character indicate it. OMG, what has happened to our perspective and respect for all races? Trudeau is a good leader, and it matters not how he participated in a comedy romp as a young man with a sense of humor and no ill will. If you want a solid case of racism, check out the leader across the border.
3
How many people painted their faces orange to mock Trump last Halloween? Was that racist?
8
@Sue Yes he is !
2
Wow. Hundreds of comments saying get over it, it's Disney, it's a costume party, it's not the KKK. So now darkening your skin is just lighthearted fun? Where do we stand on Mulan and Pocahontas?
4
@Anonymous His intention was benign, that's the difference. There is such as thing as fun.
1
Stupid and ill-thought, yes, but this is not the same as dehumanizing people through applying blackface to mock them. Rather than spend the next however many weeks lambasting him and throwing him up as an absolute dreg of society based on incidents that can be wholly contextualized and that took place 15+ years ago, people should be looking at his many years of service, of what he has done in the name of equity, diversity and inclusion (for which a whole lot of people, mostly Conservatives, have little respect or time).
It's embarrassing and irritating to be a Canadian when things like this arise. Look at the leaders of the world's biggest countries -- their utter dearth of character and what they are getting away with -- and then look at this. Mountain meet molehill.
4
@veniceinTO Some villains are using guns. I'm only using a knife. So stop picking on me.
2
Mister Trudeau has nothing to apologize for, but he did anyway in a “whipped-dog” kind of embarrassing way. Man-up and tell the liberal press that you have no regrets, and No apologies for appearing in costume for an Arabian Nights Party, sir!
3
What's the statute of limitations on this sort of shaming? i'm no fan of Trudeau ... but I recognize that I'm not the same person I was 18 years ago and I suspect he's not either.
3
@John Good for you, John. Now why couldn't Mr T have said that?
You should never have apologized, Mr. Trudeau.
Some people just love to be offended.
It signifies nothing. Political correctness just means you're not supposed to offend anyone. It's a construct of people who always want their way, no matter how lame or pathetic, and it offends me.
You probably lost more votes by apologizing than you would have if you had simply told people that there is nothing wrong in dressing in a costume for a party, and left it at that.
You must be a child to have fallen into this trap.
6
@Raz
Apologies mean little. Action means a lot. Time will tell if Justin Trudeau walks his talk.
That said, Justin Trudeau reveals to me more integrity of character with his apology than a man like Trump who thinks remorse and apologies are beneath him.
I am certain that history books and memory will be kinder on Justin Trudeau than they will be on Donald Trump and his family.
6
@KA
If you apologize when you have done nothing wrong, just because someone was offended, it is an indication of weakness.
2
Perhaps Will Smith should now be vilified for posing in blueface on Aladdin...
9
Because he offended all people who have a naturally blue skin?
1
@WillyD
There were blue genie slaves? Missing in all the excuses is that he also did blackface more than once.
1
@WillyD Will Smith is an upright man. And he did apologize to every bluefaced person who was offended by his performance.
I have scrolled through almost all of these comments. I have not seen a single person, whether white or of color, who was actually offended by this. In order for there to be a controversy, there actually has to be people on both sides. The only criticisms of Trudeau on this topic are in the article, voiced by conservatives who clearly don't believe a word they are saying.This is a totally manufactured smear campaign
5
@Teed Rockwell Agree -- but irritatingly, the media in Canada are going mad over this, publishing comment after comment from political opponents saying how offended, shocked, etc. they are, thus skewing the viewpoint and frothing up a controversy. They are not publishing comments like those found here.
2
@Teed Rockwell
Then you conveniently missed a lot of comments just as Trudeau conveniently misses how his blackface routines are racist.
He’s not Trump!!! And he’s much better than the alternative!!!!
3
@Freak That's what the Russians said about Joe Stalin. "He's so much better than the tsar."
Come on! Don’t let’s lose another good guy to knee jerk political correctness. Look at Trudeau’s complete record as a liberal, not a thoughtless moment.
9
To drag Mr. Trudeau through this and force him to apologize for having dressed up as Aladdin is intellectually dishonest and repulsive.
More importantly, it's dangerous. When everything is "racist" nothing is. And who wins? The real racists.
9
@Livonian And just what did he (or we) lose by apologizing?
PAHLEEZ! Aladdin was not a white Genie! Find another lamp to rub.
5
Anglos playing indigenous (first nations) people with brown face. Al Joplin with black face.
The current PM of Israel under indictment.
Trump brags of grabbing women by the genitals.
Pompeo banging the drums of war.
San Francisco violating environment rules (well, Trump said so).
1950s comedies that were somewhat racist in nature.
Trump and his racist and bigoted hate rallies.
If everyone who uttered a racist comment at some times in their lives, or made snide remarks concerning women/men, or laughed at an off-color joke or watched "Blazing Saddles" with its portrayal, and parody, of our bigotry, we would all be condemned.
Evangelical preachers preaching bigotry toward those with alternative life-styles.
Loving v Virginia, another classic example of hatred and bigotry.
Condemn Mr. Trudeau and move on.
The days of the apology and guilt tours need to come to an end so more pressing matters can be addressed.
3
@Dan "Al Joplin with black face." WHO?
The days of the apology and guilt tours need to come to an end so more pressing matters can be addressed.
There really is little else that is more "pressing" than human decency.
@Dan "Al Joplin with black face." Who?
Apology accepted.
5
Trudeau was playing a character at an Arabian Nights themed party. Please take a moment and check pictures of Laurence Olivier playing Othello!
10
Remember the movie "White Chicks". Two black guys with white face, dressed up and masquerading as white women.
It was absurd, repulsive, and stereotypical racism.
No one got mad at the Wayan brothers.
Racism is racism. There is no such thing as "reverse racism", one of most idiotic ideas I've ever heard.
Trudeau should never have apologized. He should have told everyone that he went to a costume party in costume, and that's the end of it.
We should never cater to people who just want to go around being offended. Political correctness is a construct of these people, just to get their way. It's foolish to fall into their trap.
No one has the right to go through life unoffended. That idea is offensive.
11
Circle the wagons!
2
Those who get offended by such things as a disguise are the real offenders of freedom of speech! What´s next? Getting offended by pig disguises for lack of sensibility to this animal class! ... Animal Farm reloaded! Enough of this totalitarians that pretend to control everything humans do or think!
2
Ok. The only fair thing to do is to collect and publish online every available photograph (including Halloween costumes), attributed writings (public and private), and all the public statements of every politician in every level of municipal, state and federal government and judiciary--regardless of race and ethnicity. Invite everyone who knew these officials (at any time in their lives) to give favorable/unfavorable testimony. They should do a similar thing in Canada.
I think the results would shock the people who are up in arms about this overblown trifle. I think the results would upturn the current social and political assumptions about racial chauvenism and lead to a more balanced, if less reassuring, understanding.
3
Did Trump pay off Time Magazine or something? As a Canadian living in the US I'm astounded that American media has suddenly broken this "big" story about a Canadian politician. In my experience 90% of the US is clueless about Canadian history, culture or politics, and also could care less. The Trudeaus are responsible for Canada's laws and culture celebrating and encouraging multiculturalism. Has Justin made mistakes and done stupid things? Yes, just as his dad did. A real leader recognizes their mistakes when called out, apologizes and makes amends. If only Americans could say the same of their government officials.
13
@Lleone
What he did, in this instance, was not a mistake. He went to a costume party, in costume.
Should people be offended by Carl Weathers (a black man) dressing up as George Washington in the movie, Rocky? It's absurd.
He did make one HUGE mistake. He apologized.
That apology will help perpetuate this PC nonsense and encourage those who want to go around being outraged and offended.
3
@Raz I don't know what world you live in where one should not apologize for hurting or offending someone. Canadians are made fun of a lot for being apologetic but I think it shows strength of character.
Oh my...this is really getting ridiculous. Aladdin is a fantasy based on a folk tale for heaven's sake. I suspect Trudeau's intent was to portray a character...not to be racist and insulting. Why is is so hard to see that? The next thing we know, people will not be able to dress in another nation's costume for a Broadway play.
When I look back to my 29 year-old self, I can honestly say I did things then that I would never do now. Anyone out there who cannot admit that is either a saint or a rigid and unforgiving soul. I hope that Canadians have the good sense to look at what Trudeau has done for ALL Canadians over his tenure as a politician, rather than something he did inadvertently 18 years ago.
10
If you think that judging a person actions or words from 50 years ago, based on today's cultural norms, you are in for a real surprise when you too can be found lacking in character by someone in 2070.
4
Too funny. Always entertaining to see the left make excuses for and protect one of its own. If he was conservative he'd immediately get a one way ticket to political purgatory.
4
Only Trudeau can make Trump look normal. Who knew?
3
Sorry this is ridiculous. Brownface is offensive, but this is 20 years ago. I don't mean that in a "that's how things were" sort of way. I mean that people make mistakes and bringing them up years later is absolutely ridiculous, especially when they are not as egregious as something like murder.
BUT by the way, Trudeau is doing things right now that are akin to murder! The Canadian government sells weapons to Saudi Arabia that are used in Yemen. He also is allowing Canadian land lived on by natives to be polluted by a new pipeline. Why don't we make that the top story and the top Twitter trend? This outrage culture is so stupid for so many reasons. We are so enamored by a pretty face that says the right things.
1
So if a friend and I do Halloween as, say, Whitney Houston (may God rest her soul) and Kevin Costner, will I thereby have precluded any public role, and forever be condemned as a racist? I'm not talking about minstrel show blackface, I'm talking about THE BODY GUARD!
He was dressed as ALADDIN. 1) what race is aladdin - does anyone know? He is after all a fictional character. 2) how is this racist?
If a person of colour goes to a costume party as Arnold Schwarzenegger, is that acceptable or a political career terminator? Is it not rather more racist to culturally ban any cross-skin-tone costumes (that avoid any overtly racist stereotypes)?
If this disqualifies JT at all it is because he doesnt have the courage to say 'Wait a minute, you're being ridiculous", and caved to what he thinks was expected of him.
Ralph Northam's idiocy is entirely different. The "character" he disguised himself as is itself a racist symbol.
World has gone nuts.
4
if Aladdin is a fictional character and no one knows what his race is, why would you make your face and hands jet black to portray him? Consider that not a single other person at the party colored their skin as part of their costume.
1
Are Broadway actors and actresses, who use eyebrow liner to create a faux epicanthic fold to portray someone of East Asian descent, racist?
I am aware of the history of blackface and how it was used in a severely pejorative (to say the least) way. But costuming and makeup is a recognized art form (also to say the least). This attack on Trudeau is dumb.
5
You should never have apologized, Mr. Trudeau.
Some people just love to be offended.
It signifies nothing. Political correctness just means you're not supposed to offend anyone. It's a construct of people who always want their way, no matter how lame or pathetic, and it offends me.
You probably lost more votes by apologizing than you would have if you had simply told people that there is nothing wrong in dressing in a costume for a party, and left it at that.
You must be a child to have fallen into this trap.
5
From my students:
As a group of three Canadian girls from different nationalities, we think that's ridiculous! Isn't it expected to have an Aladin character at an Arabian night costume party? Let him be...
Maybe his only crime is to be a little bit too zealous with makeup.
6
I am shocked by the apologists that seem to think this is any different than wearing black face. I wouldn’t care much at all if you applied standards equally to both sides of the aisle. But it’s very clear that the left can find some loophole where they forgive those on their side while continue to persecute the right.
2
How hard is it not to put shoe polish on your face? 37 years living, havent did it once. The closest I ever came was putting black paint stripes under my eyes when I use to play football. It just seems like some of these politicians cant go 6 months without putting on black face. So weird.
2
If that were a picture of Conservative leader Andrew Scheer in brownface or blackface, the same folks that are so forgiving of Trudeau's past actions would be expressing horror and disbelief, demanding that Mr. Scheer step down from the race immediately.
5
@MA Harry
Because Scheer and his supporters pick on everybody who isn't conservative, white, male and Christian.
Trudeau has stood up for everyone else and we remember this. His past actions are forgivable because his over all actions have been kind.
1
As a CDN person of colour, I hope we can stop using racism/identity politics as political footballs. Am sure many of us have done boneheaded things years ago that we regret. I wish politicians would spare us their faux moral outrage. Trudeau apologized, can we pls move on and focus on actual policies? What's more annoying than the fact that he posed for the photo is seeing it plastered all over the news -- several times a day. We get it. We've seen it. Move on.
108
@LB Congratulations and good for you! It is so good to hear from grownups for a change.
10
No doubt if he was a Republican or conservative politician instead of a progressive darling, the tenor of the comments here would be similarly forgiving.
Sure.
3
If you are happy playing the victim by making false equivalences (you have yet to provide an example of a Republican who has been unfairly attacked for such a similar -I stress ‘similar’-), that’s up to you.
This has to have some perspective. Dressing up in costume and using brown face makeup seemed at the time to authenticate the costume.
I can go to Monsey, NY, home to very observant Jews, and buy a costume which has a beard, mustache and side locks, called payas. Depending where I wear it makes all the difference. If it is at a costume event it may be neutral, but at a white supremacist rally it would be making fun. Similarly, people have been criticized for dressing as Michael Jackson in brown face makeup. It is not making fun, it authenticates the costume. Justin did not mean to offend. He apologized. Don't take this out of context.
4
Dressing as Michael Jackson in brown face makeup does not authenticate the costume, unless you dress as the very young Michael Jackson.
Sigh! Just another hypocrite.
6
The NYTimes missed the story!!! Have another look at the photo. Where is Mr. Trudeau's right hand? I hope the young Mr. Trudeau was on intimate terms with the woman standing in front of him... else, this is clearly a #metoo moment. Must have been quite a party! Thanks to my son for pointing this out to me.
4
There really is a problem with holding people fully responsible for everything they did in high school and college. This holds true for political leaders, and in most cases for nominees to the Supreme Court.
Yes, there are some offenses serious enough to carry forward into adulthood; thus determination is often not straightforward and will require judgement.
But the knee-jerk "off with their heads" standard of justice that has become so prevalent nowadays is not a good thing. In today's age of social media and an internet with indelible memories, we have a problem.
We all grew up at one time or another.
3
I would be much more interested in the Vancouver businessman who dug up the photo and his motivation for making it public (although his motivation can be easily guessed - political).
Given Trudeau's exemplary record of treating minority - name a color - races with respect and equanimity, this condemnation by those with ulterior motives is ridiculous.
Quality leadership, those truly dedicated to public service, is in very short supply these days. If ever there was an example of throwing the baby out with the bath water, this is it. I believe Canadians are wiser than that.
9
Oh please! It was an Arabian Nights theme, at a costume party, 20 years ago. What about all the movie stars that dress-up in character costumes? He has a wonderful record with minorities. His father was 'The Father' of multiculturalism in Canada. The rest of the world would be so lucky as to have a man with the moral character of Justin Trudeau as their leader.
9
@dawn dickinson
As someone who grew up across the river from Windsor, Ontario (and spent many childhood summers at Point Pelee near Leamington), I have much respect for the Canadians. Y'all are handling this situation much more sensibly than would have likely been done here in the U.S.
Hope Prime Minister Trudeau and the Liberals retain their majority in the upcoming General Election. He's a cool dude. (I remember his father, too -- Pierre Elliot Trudeau --- who first opened up my consciousness about Canada in the 1970s.)
1
Trudeau was dressed up as a fictional character of middle eastern descent. He was not mocking an oppressed minority, as users of blackface generally are. The fictional citizens of Agrabah ( or wherever Aladdin was from ) were never enslaved by North Americans or Europeans. There is no racist context here, just very poor judgement. As someone who grew up in the public eye, he should have known better than to darken his face in that way, for any reason. This happened twenty years ago, and he has now apologized. Time to move on.
5
He became prime minister by making promises that haven’t been fulfilled. He said he would be concerned about the climate and stop subsidizing the oil industry, then he spent billions on a pipeline. As far as I’m concerned his brown face and his white face make some sense as he is definitely a two faced, cheap politician who talks out of both sides of his mouth.
Ah, yes.
The power to pardon their own clergy from blasphemies which would be the death of their enemies.
How glorious indeed is the High Church of Progress.
3
I'm African American and I honestly don't believe he meant it to be racist. My take is that he was trying to be more realistic and he missed the mark in not realizing that it was going to be an issue; especially if you plan to run for office. Hindsight is 20/20.
103
@Lisa
Well Lisa, there's more to come. Let us know if it changes your opinion.
2
@Lisa I don't know Trudeaus's motivation, but it certainly could have been as you said--just making it more realistic. I'm thinking of little girls wearing black wigs with their hula costumes and guys sporting fake mustaches for well-known villains. And if you wear ethnic dress out of admiration and respect, why do so many object? I admire people who are self-confident enough to try out the dress of other cultures. Go to majority non-white countries--lots of folks there in suits and ties or well-stressed jeans. Should they have to stick with their traditional dress?
5
Call me innocent, but I loved Aladdin; part of his charm was exoticness, A white man in a business suit popping out of a mysterious vessel just wouldn't do, We needed a fanciful persona to accept the magic. It never occurred to me to think it could possibly be seen as demeaning. Please, let's not be so quick to take offense.
4
According to the article, this isn't about race. This is a political stunt by Trudeau's opponent and his opponent's friends timed one month before the election.
Canadians have to decide whether a man who wore a costume at an Arabian Theme Night party almost 20 years ago is worst than his opponents, who used the divisive pain and history of racism, to win an election. Below is the quote from the article.
Andrew Scheer, the Conservative leader and Mr. Trudeau’s main challenger in the Oct. 21 vote, said the photograph reflected “someone with a complete lack of judgment and integrity, and someone who is not fit to govern this country.”
3
In our black-and-white (red-and-blue) world,
apparently red can see no sin from red;
blue sees it even when it doesn't really exist.
1
I believe, based on my experiences as a news reporter and journalism professor witnessing and experiencing* the genres of racism, bigotry, sexism and injustice occurring in journalism and teaching communities where I have worked over the last 20 years, this could be a propitious moment for leaders** in all those communities to come clean about the despicable practices and traditions that have taken place and are taking place in their fiefdoms since the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown vs. the Board of Education. I'm willing to be reasonable with my challenge, however: I double-them to doit for the last 10 years.
*I include learning from the experiences of colleagues, friends, family members, strangers and others. **Such as editors, publishers, department chairs, deans, provosts, college presidents, chancellors and the like.
1
'Cancel Culture' is in the process of canceling itself, with absurd over-reactions like this. It can't be too soon.
Trudeau has apologized. He's as progressive a leader as there's possible to have at this time. Yet 'progressives' (a more accurate term is needed) are ready to defenstrate him, for an act at a private party 18 years ago.
To quote LBJ - "The difference between cannibals and liberals is cannibals only eat their enemies."
3
I don't know about this one. Trudeau went to "An Arabian Night" party (wait - is the party theme itself racist?) dressed wearing a turban and "brown makeup" (maybe that's a little much...) and now he's a racist? As a kid, I once dressed as an Indian chief for Halloween - am I a racist? The dictionary definition of racism is: "prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior". I don't see that happening in Trudeau's case.
Whether or not people think it's a "racist" event, I think the fact that he acknowledged that he did it and apologized for it should go a long way toward "forgiveness". Even more so, I think that Trudeau's exemplary behavior as Prime Minister reflects a man who is anything BUT racist.
7
The people defending this must be crazy. Have you looked at the photo? Wearing a vaguely exotic, "Arabian" costume might be one thing, if a little dated/out-of-touch. But this guy straight up looks like he covered himself in black shoe polish. I can't imagine ANYONE thinking that's acceptable, normal, inoffensive, or non-racist. Clearly, I just don't understand the white subconscious. You all need to take a good long look at the image this is putting across. And aside from pure optics--Trudeau has hardly been a friend to Native concerns in Canada, and has reneged on scores of progressive promises made during his campaign. Maybe he needs to stand aside so that someone who's actually progressive and not just a white man with a vaguely handsome face can take up a real leadership position.
1
Ok, I am adding to my list to check if I am crazy.
@i w OR, he was just going all out to try to look like a FICTIONAL DISNEY CHARACTER!!
I get that blackface is insulting because it was once used to demean blacks. But this is not blackface (it's a black and white picture, makes things look darker).
There are real issues out there to gripe about but everyone is looking so hard to find one, they pick out anything they can. Griping is a new sport.
C’mon. A dumb thing done decades ago by a very young man. Happens every day. He’s apologized. Get over it. Who has it in for him? We’ve got innumerable more serious issues to deal with going forward. Let’s go forward.
3
I agree this is ridiculous and not newsworthy as most of the comments here suggest. But I wonder if Trudeau were a conservative, would Times readers be just as forgiving?
1
Justin Trudeau has never displayed any pattern of racism or bigotry. To suggest dressing as Aladdin 18-years ago, although insensitive, is an indication of some underlying racism is ridiculous! Then to have the photo dragged out by Conservatives in an attempt to smear Trudeau, well the hypocrisy is mind boggling.
2
I am absolutely stunned by the many comments on here to cut him some slack. If he was a right winger you’d all be calling for his head.
Then we have the “this is nowhere near as bad as blackface”... ok, according to who? Who decides who else gets to be what level of offended? A bunch of chair-bound philosophers on the internet?
Maybe it’s time to end the political correctness crusade. Doubt that will ever happen though.
223
@Anderson
I don't understand your comment in the context of your last sentence and don't understand why the editors chose in the first place let along repost it anew. But then editors select in mysterious ways of late and algorithms prefer the tried and try bland outrages that have been repeated so many times they've lost all relevance.
This particular article is nothing but click bait and I'm sorry to be so annoyed by it that I can't help myself and am adding to the nonsense.
6
@Anderson - to you and others who are employing your deflections:
1) Yes, but he's not a "right winger" and so the question, conveniently, can't be answered.
2) Until this morning I had never heard of "brownface", which is by definition not blackface.
5
@Anderson Wrong. What you are seeing here is surprise at the reaction in Canada. Trudeau a good man. Media trying to sell output - making a Mountain out of a Mole Hill. We should consider attempting to trade Trumputin for Treadeau. Throw in Mitch "Machiavelli" McConnell. If successful, we could write a book - call it "The Art of the Deal".
2
This is not a man who would forgive another for an identical transgression. His career should be over.
2
People in these comments are speaking of things they have zero clue about. Trudeau has been virtue signalling since elected. He has built his brand on identity politics. He has cried racism when people do not agree with him on certain issues including immigration. He and his ilk have called Conservatives white supremacists. They have called for resignations on the right from decade old tweets. He cried racism on the hijab hoax and did not retract. Some have said he has had positive treatment towards minorities. Really? Where? He virtue signals. It is a facade. "continuous positive rhetoric" - that is all it is. It is pandering. If this were anybody on the right, the calls for resignations would be ringing from the Liberal party. No, he has got to go. This last 4 years have put Canada on the wrong path. The only PM to be have been found to be in violation of ethics rules, not once, but twice. Massive deficits when promised otherwise. Time to go. Americans supporting this guy....have no idea about the state of Canada.
2
And A Thousand and One Arabian Nights is a compilation of Arabic folk tales, compiled by Arab people, featuring- guess who - Aladdin. Aladdin is also a Broadway musical and the theme of the party that Trudeau attended was — whoa, guess what - “A Thousand and One Arabian Nights.” Was the theme racist and if so, why? Maybe he should have gone as the genie?
It is amusing to see folks try and split hairs to excuse Trudeau's actions
Bravo to people of color wo can forgive but lets never forget. Obviously Mr Trudeau had to be blamed for this grave error from the past. He has apologised profusely and people have evolved ) leastways in most of Canada)and today this could not happen in any high school in Canada. His track record for minority rights is however exemplary. This record speaks in his favor. Now that said, could we please get a list of his Conservative (GOP) opponents (Mr Scheer's) Halloween costumes of the past 44 years. Error is human. Seriously: Why dont we put an end to costume parties and to Halloween ...only dentists would be displeased... there I go making a joke on dentist's back...(irony)
2
He is a good leader and has apologized. Let it go. There was a time in America when being racist was all we knew. Obama changed a lot of that by empowering blacks and Hispanics. Trump comes along and decides that if Obama did something good, he would undo it and now we see bigotry and racism aflame in this country.
1
Get a grip!! You're talking about something that happened 20 years ago. And we're talking about a party theme of Arabian Nights. There are many shades of brown in racial ethnicity and I don't think there was a dark motive to this party dress-up.
5
He was dressed as Aladdin who was not white. Tempest in teapot .
4
Dressing up as Aladdin is not the same as sexual assault of a female student ( cough.... Kavanaugh)
7
The hand creeping up around the woman's neck who looks to be the same age as Professor Trudeau's students at the time is a far creepier optic.
1
I feel bad for him, but he brought this on with his preposterous preening at everyone else. There just isn't very much there.
Social media allows even the most innocent transgression to be blown out of proportion by orders of magnitude. I do not think our lives will ever be the same. Fortunately, I’ll be dead in about 25 years.
1
It is incredible to be how liberals continue to expand the definition of racism. Racism is the belief that a person or group are inferior because of their race. It is NOT a decision by someone nearly 20 years ago to dress up as an ethnic character. That doesn’t mean racists haven’t worn blackface, but it certainly doesn’t mean every costumed partygoer is racist. We have since decided that type of thing is distasteful—and people generally seem to understand. Liberals love eating their own, while their adversaries watch contently–and safely–from the sidelines.
5
For God sake he was young and it was Arabian nights fun. Trump has done worst than that.. Trudeau did not rape anybody or had affairs. As a Canadian I accept his apology. Trudeau is still a better choice than Andrew Scheer who in our Parliament speech said he can never accept LGBT community.. because he is true Christian like Mr, Pence. I would like to say to Mr. Scheer God not only created Adam and Eve. He also created Steve.
8
These sort of nonsense has to stop, Alladin was brown faced and so am I
!These silly incedents decades ago are meaningless, Justin Trudeau is great for Canada and I wish He was American President.
donald trump was never accused of such but was of many other things and is totally un-electable.
6
Who knew doing "colored" face was a thing? I'm 67 years old, and have never encountered this phenomenon at any point in my life. Funny how so many now-office-holders have this particular, peculiar skeleton in their closet. Is it some sort of rite of initiation into the corps of future power brokers? It's just baffling.
5
Trudeau attended a party dressed as a fictional character from a Disney movie. That fictional character was supposed to be Middle Eastern and he was colored with brown skin. Trudeau dressed as that character and darkened his skin. And this is the kind of thing we choose to spend so much time and energy on? Being "offended" and "outraged" over someone darkening his skin to look more like a fictional Disney character?? It's pathetic. (I won't even get into the fact that it was 18 years ago.) And, yes, I "get it." I am Jewish. If a man came to a Bible-themed party dressed as Moses - long hair and beard, dressed in some type of cloth and, yes, even darkened his skin, would I be offended?? Not a chance. And if he was a black guy and he LIGHTENED his skin to look more like Moses may have, would I be offended? Not a chance. It's a costume!! Lighten up everybody!!
8
It would be helpful to distinguish between wearing blackface at a KKK event and an Arabian nights party.
What about playing Othello for the last several hundred years?
Intent matters - go beyond just looking at a picture.
6
Intent to harm or affirmation of past harm should be a test to decide that behavior is racist or hateful. Wearing a Nazi costume to a party is hateful and racist (see: Royal Family, British).
If a Sikh had dressed as Trudeau did at that party, would the Sikh have been labeled racist? Everyone should agree that Aladdin is a cartoon character who can be played by a member of any race.
2
This story does not qualify as news. What matters is how well Justin Trudeau is performing as Canada's leader. Whether or not he wore blackface at a party decades ago is completely irrelevant.
4
Canadian person here ... Poor Justin - He should have gone as the Genie and this wouldn't be a thing. Many readers have already noted that there is really no comparison between this costume party event and the wearing of black face beside a KKK costumed individual.
While we are far from perfect in Canada (our record with our indigenous people is not stellar) we simply do not have the same history of violence and racism that informs what it means to wear "black face". Canada is a pretty welcoming place for immigrants from all over the world who have found acceptance here and made wonderful lives for themselves while contributing to the betterment of our country. I love the multicultural nature of our country. It wonderful and a blessing to be able to explore other cultures without having to leave home!
Mr. Trudeau has offered a sincere apology (which I personally don't think was necessary) and those who were offended should accept it and move on. Can we please just focus on the real issues in this election.
119
@EPL I believe most well-meaning people have accepted his apology and moved on. I'm more concerned about his support of fracking and fossil fuel developments, and that pipeline the Souix spent a whole winter trying to stop. What about that?
2
@EPL Thank you. This is not like my Canadian friends. Would love to trade Cadet "Sharpie" Bone Spurs - and will toss in Mitch "Machiavelli" McConnell - for Justin T. That would be the deal of the century. We would get a winner.
@EPL
Live by the sword, die by the sword, buddy.
Let’s, as a society, simply ignore anything anybody did, say or wrote before the age of 25 (unless they keep doing it). We’d be better off.
3
It isn't surprising that fine decent people could be also prejudiced not exactly a fine trait but perhaps attributed to many. Unfortunately not all those people have displayed their inner thoughts or feeling regarding race. Unfortunately the Canadian head of state had left a sign of it years earlier.
"Many Canadians are of South Asian and Middle Eastern descent..." Since when is 2.4%(South Asian) and .9% (ME) of a population considered "many"?
3
We have enough to worry about in our own country; let's leave Mr. Trudeau to the Canadians. Let's focus on the United States people.
3
This revelation about Justin Trudeau is of a part with what much of modern politics has become. The Prime Minister who preceded Trudeau was a hard line conservative named Stephen Harper. Imagine someone with Trump's instincts for populism, but smart and duplicitous. Harper was PM for 10 years, and Canadians were finally so anxious to be rid of him that they elected Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau is ambitious and theatrical but, um, unencumbered by gravitas, complex thoughts or deep integrity. Still, he parlayed his family name (his father was a former Canadian PM known for his wit, audacity and convictions) into winning the Liberal Party leadership, and ultimately the post of Prime Minister.
Everywhere we look, leaders ill-equipped for the job are in charge. Doug Ford, nastier brother to disgraced former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, is now Premier of Ontario. Boris Johnson is British PM. Former cricket star and Lothario Imran Khan is PM of Pakistan. And of course, television host and failed developer Donald Trump sits in the White House.
What force is enabling unqualified individuals to rise to power? It's simple; a media landscape that allows voters to choose outlets that confirm their biases. How to fix it? I don't think you can put that genie back in the bottle. Teaching media awareness from an early age would help, but the propagandists keep getting more clever, raising the threshold for identifying fake news. We need more leaders like Merkel and Ardern. I hope we get them.
2
So Mr Trudeau was in brown face. He wasn't saying hateful things. He wasn't depicting some kind of dopey or dishonest or malevolent character. He was depicting a heroic character.. His opponent Mr Scheer, who has spent much of his campaign defending candidates having made hateful remarks against disadvantaged groups. Mr. Scheer himself has refused to apologize for his own homophobic historical comments. Yet Mr. Scheer characterizes Mr Trudeau's actions as open mockery and racism from a person with "a complete lack of integrity". MR Scheer says he is fine with an array of candidates who have hateful histories but says it is all ok if they have apologized. Mr. Trudeau has apologized copiously. For myself, I can understand Mr. Trudeau's error. I used to see singers in blackface on TV as a child. They just seemed like good singers.What did I know? I didn't detect any comments or manner implying that people of colour were less worthy. I didn't think people of colour were less worthy. As an adult I have always voted for parties I saw as inclusive. I support strong immigration into Canada, especially by the disadvantaged who I think will make better citizens than those who buy into Canada as a potential escape from a place where they are persons of privilege whose privileges may be overturned in the future. Not seeing anything wrong with brown face made me ignorant: not a racist. I understand the point now, but I also understand the mistake.
4
I wonder: if he had dressed up as a white Aladdin, would that have been more or less 'racist'?
Of course he had to apologize abjectly. Anything less in today's breathless, 24-7 news cycle would be vilified as equivocation, insincerity, etc.
Maybe adults should just stop dressing up -- it can stray too easily into disrespect, appropriation, etc.
2
What an age we are living in, that Trudeau is receiving more condemnation for painting himself brown years ago than for his indifference to violence being inflicted upon against actual, uncostumed indigenous Canadians.
1
The media needs to either report every scandal or report none or it's no different than hackers who leak emails from one party and not others.
1
I am so sorry for dressing up as a native American with war paint on my face when I was a 6 year old for Halloween. I apologize to all I may have offended back in 1958.
8
@Carl LaFong
And I apologize to sub-Saharan wildlife for going in Halloween costume at 6 as a zebra.
3
Ah, the “woke” liberals arise to persecute one of their own. This is absurd. If you think this is an issue worthy of denying him his office, get a life, or, more importantly, get a sense of humor.
I am pretty conservative, but I don’t think everyone of whatever persuasion should continually be persecuted for acts which obviously involved no bad-faith.
By the way, the very term “woke” is insipid.
3
This incident is not the result of PC culture. The PC culture did not put it into the front page of the NYT's. The conservative right wing media did.
The Conservatives are grasping at straws to tarnish Trudeau so they can inflame all of us and distract us from the fact that they have no platform at all. They muddle around grasping at anything, trying to push back women's rights and denigrating gay marriage. They pander to the oil industry and to the evangelicals for votes because they have nothing innovative and hopeful to offer Canadians.
So why not manipulate us all and pretend this old mistake by Trudeau is currently racist. But from reading these comments, I can see that all of us see through this latest absurdity.
Why don't the Conservatives get an actual platform and conserve? Why don't they begin to offer us protection of the environment and get on board and help us tackle climate change? They always take the moral highroad and yet they are so incredibly off the mark.
3
Trudeau was wearing a costume to a costume party. Aladdin is a character in a collection of Arab folktales, "One Thousand and One Arabian Nights," that were originally compiled in Arabic. Dressing as Aladdin is not participating in an American, racist, minstrel parody. Or is everyone who ever appeared in the Broadway musical, "Aladdin," now disqualified from holding public office? Or are we now backing off the accusation of racist parody to the fallback position, "cultural appropriation"? Does that taboo only apply to people of color, or do I also have to bag my winter kilts?
Racism, a true evil, and the minstrel show, ditto, are being being weaponized for political purposes. This trivializes the actual evils and turns a question for study and analysis - how Americans demeaned black people through cultural institutions as well as legally and politically - into a game of "gotcha."
I heard today on BBC World News that a photo of Trudeau's opponent at the moment that he first saw the photo showed an expression on his face that, the BBC reported said, "could only be described as 'pure glee'." Shouldn't that tell us something?
5
I once went to a Halloween costume party dressed as a vampire with a blue face. Should I then apologize to everyone who has methemoglobinemia ?
3
This is not a big deal but he made it into one by apologizing and saying he is "deeply sorry". This validates the people who think he has done something egregious and to the rest of us he seems weak-kneed and groveling.
2
He must be fired immediately, and never allowed to hold a meaningful job again ,...ever! There, feel better now race-baiters?
7
Canadians. Please don’t be dumb. Conservatives will ruin your wonderful progressive country as they have ruined our country. Trudeau is basically a good guy. Don’t let them hijac this election because of 20 year old youthful stupidity
5
This is ridiculous. We ignorant Whites have "learned" that People of Color find this offensive.
When I was 6 I dressed up like an "Indian" (ignorantly so-called then, since the time of Columbus) and had a bow and arrow and a feather and paint...there I confess it!!!!
Will I do it now or let my child: NO.
Now if it is done, BAD. Then, if it was done, IGNORANT.
That this is front page news is absurd.
The planet is heating up, let's get some focus.
4
What a leader!!!
1
This isn’t front page news.
5
Common sense people! Cancel culture, and the influence of a few in social media needs to be curtailed. I am tired of people speaking or getting outraged on my name. Who gave them this responsibility? Clean your room first. Forgive mistakes by others, call out evilness only when its clear and don't be fool by the algorithm. Peace!
6
This is outrageous. He dressed up as Aladdin for a costume party and we're calling it 'brown face?!' This isn't racist folks, and it isn't cultural appropriation or any other progressive buzz word. Shame on the media, shame on progressives, and shame on those jumping on this bandwagon to condemn.
PS the color brown (and all the other colors in the rainbow) is not owned by a minority group or anyone. And costume parties, like comedy, are meant to allow you some laughter and fun. We need fun; we need a sense of humor.
30
Eighteen years ago at an Arabian Nights party. Did they expect him to show up as Truman Capote?
14
It’s what’s in the heart that matters, not a costume thrown together for a college party that realistically reflected the character represented.(Taken literally, white people can only dress as someone white at a costume party. Otherwise, they are racist). And the man’s actions as PM should speak louder than a costume worn where no harm was meant; no apology should be necessary.
If you can’t be silly and have fun at a costume party, we’re all in trouble. In the early 2000’s, people weren’t expected to be so emotionally sensitive to possibly imagined slights.
Current society judges on appearances only, instead of situational content. Things that “go viral” on the internet often have no basis in fact- pictures and stories don’t match or are pure fabrications:information designed to harm others or to advertise a product. What’s worse- most readers don’t go any deeper, just pass on the misinformation until it becomes “true.” The person targeted is unable to use the truth to undo the damage. Ask Hilary Clinton.
Racism is a serious problem, but not because some politician sees it as his duty to play the Racist card to discredit another, who happens to be the PM, or even that the current President of the United States has made racist remarks so often no one is surprised.
People are out there shooting children, targeting Black churches. People of Color are targeted, by both police and White Supremacist terrorists.
... and someone wants Trudeau to lose the election.
6
Improper as it was, it was not "racist." There are actually no separate races of humankind, as geneticists have proven. It was culturally insensitive or, in the worst case, bigoted and discriminatory. But simply not racist.
2
Wasn't it Shakespeare who said, "Much ado about nothing?"
10
I could care less about black, white, brown, yellow, blue, or red face, but it does seriously irritate me when adults dress up in costumes. How could anyone vote for this guy now? And he's wearing a politician's costume in the picture. Utterly shameful.
4
@Frunobulax
Bravo. Children get dressed up on Halloween. Adults should simply get dressed.
How long are adults going to act like children?
Adults need to give up on the Peter Pan, "I don't want to grow up"..........and actually grow up.
1
He was in college. That’s not quite “adult” technically yes but come on. University. And Aladdin is not “blackface” nor is it rape
2
It was 18 years ago, a costume party, he was dressed as a famous character, and his motives were pure. I somehow doubt that those offended today were as outraged then. My sense is they are retroactively offended, and this is a political takedown, not a real offense. As Maya Angelou says,
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
In my opinion, this is not much of a story and certainly not lead front page. Come on NYT, you can do better.
2
"Justin Trudeau Says He Is ‘Deeply Sorry’ After Brownface
‘It Was a Dumb Thing to Do,’ Trudeau Says After Brownface Photo Surfaces"
"...when a photograph surfaced of him wearing brownface makeup at a 2001 private school party."
It would be one thing if this happened recently. But, this is 18 years ago. "Mr. Trudeau, who has long championed the rights of racial minorities in Canada..." What is more telling of Trudeau's character, the 18 year old past or his history since that time?
2
This just in. Laurence Olivier has risen from the dead to say he's deeply sorry for having performed Othello in blackface many times on the stage, including in a performance that was filmed in 1964, for which he received an Academy Awards nomination for Best Actor. A spokesperson for the Academy said there was no one left alive who could remember voting for the nomination, but that a cinematographer who declined to be identified said he didn't vote to give Olivier the Oscar because 'he was the biggest ham ever to appear on screen.'
5
I am a white woman, 65 and I have to say I have no idea why so many seemingly educated white people did not know from early childhood on, that blackface or brownface was completely racist and insulting. I remember meeting a woman in her 30's who spoke of a talent show at a prestigious college in which she sang a Tina Turner song in blackface and I was shocked. I remember shouting 'No, you didn't really?' and it made me dissect her entire character. We had just started dating. I wonder to this day if she is aware that it could end her career. Again, how did we not all get the message???? I am grateful for my earliest instincts and insight, wherever they came from.
29
@coco
I count myself as seemingly educated and white, so let me opine for a moment.
I think a large part of it is that so many of us saw black, brown, tan, and cream as merely colors, largely thanks to the work of our parents' generation (RIP, Dr. King). Growing up in a small, isolated, rural Nor-Cal town full of Hispanic farm workers with a group home for troubled Bay Area youth (mostly black, Asian, Pacific Islander), I never saw any kid of another race as anything other than a friend. Why would I? My parents didn't treat them differently, and the parents of my friends didn't treat me that differently. The group home kids were all nice guys, just products of their environment. They were a huge part of our school's culture.
And so my first foray into blackface was really with these recent events over the past 5-10 years. And my first reaction was, "who cares?" Internally anyway, I was totally fine with throwing on some makeup to look like my friends, and I'd have no problem if they wanted do the same me. What, exactly, was the problem emulating someone of another race?
Having now looked at the problem for many years, I understand it now. But as much as I loath the racism behind the history of blackface, a large part of me holds out hope that, someday, our culture will have the tolerance to to allow folks to wear makeup as a way to embrace other races rather than deride them.
10
@coco
"I have no idea why so many seemingly educated white people did not know from early childhood on, that blackface or brownface was completely racist and insulting"
Because it's not, except by unfortunate contamination by questionable american values. You live in a repulsive culture of fear and retribution "I wonder to this day if she is aware that it could end her career." If Americans are upset by how things are done elsewhere, stay in the US.
If not, welcome to Canada!
10
@coco Just this morning my 12 year old grand daughter asked, "How could anyone not understand that wearing blackface is racist?" I don't know where she got that. I think it was just empathy and common sense.
12
Liberalism is not necessarily innate. It can be learnt and it's adoption may be based on life experiences and it's avowal may come with apologies for the speed or amount of learning that was required to reach that point.
1
Canada, a member of the British Dominion, condoned the horrible treatment of North Africa, Middle East, India and Pakistan when under British rule. Given Canada's role in British Empire building and maintenance, one would expect Trudeau to be aware of the offensiveness.
He was 29 years old. At least Northam was still in some form of education (although one in Medical school should also be judged as a full blown adult).
This is actually more offensive than similar incidents in our recent history precisely because Trudeau was educated and aware of the history of oppression his country had profited from. He seems to think his liberal opinions give him a special pass, when in reality they hold him to a higher standard.
1
Not that it is a likely circumstance, but I guess in our current social climate any white actor who ever donned make-up to play the lead in 'Othello' better not harbor any political ambition.
4
This was 18 years ago.
18 years ago.
No one is the same person they were 18 years ago nor does society have the same views it had 18 years ago.
@Stephen So you objected when Romney's behavior from high school was raised during the 2012 campaign?
1
Judging by these comments, I don't think some Americans fully grasp the Canadian context. They feel we have a wonderful, progressive leader and that these photos are not a big deal, a youthful error at worst (another has been revealed today, showing Trudeau in blackface). The problem is that Trudeau set himself up for accusations of hypocrisy by being the supreme virtue-signaller himself. Until just now, the Liberal campaign was busy dredging up their opponents distant indiscretions. But more important, there has been a yawning gap between his stated progressive goals and the reality of his term as PM. The Liberal Party continues to function as Canada’s natural governing party, highly beholden to corporate elites. We said the right things at the Paris accord, but the government is heavily invested in one of the most polluting projects in the world, the Alberta oilsands. No, we don’t have a leader like Trump, but I, and many Canadians set our standards a lot higher than “better than Trump.”
3
@garibaldi
We have the more progressive leader.
More progressive than Scheer.
And if you think the oil sands don't weigh heavily on any government trying to balance jobs, power and the environment then you don't grasp the complexities of Canada's economy and political life.
People in this country and, perhaps, Canada, clearly have too much time on their hands to be able to give even one second of serious attention to this "story". As an Indian-American, I see it as clearly intended to stir up some sort of faux-indignation towards a decent man and one of the very few genuinely, and deservedly popular politicians in the world, today. Give me Justin over Donald any day!
6
We don’t have anything this close to a president or premier this good hearted in the world! Trudeau is a saint compared to most world leaders!
2
He owned up to a mistake and apologized. Let's move on to more important and current matters.
3
He apologized. He is remorseful.
Canada do the right thing. Re-elect.
2
The fact that this occurred 18 years ago relegates it to the 'not news ' department. It is more a testament to the 'tone deafness' of white privilege and chauvinism than it is actual racism. It also speaks to the glee experienced by the politically correct who hope to mine an 18 year incident for political gain.
Why can't people ever be honest about this stuff? He didn't "just now realize" that this was racist. He knew it was racist at the time, but he was a young new teacher and wanted to fit in with his colleagues rather than creating waves in his first few months at a new job.
That doesn't make what he did right, but instead of going through this whole song-and-dance every time, why don't we try talking about the ACTUAL societal factors that contribute to this sort of behavior, instead of just losing our collective minds?
Unfortunately the election of politicians is based mostly on photogenic charisma first and everything else later. Justin Trudeau is a pretty weak copy of his father who on top of charisma had a little education and intelligence. Justin has not said or done anything of substance except for posing as a liberal democrat (a term that means pretty much anything to the left of fascism these days).
A fraternity boy (if they have them up there) at best. We need leaders who have integrity first and foremost. Bernie, Angela Merkel and Liz Warren are not glamorous or gorgeous; they are honest, intelligent and educated.
2
Sounds like his political opponent is desperate. Rather than debate real issues that impact real people, we dig up completely banal and utterly inane old photos of people dressed up as Disney characters or whatever rubbish, and use them bolster some poorly argued thesis about the person's ethics and morals.
Sounds like much ado about nothing. Again. And again.
Nevertheless, to all children and young adults who aspire to accomplish anything: never dress up and if you do, never have your photo taken. Better yet, never venture out into public and try at all costs never to have any fun.
2
Every time the Left flips out over nonsense like this, another undecided voter goes for Trump.
3
And in other news, Halloween has been irrevocably and eternally canceled, lest photographs of someone in costume be dragged out decades later and used against them whether for real or imagined transgressions. Boo.
2
Apparently, this was OK according to 2001 rules, given the fact that no drama ensued at the event. If we are going to be anachronistic with our outrage, then we will have NO progressive politicians left. The political Left has a problem devouring its own.
Meanwhile. politicians on the Right just say "oh yeah sorry about that blackface", and their constituents actually get mad at them for apologizing.
2
It must be difficult emotionally to retain such outrage over puny matters.
1
The issue here is not the relative offensiveness of Trudeau's actions compared to others. The issue here is that Trudeau has been a cheerleader for cancel culture, and has had no grace for anyone who has made mistakes in the past. Had this photo surfaced of any of his caucus, they'd be immediately cancelled.
Now that the shoe is on the other foot, he apologizes and asks everyone to move on.
The second thing that pops up is that this photo appears in the yearbook for a high end (read mostly white) private high school. Given his privileged upbringing, this photo reinforces the image of a rich white kid taking advantage of minorities for his social gain.
4
It was a costume party, please. He was dressed as Aladdin. This is Canada, not a slavery issue the way it is in the South like Virginia or Mississippi.
3
According to a recent news report, "Trudeau has been admired by liberals around the world for his progressive policies in the Trump era." This is what Trudeau has done for Canadians and for the rest of us lately.
That said, who among us has never been a bonehead behaving from time-to-time in sync with the dead-end ethical sense of a particular era. I, for one, am guilty as charged, and I now believe that racism is the greatest social scourge on the face of the planet.
To Canadian progressives: are you really of a mind to throw into history's dustbin a proven progressive in favor of Stephen Harper redux? If so, you deserve what you get. But the rest of us deserve better.
3
Can we design a mature political system instead of one with leaders and lobbyists? One where people vote on issues online and a type of consultative group of experts make decisions without any politicking or lobbying? Baha’i Faith has such a system for those looking for a working global administrative system.
I never thought I'd say this, but we've finally gone too far. Trudeau is one of the best heads of state in the world right now... and Aladdin? Really? If this offends you, you have problems.
We have MUCH bigger problems and much bigger racial issues to deal with.
175
@Lannock
What if he had been in black face? Or this was a politician with whom you did not agree?
Either it is all ok or none of it is ok.
3
@Lannock, “played” Aladdin. Might as well take away Yul Brynner’s 2 Tonys and Oscar. I mean he was Swiss and Russian. What nerve playing a Siamese King.
17
@Lannock
He was in costume. I’m sure everyone watching saw Aladdin and nothing else.
9
Actually, this is several steps up from American 1%er business men out in the Bohemian Grove dressed up as women and urinating against the redwoods.
These are the same 1%er's who refuse to pay American Women equal pay.
They steal 20% from every woman, every paycheck, always have and hope that they always will.
That is how they made their obscene fortunes.
"Aladdin" isn't exactly Prince Bonesaw, but it does open the dialogue on the equal treatment of Canadian women, especially the Native women who are treated as 4th-class citizens.
Come on, Justin: Deal with THAT.
4
@rosa
Sorry, but women are paid the same as men in every company and every job I've worked and I'm officially old. (Officially old means you have received a Medicare card.)
I'm a woman, and worked for 16 years in HR. The only difference in pay was extra pay for work experience, not sex, not gender.
I'm a woman, and worked for 27 years in health care. The only difference in starting pay for my graduating class of nurses was how many hours the nurse wanted and was willing to work. We all started at the same wage. I made more than some other nurses because I was a single parent and worked overtime, often working 48 hours per week. Some of the men worked 48 hours a week at minimum and often worked 60 hours a week.
Looking at the annual pay of nurses doesn't show anything except how many hours a nurse chooses to work.
Same for doctors: there are women surgeons, but the majority of women who are physicians/surgeons choose fields that do not require that the doctor be on call. The dermatologist doesn't make as much as the cardiologist........but dermatologists aren't on call for 24 hours two/three/four times per month.
1
Oh please. Is everyone who wore an 'Indian' costume for Halloween in the sixties now not fit for office?
Justin Trudeau is a good guy. He apologized.
Let's concentrate on how people behave now, not years ago,
27
@Concerned Mother well right now he has been found guilty of breaching current ethics rules, is trying to interfere in our justice system and obstruct justice #LAVscam, has created massive deficits when he promised to balance budget by 2019 and the list goes on and on.
2
The hullabaloo over this seems ridiculous. Who didn't dress up as a Pilgrim or Indian in elementary school prior to 2010? Yet that would be considered racist by today's standards (literally the standards of just the last decade). This was 20 years ago, and he was dressed appropriately for the occasion. My question is, is no one of a different race than the character or person they are portraying ever supposed to change their skin color to appear more similar to the character or person? Or does it now go beyond skin color and a person should never portray someone outside of their (socially constructed) race? Let's be clear what the rules are for everybody if people will be vilified for this.
14
As a Canadian,this is very sad. Trudeau was quick to issue an apology but this is nothing more than another vapid platitude from a vapid hypocrite.
This is the same man that most embarrassingly faked being Hindu on his visit to India (roundly condemned around the planet) and glibly giggled when he nationalized Trans Mountain:
I just bought a pipeline. These was only one for sale.
A quickly mouthed apology means nothing. King Trudeau II always mouths apologies.
The time has come to pay the piper and resign.
10
Are people actually offended by this kind of stuff in real life or just on Twitter?
23
...and in America, we have a President who:
1) as a businessman, intentionally refused to rent spaces to minorities,
2) actively tries to sow ethnic and religious division through his rhetoric,
and pushes through policies that:
3) will increase air and water pollution and overall environmental damage,
4) make healthcare and education LESS affordable to more people,
5) make it harder for consumers to protect themselves from economic abuse,
6) expand the national debt to unsustainable levels, and
7) damage relationships with our reliable democratic allies around the world.
He also praises murderous dictators (including murderous monarchs).
Oh yeah, and there is a chance he could start a catastrophic war with Iran.
But, unlike Trudeau, Trump has never, as far as we know, worn blackface. We're told his reelection prospects are still good.
18
Maybe to be absolutely politically correct to future voters we should ban all costume parties - particularly those that use a folklore theme. No school should ever promote knowledge of folk stories or literature through the use of costumes because some day we may perceive the costumes as reinforcing a "new" awareness of racial profiling and possibly a student today will forfeit serving in political office in the distant future! Trudeau apologized - let's move on. Is this story just in the headlines because the US wants a political distraction from the criminal in the White House?
9
Wearing blackface in a demeaning manor, intended to mock or denigrate a race or in any proximity to a KKK robe is wrong and the attitudes that go with it are probably difficult to change. Wearing makeup for a costume in a play is something else. Although I'd prefer they have an actor that already has dark skin and fits the part, that isn't always practical especially in local productions. Some of this stuff just gets taken too far.
6
Hopefully Prime Minister Trudeau's travails in office, minor or major, will teach the mainstream press in the U.S. to stop genuflecting in front of the latest liberal political hero, as they did with Mr. Trudeau, before they've actually done anything. With all politicians, whether or not their program is in favor with the press, one must wait for the subtext.
3
@David Godinez Genuflecting in front of our latest "conservative" hero is equally as bad given his antics towards women, Latinos, immigrants in general (well, except those from Norway or Slovenia), LGBTQ community, racists.
You see, there are good, and bad, people on both sides, to borrow from our Dear Leader.
However much I'm troubled that American style tabloid politics is taking root here in Canada, let's not forget that Justin Trudeau is a politician who has cultivated a public image that places style and image over substance. In view of this and SNC-Lavalin, Trudeau's credibility as a progressive and proponent of inclusion comes into question, if not serious doubt. For a politician introducing American style identity politics into Canadian political discourse as well, albeit more on ideological than cultural and racial lines, this episode further reinforces perceptions of Trudeau's disingenuous character. Indeed, he now appears as genuine as an orange polyester suit.
The other problem is that in constantly apologizing, Trudeau renders the gesture essentially meaningless. Nevertheless, what's even more disquieting for Canadians is the dearth of viable alternatives to Trudeau and the Liberal government. We might roll the dice and go with Andrew Scheer, but me thinks this is major gamble.
2
@Arcticwolf
Before you complain about American-style tabloid journalism, perhaps you should remember that it was the Liberals who decided to hire Obama's former campaign operatives to make him win.
It was the Liberals who decided that Canadians with successful careers in America need to be brought back to run for office and hold cabinet positions (Michael Ignatieff, Chrystia Freeland).
Like his mentor, Kathleen Wynne, he'd rather take the party down with him than resign and find a new leader.
@Viv Considering how the federal Liberals associated themselves with Trudeau's name and became a party of personalities rather than ideas, he's increasingly an albatross around the neck of said party. The fact Trudeau kept a low profile til now, and won't participate in all debates, is reflective of how Liberal strategists perceive him as a liability at present as well.
Finally, when did I write about American style tabloid journalism?
There is no sense of proportion to this. He did something 18 years ago that was ill-advised and offensive, but that shouldn't be the issue with his candidacy today. The issue should be what he has done as Prime Minister and what he can be expected to do if re-elected.
Most of us have done things at some point in our lives that we wish we hadn't. Seeking public office shouldn't be an invitation to scour a candidate's life looking for anything from the past that can be used to smear him or her today. We will never know how many potentially good candidates never put their hat in the ring in order to avoid this kind of media frenzy.
7
We are having a very toxic and nasty electoral campaign in Canada.
The conservatives (rough equivalent of your GOP) are trying to pull one like that regarding Trudeau every day and that's pretty much all that they have to offer.
Most of those are obnoxious and obvious lies. It would seem they now found a picture.
This behavior by Trudeau is shameful, inappropriate and wrong.
But it happened 20 years ago during a party where people were wearing disguises while Trudeau was not even 30 years old.
There is absolutely no doubt that Trudeau is not a racist.
He apologizes for it and is not trying to defend it.
The record of his party with respect to minorities is much better than that of his opponent, Mr. Scheer, whose attitude vis-à-vis gays, for example, is probably somewhat similar to that of Mike Pence.
But there is no picture of that.
In our day and age, a single picture seems to carry more weight than decades of actual actions and behavior.
Time will tell if Canadian minorities forgive him or not.
It would be kafkaesque to elect a party which has a real issue with minorities over a picture of someone who clearly has none.
10
Time Magazine, a US journalistic entity, released this image which was timed perfectly to derail Trudeau's re-election campaign, this is no coincidence. This is meddling in the Canadian election by a US entity. This is no different than Russians seeking to derail US elections.
4
As a Canadian with brown skin I am dismayed that the conversation gets to be about costume and not about how to address issues of racism effectively. Have we now reached peak political correctness as we gasp in horror and affect disappointment that a politician once disguised himself as Alladin?
That this is a 'scandal' is why parts of the population are disdainful of progressive views. Perhaps the pendulum has swung way too far on this one. That we easily conflate actions of genuine racism with silly misdemeanours in tasteful behaviour should be a warning signal that we have become confused about what true racism really is and have taken refuge in virtue signalling.
Mr. Trudeau is himself often guilty of virtue signalling - hence the glee - and the posturing - with which this 'news' has been received. The handwringing is more disturbing than the original sin. If you think that a costume alone is representative of genuine racism or engenders it, I respectfully suggest that you have yet to be turned away from a job opportunity, housing, or courteous service because of your colour, religion or language. Let's get back to focusing on what we can do to make life better for everyone.
12
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended an Arabian Nights party in an elegant costume and head dress wearing brown face makeup. His intention, which is obvious by the photo, was to look exotically handsome, to be the fantasy, play the part. In my world brown and black skin is defined as more beautiful than pasty white. I'm a man of color, I thought the Prime Minister looked pretty sexy as a brown man. Is that a big deal?
7
It never ceases to amaze that we can no longer tell the difference between the mountain of overt, blatant racism and the molehill of insensitive, racially tone-deaf indiscretion. How is it that we've lost the ability to discern these differences, and now can only function in a world, ironically, of absolute black or white? I'm not sure that the instantaneous mad scramble to capitalize on every mistake, misstep, and misspoken word isn't more insidious than the act itself. There's an old folk saying that when you point a finger at somebody else, three fingers are pointing back at you.
Trudeau made a mistake, and not a small one. We can accept his apology as authentic and measure his actions against his words, or we can dismiss it as inauthentic, just another politician covering up when he gets caught, a not uncommon event.
But here's the thing: If we choose not to accept his apology, then we're left to believe that his actions reflect his genuine beliefs. Is this what you believe? If so, then you've committed yourself to an absolute approach to measuring the behavior and beliefs of everyone, and are dismissing even the possibility that people make mistakes, some of them quite egregious, for which they are genuinely remorseful.
Personally, I've made way too many mistakes, some of them truly terrible, to want to live in a world where that's all I'm measured by. I reserve my disdain for the genuine bad people among us, the ones who flaunt their character every day.
7
I am really sick of people apologizing for the mildest things. Trudeau's photo isn't the best example. However, there has to be a line where it stops. I believe that today, the general public has gone too far. I still think Senator Al Franken resigning is a perfect example of what I mean. This has to stop somewhere.
3
This is a non-story and clearly motivated by the political opposition. What matters are Mr. Trudeau’s recent and current government-related actions.
10
Our Prime Minister didn't dilly dally and admitted he did it. He couldn't go back in time, so it is what it is.
5
When speaking of people that have worn black and brown face, let's mention that it is still acceptable, and considered funny, for men to dress up as women. They use the exact same exaggerated physical and behavioral mannerisms that people used in the the past. In fact, I think that Trudeau's, and the Governener of Virginia's portrayals of black and brown faced people were mild compared to what is currently accepted as funny when men wear "femme face." I'm thinking of the movies of a certain African American comedian.
5
Our world is constantly changing. Things that were acceptable a few decades ago are no longer acceptable. Our way of thinking is constantly evolving, hopefully for the better. To judge someone’s past on today’s thinking is absurd, unfair and not always representative of that same person today. Who among us has never done something wrong in their past ? What is this obsession with a perfect human being to lead us, especially when most of us are so far from perfection ? Are we looking for a good person to lead us or are we looking for a messiah ?
6
Trudeau was wrong in his past actions, and he apologized--as a brown Muslim-American (or even if I was Canadian) I accept his apology. Since taking office, PM Trudeau has shown exceptional empathy and inclusiveness towards the Muslim community, showing his support during the terrorist mosque shooting in Quebec (which Trump did not even acknowledge as a terrorist attack) and warm wishes during our holidays. Keep up the good work PM Trudeau. The Conservatives under PM Harper supported Bush's disastrous war on terror and endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan--that's far worse than anything Trudeau did, and last time I checked, they never apologized for all of the Muslim civilians they helped kill in Bush and Cheney's wars.
11
Is it really "racist" for a white person to dress as Aladdin? I ask this as a black woman of the age to have faced innumerable instances of racial animus. Get a grip, people. We are spending too much time and emotion in pursuit of this particular theme. There are much more fundamentally harmful acts directed towards us everyday that are not making the news. I think THAT fact is what's racist.
33
Political correctness becomes tyranny.
26
@Newfie
If this incident gives us an opportunity to discuss issues that bother and potentially harm people, I don't see PC as a tyranny. I see it as an opportunity to improve.
1
It's tempting to think a time will come when the "blackface" thing will no longer be a big deal. Okay, it's distasteful and rude and disrespectful, but it's just makeup. The ticket isn't to reach back into the unchangeable past, at the expense of the present and the future, and dig up photos of now-prominent white people indulging in the infamous archaic practice in order to shame and discredit them; it's being bigger and better and stronger than the perceived insult (people of color could do worse than to see blackface or brownface as a crude form of cosplay, the pigmentally challenged acknowledging discomfort or dissatisfaction with their own skin--after all, people don't go to tanning booths to get paler, do they?) and rising above it. Perhaps that'll happen in the future, but we're not there quite yet.
7
As he said, it was racist, he was wrong, he should never have done it, he is mad at himself, he apologized, and he asks for forgiveness. Wow! Wish U.S. leaders could use similar language showing an ability to identify and learn from their past mistakes. Since many of us have learned from things that we have done that were wrong, and he has a good record of actions on diversity and immigration, we should accept his apology, and continue to evaluate his actions.
9
@David
Saudi Arabia is not a race, nor are folktales turned into Disney movies.
We must be running out of things to apologize for.
17
When the Revolution comes what will the criminal codes look like?
5
And who gains from resurrecting this ridiculous non-event of twenty years back at a class masquerade party? The Conservative party of course, little brother to the US Republican party, both owned by Big Oil and rabidly against social democracies putting people ahead of profit. Let us not be fooled as who really has our backs here and who wants to spread oil pipelines all across our country
10
@Sergio
The people who care about Canadian Workers are the ones who want to spread pipelines across your country. You cannot get your oil to market,except here in the US and we are paying you a fraction of what you could get elsewhere.
1
It's his mealy-mouthed apology that has damaged him the most. No apology is needed from a person of strong character. Trudeau demonstrated, once again, that he has no firm convictions and all of his actions are dictated by political correctness.
3
Everytime something like this happens to a non-Liberal they are crucified and the PC Crowd comes out of the proverbial woodwork crying for blood. When it happens to a darling on the Left they are given a pass and a chorus of lets move on is heard. Its the height of hypocrisy which we've come to expect.
13
Actually, I'm starting to think of this is the new McCarthyism.
the Republicans are going around and fussing about socialism. And the Democrats are going around with crazy stuff about people dressing up like Aladdin.
The dog and pony show is keeping everyone busy thinking about nonsense instead of thinking about why they're still going to war in the Middle East.
15
The discussion about racism on both sides of the border is welcome and long overdue. The brouhaha over a picture of 29-year-old Justin Trudeau in brown makeup is cynically inflated and reflects badly on the "Vancouver businessman" who found the photo, Time magazine for publishing it, and the Labor Party for trying to make political capital out of it. First of all, Aladdin is a fictional character. Was it racist for Laurence Olivier to put on dark makeup to play Othello? Second, did anyone find Trudeau's makeup offensive at the time? Third, doesn't Trudeau's good record on minority rights since becoming Prime Minister matter far more than an innocent, high-spirited act that took place many years ago? By giving this story so much exposure, the Times is also guilty of making more of it than it deserves. Labelling such a trivial incident "racist" does not aid the cause of eradicating racism. And forcing public officials to "apologize" for something that warrants no apology doesn't help either.
9
Something I'm confused about.
This was a dumb thing done unthinkingly by a relatively young person and didn't harm anybody.
Elizabeth Warren was a libertarian Republican until she was in her mid-40s who supported the toxic policies of Nixon and Reagan.
How come the first is a major election issue while the second should just be ignored?
1
In a world in conflict, due is large part to criminal actions in invading the middle east by Bush and now by a president destroying the American democracy to its south, I hope Canadians show their sense of history and intelligence to put this headline on the back row of importance to their country and the world.
5
The only thing cringe-worthy is his apology tour.
7
Isn't there a distinction between wearing black face to imitate the horrendous "step & fetchit" characters of Jim Crow days, and dressing up as an animated character from the movies? Has it gotten to the point that wearing a Halloween costume of the boy from the Jungle Book is as bad as Al Jolson mimicking Black entertainers in a disparaging way? It seems lie there should be.
9
Trudeau was portraying Aladdin. Darker skin is part of the costume.
This sort of pearl-clutching will get Trump a second term.
13
I am a South Asian living in Toronto for the past 30 years. There is not a single racist bone in Justin Trudeau body. What he has done since becoming PM in restoring from the previous government the feeling of equality and meritocracy for all is truly astounding.
12
Judge him by the way he treats minorities now. Judge him on his current track record of inclusiveness. Stop judging him for dressing as Aladdin for a class night. Aladdin in the Arabian Nights was not a Caucasian. High Schools and Colleges should do away with Drama class because anything you do in the play and it is deemed offensive 15-20 years later, your career, political or otherwise will be doomed.
7
Justin Trudeau dressed in an Aladdin costume decades ago. In the meantime he’s redeemed himself by his actions as PM.
As far as I know, Donald Trump has never dressed as Aladdin or in black face. Does that make Trump a more honorable or respected man fit to be president?
I’d pick a leader like Trudeau any day over a charlatan and snake oil salesman like Trump.
10
Amazing that so many ' Pale Faces' spend so much effort and time trying to artificially look ' beautiful' and ' healthy' and ' lovely' black brown and orange.
3
He was going to an "Arabian Nights" costume party in college dressed as Aladdin and put brown makeup on to look more realistic (note. Aladdin was not white). And now he's not qualified for political office? I've seem images of people wearing blackface in a belittling manner which is definitely racist. I don't see Trudeau's action as being any bit racist. This current theme of ruining people over actions taken years ago regardless of intent needs to stop.
8
Now I just read that there is 1,361 comments on a Canadian news. Never seen that before.
But on a more serious tone, this incident demonstrated that my country is not immune from racism and stupidities. We have our history of slavery, segregation and racism. We have also our Rosa Parks. Her name was Viola Irene Desmond, a black woman, civil rights activist and business women. She challenged racial segregation in a cinema in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. In 1946, she refused to leave the white only area of the cinema. She was prosecuted and convicted of tax evasion. The tickets for the Black section were cheaper and therefore the tax on them lower than the tax on the White section's tickets. She got a posthumous pardon and she is now on our $10 bills.
4
He should not have to apologize to dress up at a costume party - if anything this drags REAL racism into the ridiculous instead of the serious issue it is.
Someone is just trying to dig up dirt during election season. I am much more concerned that he is not tough on the oil industry in a time of climate change. But his opponents are more like Trump on environment.
So let's not take the bait and get distracted. We have REAL issues to deal with.
6
I remember being in the waiting room of the student clinic of a distinguished US university (University of Michigan-Ann Arbor) in 1973. I sat near two black students talking. It was the start of the fall semester. One of the young men was telling the other about one of his new professors: "a white dude, with an English accent". That phrase was uttered with disgust and sarcastic laughter, in audible range of several white people. No racial group is free of racism.
7
@Heike Korošec
I think we can all agree that the world has work to do on prejudice of other cultures, accents and skin colours. So thank you Justin Trudeau for giving us an opportunity to discuss this.
The question is, is he fit to lead? I think his apology, which seems genuine to me, shows good leadership and growth mindset.
1
So we found out that yet another politician is two-faced. This is news?
1
This is certainly unacceptable by today's standards, but I don't know if it's constructive to pillory people for racist acts committed when “casual” racism like this was—incorrectly—given a pass. It was wrong, but Trudeau wasn’t advocating violence (e.g., dressing up as a Klansman) or physically harming anyone. And who hasn’t shown bad judgement at some point in their past? Today Trudeau knows what he did was wrong and he’s sorry for it. Has anyone seen the Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy movie “Trading Places” (Al Franken's even in it)? One scene features Aykroyd in blackface, and it was funny – by the standards of the time. That doesn’t mean it was right, but that was then and this is now and the important thing is that we learn from our mistakes and commit to not repeating them. The course of excessive self-flagellation that Trudeau’s communications team has him on is doing more harm than good. Try this: It was wrong. I know that. I apologize. It will never happen again. I think my record on multiculturalism speaks for itself.
10
He went to an Arabian nights costume party dressed in a costume wait for it, appropriate to the event. Was he poking fun at middle eastern culture? No, he was in a costume, good grief.
19
It is amazing this photo did not leak earlier! While I think that people should be free to wear any costume they want for Halloween or other masked parties, we are obviously living at times where it is thought of being incredibly offensive for a white man to appear as a black man. If this happened in 1961 it would probably be normal, but it happened in 2001 when it was already deemed highly inappropriate. And Trudeau was already an adult, and a teacher, so he really should have known better... If this surfaced earlier he might have never become Canadian PM.
1
He wasn’t playing a black man.
1
Really? This is the lead story on the NYT? And I'm still looking for a mention of the whistleblower who felt compelled to report what he/she felt was an alarming "promise" made by Trump to a foreign leader. Three guesses which foreign leader. Talk about fiddling while Rome burns.
17
Sorry, but this kind of gotcha stuff from college or high school years is just ridiculous no matter what side of the aisle it comes from. People evolve. We begin as babies (shock!) and become children then young adults and then adults. We grow. We learn. And wearing brown face or blackface is not exactly a cardinal sin.
13
he's now been seen in blackface singing Day-O. I'm the same age as Trudeau - and grew up in the South, where these things weren't / aren't vilified - and I knew better than to paint my face darker for any "role." Do not let him off the hook for this. He is responsible.
3
As usual, the thought police have missed the point entirely. If costume makeup is part of a portrayal or performance that ridicules or demeans another race, that’s wrong. Dressing up as a fictional character, as children do on Halloween, can’t be bad.
5
If we don’t learn when we are questioned for our acts, we don’t deserve forgiveness. How we apologize matters.
1
We've become too thinned skin. He was in costume with no attempt to denigrate anyone. Canadians and those of us down south have more important fish to fry, like defeating people who put private greed above the public good.
17
Has anyone here seen Laurence Olivier or Orson Welles in the two films of "Othello?" And if so, were you offended? If you were, you need to google the definition of the word "context."
17
"Andrew Scheer, the Conservative leader and Mr. Trudeau’s main challenger in the Oct. 21 vote, said the photograph reflected “someone with a complete lack of judgment and integrity, and someone who is not fit to govern this country.”
Meanwhile in the neighboring country to its south, the Conservative leader of the "shining city on the hill" sets the all time competitive standard for taking the low road of indignity, disrespect, dishonesty and constant lies while being judged by those who call themselves conservatives and the party family values to be the best president ever.
I will take the youthful indiscretion of an apologetic Trudeau over Trump's constant bully conduct of bribery, sexual assault, clandestine payoffs, hatred of the press, hiring incompetents, joking about grabbing women's private parts, and obstruction and collusion any day.
7
@Grace Finally someone who agrees that reparations is not a valid concept.
4
I think Prime Minister Trudeau should be judged by his actions as a leader. If there are policies and actions that reflect an attitude of racism that the photo would suggest, then by all means take that photo into consideration. But we have a leader who is clearly racist, homophobic, mysogonistic and zenophobic and yet to the best of my knowledge he has never dressed up in a Halloween costume.
5
Wow. He really is the handsome"golden boy" who can do no wrong? These positive and forgiving comments are puzzling to read at a time when people are being thrown out of careers over a tweet, much less a photo. Mr. Trudeau has had a 3-year run publicly condemning the behaviour of others for historical "sins" where the dead have no rebuttal; apologizing, apologizing, apologizing... on behalf of those dead. And yet, our indigenous peoples still seek drinkable water and his government censors scandals like SNC, the manipulation and ousting of our attorney general, and the removal of honest dissent from his caucus. This photo is the icing, not the cake.
9
Brown face/black face is clearly not okay, however, have we had a society lost the concept of redemption and understanding that people change?
We have to examine how ones actions in the present and near past reflect there current views. 15-20 years ago is quite a long time ago and are their current behaviors/policies are hateful or oppressive...Cancel culture seems okay to everyone till you are targeted.
If there is no room for becoming a more enlightened person what’s the point of doing the right thing and changing?
4
The question that has to be asked is did he do it to dishonor or honor the character he was playing.
However nobody's going to do that because all they want to see is the bad.
How has Trudeau acted toward coloreds and native Canadians while he's been in office, that's what they should be looking at.
1
Trudeau will get a free pass on this. I think they call it the "Northam Pass". He is a liberal darling. It's not like he is a Republican or something. The hypocrisy over this is fun to watch.
8
I am reading the book, How to Be an Antiracist, and the author Kendi says we are not defined by either being racist or antiracist forever, but in particular moments we are either racist or antiracist, and that everyone has been involved in moments of both.
We also must ask if Trudeau was being purposefully racist or was he just ignorant. A leader that can apologize for his mistakes is a leader to be proud of unlike Trump and authoritarians. Trudeau's environmental baggage and justice department corruption are other issues, the former he has not admitted or apologized for. However, the conservative party will far worse for the environment.
5
@Tom
What's worse for the environment than pledging to double Canada's population to 70 million people by 2048?
There isn't even proper infrastructure for many people outside of major urban centers. Aboriginal groups are literally being housed in hotels off of reserves because they haven't had clean water for 25 YEARS.
I am wondering if I am missing part of the story here. Trudeau dresses up (including darkening his skin tone) like a popular movie cartoon character who has brown skin and he is labeled a racist? Is that not what a costume is? How is mimicking one’s appearance a racist act? Do any of the offendees allow themselves a moment to reflect on the significant distinction between an intentionally demeaning attempt to disparage one’s ethnicity and the dawning of a harmless costume? Unfortunately such distinctions are rarely drawn today.
9
@ShawnO
// Do any of the offendees allow themselves a moment to reflect on the significant distinction between an intentionally demeaning attempt to disparage one’s ethnicity and the dawning of a harmless costume?//
Maybe you should ask that of the Today show anchors and management, who fired one of the hosts over arguments about this very thing.
This is not an unfortunate mishap or misunderstanding. One can wear a costume of a fictional or historical character and NOT have to wear blackface (if of a different race). Simple as that. If I dress as Cinderella I can wear a blonde wig but I wouldn't put on pasty white makeup - my skin is more olive toned naturally- I would wear a "Cinderella dress" and clear plastic shoes. Whether someone chose to do this as a teenager or college student or at a work party- it is not correct. Yes, Prime Minister Trudeau should be apologetic but he was careless when he said he just now figured out it was racist. No Mr Trudeau it has always been racist- whether you knew it or not.
2
Meh, with the election over a month away, this will he shrugged off as it should be.
7
I feel like today's the day to finally come clean about the time that my wife and I dressed up as English people. I truly apologize.
10
Considering Trudeau's track record compared to the mess we have in the US, if Canadians don't want him, we'll take him!
7
I guess I really don't get this. Trudeau actually does look a bit like the cartoon character so that's a clever choice for a costume. The only issue would be that the cartoon character is supposed to be Arabic or middle eastern...do I have that right? So he'd have to put on makeup to look more like the character.
And this is why voters would get rid of their president?
7
@Southern Hope Please note: he's actually their Prime Minister.
1
Trudeau had the decency to be ashamed by it (or at least pretend to be, though I suspect it was genuine) and apologize for it. Conservative politicians would've double down and denounced the "politically correct" lynch mob.
5
I think this says more about the Scheer campaign than it does about the Prime Minister. Scheer -- who is sometimes referred to in Canada as "Trump-lite" -- leads a party which has positions which might be mainstream in the United States, but are viewed as "far-right" by most Canadians. Were it not for what are essentially PR gaffs by the Liberals (like this) Mr. Scheer wouldn't have a hope. And as he doesn't dare run on policy -- and on this point the Conservative record on protecting minorities is weak at best -- he must do whatever is possible to divert attention away from the real issues. So he takes the low road. But in Canada this is dangerous, as voters here are far less tolerant of the attack-dog campaigning commonly seen south of the border.
In short -- Scheer is throwing mud and hoping that something sticks. Not necessarily because he wants to, but because it's the only arrow in his quiver.
7
I read the article, then some of the comments. My first reaction was, seriously?
The problem is that satire doesn't work if the audience take themselves too seriously to see the point. I suppose silliness is welcome relief from thinking about real hazards.
8
I've always hated costume parties and dressing up for Halloween. I guess I'm one of the privileged few who could run for office today.
4
Folks, this was a theatrical presentation. Totally appropriate for Trudeau to wear makeup and costume in his role. Political correctness goes way too far. I wish Trudeau hadn't apologized.
9
This is why Trump could win in 2020. This is PC gone too far and is a tempest in a teapot. Times have changed and we have to.
7
My take on this and I suggest I am not alone, is that Andrew Sheer and the Conservatives, concerned with low attendance at their campaign events as well as other signs that the party may not be riding to glory , are reaching for anything that could denigrate JT. In this puerile revelation they are behaving as though a soap bubble has substance. It is school yard and does not look well on them. Hypothetically what would the Tories screech if they uncovered the disturbing fact that Justin had tried his hand at acting once, playing Othello. Like Olivier. JT has been involved in various sophomoric escapades several times. (boxing matches, dressing up Indo). In that he is not unlike the rest of the population. We have watched him gradually grow up and mature in public.
5
Still not mature. Justin Trudeau only won the leadership of his party due to his SURNAME. He was in no way an outstanding Canadian when he became PM four years ago. His dad Pierre was an intellectual giant. Justin sure isn't.
2
@Luke Fisher I am not certain what constitutes 'intellectual giant'. Hubris I think is a major ingredient. And PT was always entertaining with his quick wit, and cheeky boutonniere. To others of course ( not my mum, for whom he was a shining romantic beacon) he was an insufferable gadfly.
Trying to paint Canada's current leader with the same brush as your "leader " I think NOT ~
Yes , our history is nothing to be proud of by today's standards and norms thank goodness. We are indeed a much more inclusive and caring country than the USA and still have room to improve and learn from our leaders mistakes in the past.
Colonialism was the way of the world in the past ~ and Canadians are working on making amends albeit a sometimes slow and painful process.Our youth are much more tolerant and understanding by learning in our schools and at home that we are all humans and equal no matter what our skin colour
The USA on the other hand is still trying to impose its perceived "morals" and liberty for all " on the world.They should first start at home where real racism still exists.
6
@Joan Walls
Unlike Trump, Trudeau did block the RCMP investigation into his corruption with SNC-Lavalin, and fired the Minister of Justice when she wouldn't do his bidding.
Unlike Trump, Trudeau also blocked all Parliamentary and Senate inquires/investigations into the matter.
I remember when my consciousness was raised about the poor taste and potential offense of wearing cultural garb as a Halloween costume; it was in college around 2004. Many of us shared Trudeau's blindspot here, at the time. In second grade or so, I was an "Indian" with feathers, beads, moccasins, and some "war paint" (but thankfully no spray tan)! It does boggle the mind now, though, to see this and remember thinking it was OK.
2
@Singpretty
Why? Plenty of kids dressed up as cowboys too. That's also a traditional way of life. Will someone say that child is dressing as a "profession," not in cultural garb? A stretch.
I'm from Latin America. I wouldn't mind a kid dressing up in my traditional dress. It's kind of nice to see them taking an interest. No brown face, though. That's honestly just weird, beyond it being offensive.
1
Sorry to see this story is gaining such traction. Ethical standards change. Fancy dress parties invite "dress up". And I'm pretty sure a mature JT will be avoiding theme parties in the future. He's still the better choice of PM for the next four years - for the environment, for Canadian diversity, and the prosperity of lower and middle classes.
11
Ridiculous! You now can’t dress up for an event like another race?? It’s not poking fun at anyone This world is really becoming a sad place to live in who would take offense to this? If they do I really do not understand if someone dresses up like me fine it’s doesn't anger me whatever color I am
10
Aladdin is a multi-cultural fairy tale written by a Frenchman in the early 18th century who acquired it from a Syrian storyteller who based the story on his own adventures mainly in France. The tale starts in a city in China. Aladdin is not the symbol of some defined tribal group, he is an international hero who incarnates the North American dream of rags to riches with magical help, helping the more unfortunate along the way. A perfect model for any prime minister.
10
This is a tempest in a teacup. There are far more important issues at stake. It is not a case of IF change is needed to deal with issues such as inequality, climate change, international migration and technology. These changes are already upon us. We need to focus on how we are going to mitigate these factors, and make smart and positive plans to master change in the future. The environment, our economy and our culture are all in a state of flux. Inclusivity is one of the foundation stones for our success. Whether we just survive or thrive depends on our will to rise to this challenge.
10
@ThinkingCdn There are a lot of Left-wing politicians who say the right things when it comes to issues like race and gender, and like economic inequality, climate change, etc. Some of them just say the right thing to win elections and don't back it up with action. (Kamala Harris just saying she supports universal healthcare and then constantly having an inconsistent position on the issue comes to mind.) The question is whether Trudeau is authentic and honest. As opposed to someone who wears brown face but then acts extremely PC. If we don't elect someone just gives us lip service, as then they won't address important issues like climate change.
@ThinkingCdn
First of all, nobody else in the photo is dressed up. No one else is grabbing another person's chest, either. He is.
So the claim of "costume party" seems specious as best.
He is being hoisted on his own petard. This is his style of campaigning.
Trudeau's campaign operatives had no problem "finding" a video of his conservative opponent being against gay marriage a decade ago - when even Obama and Hillary Clinton were against gay marriage. This, despite the fact that the Conservative party has done ZERO to re-open the gay marriage debate, or in any way challenge the rights of gay people.
If this weren't enough, he also falsely accused his conservative opponents of challenging the right to abortion. There is no law that guarantees the right to abortion. It's not illegal - which is not the same thing asConservatives have done nothing to challenge
Despite claiming to support it, the Liberals have done ZERO to ensure that the right to abortion exists, or that everyone across the country has access free of charge.
(Many regions actually don't have abortion options, and require the woman to travel great distances at her own expense. Others still are charged for the procedure.)
If the Liberals cared one bit about the right to abortion, they would have enacted the law to guarantee that right. They have the majority in Parliament. They choose not to because they know that taking a real stand on abortion would lose all their sizeable Muslim support.
@Viv The right to abortion is not an issue in Canada. ACCESS to abortion is in some locations. That is what we should be working on. In the absence of voting reform (promised but not delivered), the Liberal party looks to be the best option this time around. Don't look to the Conservative Party for anything resembling progressive thinking on social, economic or environmental issues. Given the first-past-the-post system, I am strategically voting liberal in this riding. Otherwise I would be voting Green - which is the only party I fund financially.
1
I am Canadian and I am deeply saddened and ashamed what Trudeau has done in 2001 and earlier. The problem I have is the voting for either Green or NPD parties October 21st while increase chances of a conservative government which goes against I believe in. I am hoping that Mr. Trudeau apology and contrition will be help the progressive to cast their votes for Liberal Party of Canada so that the progress in addressing issues of income inequality, women rights, progress of addresses indigenous grievances, and sensible environmental measure continue to be front and centre of the Canadian government.
5
Trudeau has an exemplary record on race and human rights issues as Prime Minister. You have to weigh that against something he did almost 20 years ago in a much different political and cultural environment.
23
Okay, but at least he was mimicking a fantasy character, as opposed to the traditional Sambo blackface American politicians and other officials are more apt to have worn.
Trudeau ought to be forgiven by about noon today if there's any justice in the world.
18
Please don't hold it against me that I dressed like a Japanese girl at a costume party when I was in college in 1971.
13
One Halloween i wore a vintage kimona my Iowa aunt brought back from a post-war trip to japan, put my hair in a bun with chopsticks and wore white make up. Racist? No, I admire the beautiful culture of Japan and was proud to trick or treat with my neighbor and our two 8 year old boys. It's a costume, people.
It's wrong to do what Trudeau did, but it isn't comparable to "blackface" in the context of U.S. history. Please.
12
Waste of time and news space. There are enormously important things happening in and to the world. Unless a politician committed a crime, focus on intelligent bona fide news instead of silly goal post shifting political correctness party pix.
17
So what! He did it years ago at a dress up party. That is not malice! There are many important world issues to be upset, shocked, saddened about. This has come up before an election, weird, isn’t it?
16
Northam was forgiven, Prince Harry was forgiven, this too shall pass.
7
Aladdin? Seriously? Maybe the whole party should be called into question as a case of “cultural appropriation”.
5
The movie Tropic Thunder came out in 2008. Robert Down Jr wore blackface in it. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor that year.
This really hasn't bothered people all that much until recently. In fact, if you read movie reviews of Tropic Thunder from major newspapers, the black face is mentioned, but it's not always criticized.
9
How is a Canadian PM dressing up as Aladdin 20 years ago, a character viewed by children around the world in Disney films, anything to do with the US's racist past? If a girl goes to a fancy dress party made up as Mulan, would that be racist?
This argument is ridiculous and is diverting us from the far more genuine threats of climate change and economic injustice, which of course is the point. The conservative propaganda machine is very good indeed.
13
How is this any different to men dressing as drag queens? I find it curious that it is inappropriate (and considered Racist) to parody as a different shade of color, but not a different sex or gender. Can the media address this, is misogyny of women so accepted, have women been so erased, that to parody us is a non-issue?
10
I have said and done many things in my past that I now regret and am ashamed of, so on that level I can empathize with what Trudeau must be going through right now.
But, I am not so willing to accept his apology for what now appears to be two photos and a video of him in brown/blackface on three separate occasions precisely because of the attitude Trudeau has displayed toward others, especially his Conservative opponents, when similarly embarrassing past comments/photos/videos have been fed to the media by the Liberal campaign team. With others, Trudeau has been extremely judgmental and quick to condemn, citing them no slack for their errors in judgment. Therefore, as a Canadian voter, I see no reason to grant such leniency to him for his racist conduct in the past.
The hypocrisy of Liberal supporters on this matter really annoys me too, because were the situation reversed--had similar images been revealed about Conservative leader Andrew Scheer--they'd be demanding his resignation and that he be exiled from the country. For Trudeau, who has cultivated his brand as a "progressive" by emphasizing identity politics and dividing Canadians along gender and racial lines, it's highly ironic and poetic justice that these "brownface" eruptions could be his downfall. Call it karma.
9
I think we need to eliminate Hollywood for they very often have actors who pretend to be someone they are not. And if that were to happen we would need to follow up and eliminate every one of those "political" actors who hold positions today.
5
Trudeau is not fit to be PM, for sure, but his principal opponent, Sheer, is even worse... Was against abortion, gay marriage, want to build more pipelines even if Canada has one of the worst carbon dioxide emission rate per inhabitant...
So no, I don't think this is going to change much the course of the election...
1
What's the big deal? Come on people. I have brown skin (and not from sun exposure), and I'm not the least bit offended. And no, I'm not a Trudeau fan.
8
How refreshing to see a leader who can admit error, express genuine regret and learn from the experience.
7
This is a tough one - when is the term of limitation passed when a young man takes an action 20 years ago that some now see as a harm to the history of brown and blacks in colonial states. JT was 29 yo and attending an Arabian theme gala - he dressed the part, I don’t see the issue here. Would it had been more acceptable had he represented Alladin as an English lad with a tailored suit in a bowler hat? What would the critics say then? He’s a Gen-Xer they appropriate to a fault, this is no different. See India c.2018.
I don’t see any reason JT should go down for this - especially when you factor in all the work his administration has done with minorities in his country. His action of today should carry more weight than actions taking when he was a younger man. I’m sure Canada will accept is apology and move the politics of the country forward in the right direction. Good luck PM Trudeau.
2
@MA
It would have been more acceptable with this "costume party" excuse if everyone in the photo was actually dressed in costume. They weren't.
It would have been more acceptable if he wasn't grabbing a woman's upper chest from behind, while everyone else is standing like normal people.
At the time he wasn't just 29, a grown adult. He was a teacher at a private school, fully expected to behave like a professional on school premises, where allegedly that "costume party" nobody but him participated in.
Justin Trudeau made a mistake 20 years ago and recognizes it as such and has apologized for what he did two decades ago. He has made a point as Liberal leader of reaching out to all Canadians and minority populations. He has marched regularly in Pride parades across the country. Contrast that with Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, who as an MP voted against legalizing gay marriage. He said by way of justifying that vote that marriage is meant to be between a man and a woman who are capable of having children (conveniently ignoring infertile couples or older couples who decide to marry past childbearing years). If Scheer had had his way, gay people in Canada would still be considered second class citizens when it comes to marriage. Scheer is the only party leader who has refused to march in Pride parades. JUstn Trudeau has acknowledged a mistake. Scheer is still defending his.
7
I will cast my vote on October 21st for the party I think has the best policies and vision to lead Canada for the next 4 years. Their past performance in political office will be a factor in my decision. What they wore to a costume party 18 years ago or a high school play 30 years ago will not be a factor.
7
one should be judge by how one rebounds from an offense. If Mr. Trudeau has behaved in a manner that shows he is not what his past mea culpa says he is, then let's move on. Nothing to see here.
2
Time Magazine needs to be careful about the motivation of those they use as sources. Specific reporters at The Globe and Mail have been on a campaign to bring down the Liberal government. The story being true doesn't negate the possibility Time Magazine is being used as a pawn by those with ulterior motives who are trying to protect their own reputations.
3
Trudeau has acknowledged that it was in bad taste to "dress up" ethnically many years ago. But it was obviously not illegal then, obviously, or no one would have done it. Time change!
Mr Trudeau, please stand up for yourself. You are a decent human being. Let the self-righteous ones martyr you if they must but for heaven's sake don't do it for them!
7
This seems like a scandal in search of some outrage.
26
Before images of me in my Halloween costumes from 40+ years ago hit the news, I do wish to apologize for dressing up as a homeless person, a woman, and for the non-copyright use of Crayola Crayons and the California Raisins images. Ah, I feel better now that that's off my conscious.
16
My best friend and I dressed as Milli Vannilli in 1990. It never occurred to me then that what I was doing was offensive. Perhaps I should have known but I didn’t. If I were a public figure it would very likely mean my career would be over if this ever came to light.
5
Poor judgement, but good apology. So refreshing to have an introspective humble leader.
9
At this point in time, I think if he wore it and heightened his color to appear authentic, to, similar to Aladdin, make a little magic--with no intent to denigrate Middle Eastern people, it should be ok. Back in the day, white people wore blackface in order to produce what they saw as comedy about a group of people with darker complexions about whom they felt superior (for no good reason, just their own illusion that white was better). Was Trudeau seeing color as comedy here? Ask him, see what he says, and believe him based on his credibility about other things. Then try to stop obsessing about skin color. Ask yourself, do Americans obsess as much about hair color, eye color, weight, height, and other physical differences among people? Why do Americans obsess so often about skin color? Especially when all people are people of some degree of color (there is no chalk white "white" person). Because we choose to do so. What if we obsessed about the color of tree leaves? They all have to be red! Strip the trees of all leaves not red! Wall off all other trees. Or the color of flowers. Or flags. Or shirts or dresses or dogs. Beauty is in all colors, mixing together, growing together, celebrating together. Live and let live.
3
So nowadays it's not fashionable to darken your skin and pretend to be someone from a thousand and one nights.
All it shows is that he's a private school boy with more money than most. Spray-on tans were new and popular then so if you had the money, why not.
Are Europeans going to complain when other people wear their hair blond or red?
Trudeau probably thought he looked handsome in a deep tan. I'd very much bet that he was looking to attract women not to make fun of anybody.
1
@Analyst: "I'd very much bet that he was looking to attract women..."
If you click the link in the first paragraph, you'll see that it worked.
Race is not a costume. Wearing the same hair as the oppressor is not the same thing as making a joke of the oppressed.
This kind of behavior was unacceptable even in 2001. My father is from India and my mother is from Iraq, and me and my family would deem this kind of behavior to be unacceptable, period.
To those who suggest this is utterly wrong of Trudeau: where do we draw the line? If a child or teenager were to do the same for Halloween or a party, would you be so outraged? As others have mentioned he was Aladdin at an AN-themed party. A Disney character...
We must be sensitive to issues regarding race and culture - but if everything is racist, then nothing is racist.
Words lose their meaning when used inappropriately.
7
As an African American I have accepted that a majority of whites of a certain age have been even a little bit racist. This is who we are. this is the legacy of slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation. I have heard some of the worst opinions about people like me by members of other ethnic groups who are not white. When are we going to stop going back in the past to police the actions of those who wore black face or said something nasty about black people? People grow and mature as they associate with other people. Their views change for the better. I am more concerned about what people do today, and we should too. Some African American families are deeply divided based on the shade of blackness within these people who share same mother and father. We have a horrible legacy to deal with and reaching back into the past to punish for attitudes that majority shared makes little sense to me, especially when we have our own stuff to deal with on the issue.
476
Your comments are among the most sensible I have ever read in these pages. Thank you.
59
@Grace
"As an African American I have accepted that a majority of whites of a certain age have been even a little bit racist."
Okay, so what age and what citizenship? The subject of the story is 47 years old, non American and likes to believe he's enlightened--more so than the rest of the citizens of the world.
10
@John what is your proof that Mr. Trudeau believes he is enlightened "more so than the rest of the citizens of the world."?
I still love Joni Mitchell. I don't think she would now wear a costume that imitated a people who, for the color of their skin, suffered horribly for decades. Yet, at a point in time, she did.
24
Shall we also go after Domingo for singing Otello in costume and makeup?
5
In 2013 my daughter played the role of Abaya in her high school rendition of The Secret Garden and was made up with brown face. It seemed odd to me, and uncomfortable at the time, but was not questioned as it was a school sanctioned performance. In the years since, she and I have looked back on it in horror, and realize how wrong it was. Times have changed. We know better now, and it doesn’t seem fair to judge our actions of the past through the prism of our current understanding. Was it wrong? Yes. Was it racist? Absolutely. But our culture was in a less evolved place on race even 5 years ago. “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou
8
Distinctions need to be drawn between
“whites” (or anyone) dressing up to celebrate a culture vs. to mock a culture. As a child, one of my favorite costumes was that of a geisha, complete with a black wig. The same year, my brother dressed as a clown. Another year I was a gypsy (my dreams to run away and join a Romani caravan went unrealized however....) And whoever wanted to be a cowboy, when playing a Native American was so much more fun? My best friend as an adult became an accomplished belly dancer, complete with an expensive collection of traditional skirts, spangles, bangles and veils. Bottom line I can’t think of an instance where white people donning “blackface” has been anything but denigrating—in other instances the celebration of difference seems to be the inspiration. Does our counter correction to racism mean non-Indians can’t wear saris or Nehru jackets, or non-Chinese wear beautiful silk qibaos? What an impoverished species we will become.
5
"He said the image could reinforce impressions of Mr. Trudeau as inauthentic."
And name me a politician who is at certain times any different...?
2
It’s interesting that after what was once generally all right to do becomes not all right, there is commonly a going back in history to discover for a politician seeking office, a then, but not-now wrong-doing on his/her part so as to discredit that individual ... apparently on moral grounds of “should have known better.” Considering the many ways anyone of us is able daily to make the world better and more just, this then, but not-now matter with Trudeau simply doesn’t legitimately add-up. Worse, searching for and demanding the personally un-flawed, “perfect” person to be political representative for one may reflect a voter’s disgust with him-/ herself, including for dodging responsibility.
Good to see that many NYT readers are acutely aware of our political situation and wary of this type of coverage. The right wing media (which is quite dominant up here ) are having a field day with this. At least Trudeau has the dignity and courage to face this head on. Most Canadians have alot of respect and admiration for our neighbours to the south. But your current leader has us forever scratching our heads and thinking how could this be a president? Hopefully the situation in 2020 will be different. Trudeau is not perfect, but, he is a man of integrity.
8
What is going on with the human mind? Are we all jumping off a cliff or something?
10
Such revolting nonsense – knee-jerk political correctness run amok. The lack of nuanced thinking in these matters flattens me.
Coming down so hard on people who commit these offenses leaves them no choice but to grovel. Is that really what we want? To force them into apologetic positions that may or may not have the ring of sincerity, who knows, who cares, as long as the accusers come off as “woke,” far more enlightened than thou.
When there are real crises spreading all over the world.
Trudeau strikes me as a fellow of substance, but none of that matters. What matters is that we get to nail him up for passing poor judgement at worst. Justice served?
The triffling positions of the aggrieved are so shortsighted, foolish to an extent that they undermine themselves.
12
I'll give Trudeau credit for addressing the issue head on and not trying to run from or deflect it the many others have. But, I have to also admit that every time this issue comes up with another elected official, I just don't get it. I can't recall ever in my 46 years ever considering donning a "costume" like this, let alone thinking that wearing black or brown face was a good idea.
2
This is just ridiculous. Trudeau has been one of the most racially inclusive leaders in our history.
9
@Themonsheshe
This shows a troubling aspect of his personality. He dressed up like a Sikh when he visited India as PM. In fact, he dressed up a lot on his trip to India. He dressed up like an Indian chief on a visit to a Fist Nations' reserve. What is wrong with him?
@Zoe Lebeau
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with him. He just happens to appreciate different cultures. There is nothing wrong with wearing clothing from different places in the world.
This is how the BETTER human beings--imperfect as we all are--get removed from the scene to the detriment of us ALL. The same kind of compassion that inspires us to care for and protect oppressed people should temper our judgment about a long-ago incident at a fantasy-themed dress-up party.
8
As has been pointed out, this was a costume party with a theme. What is wrong with playing a part - Justin loves playing Mr. Dress-up. Try watching the original Arabian Nights, the movie or just about any version of Othello for the real deal.
I also seem to remember Ted Danson messing up along the same theme.
5
Do I need to stop using my skin darkening lotion to achieve that much sought after beautiful brown glow that people of color are born with and lily white skinned people like me admire. Let's all calm down a bit and stop taking things out of context!
3
Oh, please. Spare me the political correctness. This has gone way too far.
17
It wasn't racist at the time, and it's not racist now. This is ridiculous.
12
I have the feeling his opponents are more worked up about this than his constituents, if you catch my drift. Time for a lesson in moral perspective, Canada! Please, think!
9
Will people finally wake up and realize that "cancel culture" is incredibly toxic and regressive?
Trudeau didn't do this yesterday - he did it 18 years ago. Just like many other people, he dressed up as someone from another culture. This was not widely considered to be inappropriate at that time.
Let's please stop applying today's rapidly evolving (and not always well-thought-out) standards to actions from decades ago.
12
As a person with Indigenous ancestry across the Americas due to slavery and oppression I don't accept these apologies. Forgotten in history is that the first slaves in the Americas were Indigenous people. Also forgotten is that Indigenous people from other parts of the Americas were brought to the present United States as slaves. This is how my Indigenous ancestors mixed with my African ancestors later imported as slaves.
So my family has been here from the beginning and seen it all. We have seen generations of white people who say one thing and then say/do the opposite which often meant suffering for my people. Nothing new here and also not new is the dismissive attitude of other racists. One of the reason there has been no real progressive movement is that too many purported progressives are secret racists allowed to get away with lame apologies.
5
Anyone with a decent grasp of American history is aware and sickened by slavery and what happened to the indigenous. That being said, Canada has been a champion of human rights for much longer than the US. Having racist ancestors and those who enslaved others does not make someone racist. A portion of my ancestors were part of the VA colonies. Another portion owned a plantation here in York in the 1700s, and I wouldn't be surprised if there were slaves. Obviously, I don't condone those practices, and I am not my ancestors. Justin's actions were stupid, but that doesn't automatically mean he was racist.
2
You are hurting the cause with indignation over minor or perceived indiscretions. Save your ire for real issues. If you take on every foe you will defeat none.
1
I disagree with some posters here in that I think it's good he apologized. Show kids that it's offensive to wear such makeup. This is not weakness, it's leadership.
As for the conservative politicians jumping on this...Justin should emulate his father with a "Trudeau salute".
7
I am a person of color and I don’t see what the big deal is because, after all, it was a costume party with a theme! But HE thinks it was a racist thing to do. Or maybe his staff told him to get out in front of the story.
Society is getting to be way too sensitive and way too “gotcha” these days.
18
We keep money in white neighborhoods as public schools in minority neighborhoods literally fall apart. We don't demand better when the victim of violence was a racial minority. Our supposed justice system is still stacked against people of color. But we sure get indignant over a costume, because that's easy. Really addressing racism would be hard.
17
@Dan Ari
Your point is a good one. The opioid crisis/ epidemic is another good example. It was not a crisis until it hit the “rural” neighborhoods.
Why was a fancy dress photo, where one is clearly attired in the costume of a fairy tale character, a racist act? What’s racism? Perhaps we need to get a bit more sensible about what we brandish as racism.
8
Trudeau was a 29 year old teacher who was teaching blackface was OK and we know he did this at least twice. The attempt to give him a pass along with other recent events is why no one trusts the media.
1
As a non-Canadian, I am hardly able to comment on the Justin Trudeau of today but this old photo taken at an old party seems to me like a trifling attempt to make a mountain out of a molehill.
He has apologized which is more than our own president has ever done.
Oh please!
9
Oh, Pleeeze. He was a kid. It was a costume party. I don't know exactly what the skin hue of a Middle-Eastern genie might be, but young Justin could reasonably assume that Aladdin wouldn't be taken for, say, Norwegian, so he darkened himself up to look the part and join in the spirit of things. He was not insulting anybody, he was not wearing blackface or doing Step and Fetchit routines or mocking anybody's racial or national origin. If anybody should have been offended, it was genies, but none have complained – a least not so far.
I do appreciate that we need to honor and celebrate our diversity and try not to offend anybody, but…
What have we come to?
7
He was 29 and a teacher. While I don’t believe there was any malice whatsoever here and it was solely a costume party, saying he was a kid doesn’t fly in this scenario.
That said, I think this has turned into a far larger issue than it is. It’s not like some we’ve seen in America, dressing up as slaves etc., and we don’t have the same slavery history up here. In the present political climate no excuses will fly, but I do agree that this Trudeau scenario is not the same as many blackface scenarios we’ve seen and there was no malice or ill-intent here. Aladdin was popular in the 90’s and early 2000’s and dressing up at a specifically Arabian themed party as such hardly seems racist to me, but I acknowledge that this is only my opinion and others may differ.
Cheers
3
if he was doing that stuff last week you would have my attention. but 2001? I'm sorry to say, but I have more important things to worry about than an insensitive picture from two decades ago.
4
So now no one is allowed to wear a costume? Am I now required to cancel my Kyle Ren costume because it has a black helmet? We have gone way too far.
5
Well then we will have a problem in theatre and the movies if people cannot play a part properly in costume makeup!
3
So what.
Are we to hold every person in elected office responsible for every action they ever committed?
No one would pass muster.
He is doing a decent job.
That is all that matters.
PC is ruining our world.
5
@simon sez
It is not the "PC culture" that is making this an issue. It is the Canadian Conservative party and the right wing media.
3
Seriously?
People would seriously contemplate ousting Mr Trudeau from office because ~20 yrs earlier he wore brownface to a party themed after Aladdin?
That act outweighs his performance as leader of the most sane country in the world?
This has to be an intelligence test.
7
ENOUGH! Yes, it's not okay. For many, me included, it wasn't okay in the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000. However, I do recognize what was considered normative behavior then is no longer...and that's a very good thing. Therefore it's hard to put today's values on yesterday's behavior. This is particularly hard when a photo is taken out of context and when looking at humor as it appears to be with Trudeau, Al Franken but not Louis CK--strolling around naked in front of women is not the same.
Perhaps we can all agree that everyone, every single one of us has something in our past behavior that was tasteless, viewed by today's norms as offensive, even racist that we are not proud of. Has Trudeau implemented racist policies? If not, then please accept his apology and go after those in power who are working to suppress voting rights, start wars, prohibit women from receiving health care and the list goes on.
2
I was more “outraged” by the pandering Bollywood outfits his family wore while in India. The irony cuts so many ways now.
2
Trudeau was brown-faced. Now he's red-faced. That's enough. Time to leave him alone and move on. But it is nice to see countries other than the US acting silly when it comes to political correctness.
4
I’m not sure we should be hearing from anyone on this subject except those who are potentially offended - in this case, persons of color. As one I would say I accept Trudeau’s apology, especially in light of his more progressive policies and his political history fighting racism. I can understand how others would not feel the same. I think Conservatives in Canada should stay out of the question entirely given the implications of their policies on the subject of race.
3
Well, well, the Canadian election finally lights-up. It was so boring. It takes something as foolish as this to finally excite people about this election. One would hope by now most Canadians have made up their minds based on four years of history and what the Conservatives under Mulroney and Harper did to destroy the political fabric of the country during their disastrous terms in office. Mature adults will understand that Andrew Sheer has nothing to offer other than Trudeau-bashing, tax cuts and social program cutbacks (the usual Conservative fare) and will look beyond this cosmetic nonsense at the substance of who will serve the country better over the coming four years, given the real economic and social challenges Canada faces.
2
Last I checked, caricature and poor taste are still legal. So is a sense of humor -- for now.
The unforgiving P.C. era threatens to send civilization back to the B.C. era. Just about the only people left who can satisfy the unblemished past requirement (based on current and always evolving standards of morality) for running for public office are young children. If you're going to establish a secular "moral" code as a substitute for a theologically based one at least have the sense to include forgiveness as part of it. Sheesh.
4
I am more inclined to judge both of them on how they responded to the revelation. Trudeau owned it immediately and apologized. Northam apologized then backtracked when because he thought he could get away with it.
3
Judging from what I've seen of comedy, perhaps if Trudeau had been a comedian it would not have been such a big deal. I've seen Eddie Murphy and Key and Peel do white-face and brown-face while trafficking in stereotypes of white and Middle Eastern males without much ado. On a Korean comedy program several years ago, I saw comedians doing white-face, with stereotypes of drunk, backpacker North American white men ogling after Asian females, with nary a complaint here.
Frankly, the problem has to do with blanket stereotyping by one racial or ethnic group of another, and this shouldn't be limited to lessons in western historical imperialism but applied to all as inappropriate.
7
Everyone needs to RELAX...this would only be a big deal if Trudeau was a conservative.
6
So an actor can play Aladdin on stage, and get the appropriate make-up to complete the transformation. But a private person dresses up as a make-believe character, and people are offended?
Whose race or heritage was "appropriated" (to use today's politically-correct charge)? A fictional movie character? Walt Disney?
Too many people crying "racism!" have way too much time on their hands. And no idea what the word actually means.
20
Enough already! This sort of witch hunt over the actions that people commit in college has got to stop. Does the judgement of one's life end at College? Young people do all sorts of silly things in College. Most are experiencing independence for the first time in their lives. But most move on, grow, and live long productive lives. Digging up dirt from bygone days to sully life- long careers is far more reprehensible than the foolish actions that are dug up. What next? Rifling through kindergarten records?
11
@GO While this is not likely to be viewed as a career-ending episode (and probably shouldn't be), it does not provide a free get-out-of-past-racist-behavior-free card for people committing acts they should have known were hurtful when in college. These are often the same people who resist any notion of diversity training but want to hide behind what they didn't know. Learn better and do better - the world is not likely to get less diverse.
How about a story on the UFO sightings.
12
It is simply preposterous to say that this single incident in Mr. Trudeau's life disqualifies him for re-election to his office. Conflating him with Trump in the current North American political climate is the total opposite of responsibility. Get over it, folks.
8
When will we admit Political Correctness has gone too far. The continued over focus on Race, Color, Religion has become Devisive rather than Progressive
13
I think what the American commentators preaching forgiveness of this incident are missing is the fact that Justin Trudeau is a moralizing hypocrite. Of course none of us are perfect. But he has a history of treating women poorly (Jody Wilson-Raybould and a young female journalist at a music festival) while branding himself a feminist. Most men do not place their hands on women's chests in group photos.
2
“Who is the real Mr. Trudeau?” Mr. Singh asked reporters. “Is it the one behind closed doors, the one when the cameras are turned off that no one sees? "
Well no: The cameras were not turned off, how would we otherwise know about it.
4
This is ridiculous. He has nothing to apologize for.
11
This is a smear of the Mr. Trudeau. It was OK to dress as Aladdin at an Arabian nights themed party.
11
For this to be front page news as a problem means we live in a paradise.
12
Oh Dear God. My father was "browner" than Trudeau's costume and I could care less about it. Everyone needs to grow up. This is simply a non-issue exaggerated by those who feel the need to endlessly bloviate. Hey protesters, try focusing on important issues instead of mindless minutia. BTW, I'm no fan of his politics.
14
American conservatives gleefully enjoying this scandal should remember that any Canadian conservative PM will still promote universal healthcare, immigration, gun control, infrastructure spending and fiscal restraint while not touching abortion rights and battling Trump on his every trespass.
5
I like that he apologized, but I wish that people in this situation would be brief and move on - less feeding the trolls and spinning the news cycle. “I was young and this was disrespectful and in poor taste. If you question my current opinions on issues of race and ethnicity, my political track record speaks for itself.”
7
I don't understand how these minor examples of someone applying makeup generate headlines while actual racism in all its ugliness, such as that displayed at trump rallies does not.
8
"Not fit to serve as Prime Minister," so says his right wing opponent, Scheer.
Let's get some balance here. In high school Trudeau wore black face to a party. As Prime Minister he has the most diverse cabinet ever, and has been better on minority and indigenous issues than any PM before him. And Trudeau has apologized for a high school mistake.
Now if Canadians prefer Scheer who will ban abortion and marriage equality, give the wealthy a big tax cut, and mirror just about anything Trump does if he gets the chance then have at it.
5
I was going to vote Green, but this well-timed American Style smear is making think I'll vote Liberal again. We all knew Trudeau was a bit of a goof in his early days; his Prime Ministerial track record on minorities and what I feel is right and just in this modern world is all that matters and reflects his mature self.
7
This is the Canadian equivalent of the Al Franken debacle. And this was uncovered just as the campaign was about launched? Shame on Andrew Scheer's campaign and the mysterious "Vancouver businessman". Does Scheer's "natural procreation" statement also ban artificial insemination, egg or embryo donation?
5
What is even more insidious here is that this current reveal of the photograph through Twitter bots, etc, Trudeau's mistake notwithstanding, has been designed to traumatize as many people of colour as possible . Make no mistake, this is designed to support the Conservative Party of Canada whose current crop models themselves after Trump et al. Liberal Party voters know this so in addition to all the above, the 'reveal' is mostly designed to depress the vote Oct 21, with little regard for how communities will be impacted by this smear.
5
As a Canadian, staunchly left and liberal, my biggest complaint regarding Trudeau is his penchant for apologizing. In this circumstance there is not one thing to apologize for. The mythical figure Alladin has not a single negative connotation in any culture in the world. He is not associated in any context with racism. He is a magical, mythical figure revered by children, and adults, of all cultures and races. Attempting to imitate this character may speak to an over inflated ego but it is most certainly and absolutely not racist.
12
@John David James
Thank you!
My thoughts exactly.
1
Does this mean every brown skinned girl/teenager/woman can never attend a costume party as Cinderella? That the only politically appropriate costume for her MUST be Pocahontas?
Does this mean every black, brown, or white skinned girl/teenager/woman can never attend a costume party as Mulan? If we were to listen to the culturally appropriate politics of "shallow" politicians then only Asians should get dressed as Mulan.
When did a costume party and choice of character override the intelligence, dedication, ability, generosity, kindness and decency of the human being?
I understand is some cases donning another skin-tone serves another purpose, however, in Justin Trudeau's case shame on those who are turning a costume party into anything other than what it was: a costume party.
I just returned from Canada - it's an inclusive country. I hope Canadians will rise above the plague that is currently haunting the USA - division. Trudeau's track record of inclusion speaks for itself. Let the long-ago costume be. May he win every election from now until whenever!
10
@justme Agreed. I like Trudeau and I like Canada! Too bad our president isn’t like Trudeau!
1
Clearly this is a product of the "data-mining" going on right now. It was reported here locally that staff is employed by each of the political parties who do nothing more each day than look to dig up dirt from the net on the opposing political party leaders. Personally I'm way more interested in his policies and political track record (which I often don't agree with) than something from 20+ years ago. His track record demonstrates in a most definitive way that he's not a racist. He apologized for a mistake he made from that time, and it makes sense to me that he should. However, could we maybe start to just consider judging people in public service by their demonstrated records while actually in public service and make a decision to support or oppose based on those records? If he'd spent his political career opposing minority rights, then maybe they'd all be onto something here. Yikes, I wore a pirate mask for Halloween as a kid - sure hope that doesn't come back to bite me one day.
4
I am the daughter of an Arab and have brown skin myself. And I don’t care about this at all. What I am concerned about: the end of liberal democracy/ rise of fascism, my ballooning student debt, access to health care for me and all Americans, not going to war... you get the picture. I don’t care a wit how Trudeau dressed for a party two decades ago.
25
Does anyone know a good book on this rise of call-out culture. This stuff heavily influences MAGA people, it's the way to really motivate them. I think without this call-out culture associated with "identity politics," we have no trump. Shining a light on this is right out of the Right's playbook, and they get the Left to do it! Unbelievable. Sensitive people of America, think about this a little bit. An example, I am Latino, and a white politician in a sombrero and brown face in college means very little to me. If it facilitates the Right stirring up hatred for Latinos, I'd just rather not know this largely irrelevant information.
12
I need to know where to draw the line if I ever buy make-up. I don't own any right now, but someday I might. Is it OK to buy a shade much darker than my skin tone or only a little darker or perhaps I shouldn't buy anything darker than the skin tone I have. Blackface is not standard make-up so I'm not worried about messing up and buying that not to mention that my goal would not be to demean anyone. So if I brought brown make-up, which is a little darker than my skin tone, and someday decided to run for president or something, would that disqualify me?
7
Actions speak louder than words. And when someone makes a cultural mistake in their early years, a mature person would think they should be given the chance to redeem themselves going forward.
I'm sure we've all all said or done something in our youth we are not proud of, was insensitive, or callus regarding someone of another race or sex.
This, however, does not extend to sexual harassment, abuse, rape, domestic violence or any other violent act against another person. These acts should be seen in a completely different light and investigated by law enforcement with no statute of limitations.These are the people we do not want leading us...period.
2
I suggest we all judge him by what he is and represents today. He seems to be a decent human being and leader. One of my idols when I was a kid was Willie Mays. If I decided to imitate him during Halloween and have my costume to be as authentic as possible I would need to paint my face. I don't think I would get away with imitating him if I did not paint my face, hands and arms black.
If Canada is really upset with him we will trade Trump for Trudeau with only one condition. Once the deal is done Canada cannot send Trump back. Judge his intent.
4
Justin Trudeau has too much in common with the Conservatives. It's unfortunate that his bad judgment is likely to mean that Canada will have a Conservative government, because anti-Conservatives are split. Wouldn't it be nice if many Liberal voters chose the New Democrats this time?
The only way we can move forward as a culturally sensitive is to...
1. Ban all costumes;
2. Develop standard-issue gender-neutral uniforms based on race/culture to be worn from birth to death; and
3. Put strict limits on makeup and tanning to ensure everyone is within an acceptable limit of deviation from their birth tone.
13
What colour are the cartoon characters in the Disney Aladdin movies that we enjoy?
AND, if I recall Fans were fuming that Disney added a white prince to the Aladdin movie.
4
Very poor judgment on PM Trudeau's part. But what about the judgment of the other people at the gala, including the organizers? Why didn't anyone else pull Trudeau aside and take care of his error then and there?
@ Kathryn...minor correction to your comment - it wasn’t poor judgement on PM Trudeau’s part. It may or may it have been poor judgement on teacher Trudeau’s part 18 years ago.
1
The issue isn’t that he wore the Aladdin outfit, the issue is him thinking it as acceptable to paint himself brown. The outfit alone would have clued anyone in on who he was cosplaying as.
Does he not have a team dedicated to ensuring he remains aware of what acceptable social norms he should adhere to concerning POC peoples and cultures?
Honestly, this was a no brainer he simple could have used some common sense and discernment.
1
As a member of a minority group in the US, I don't think that (name your color)face is always a bad thing. Intent matters. Fun is okay. And fantasy offers an opportunity to step into other shoes, and perhaps to explore one's feelings, beliefs and attitudes about identity, etc. And this goes for the idea of "cultural appropriation" as well. If cultures cannot be shared and blended, if there cannot be synthesis, humanity is doomed to endless and brutal tribal competition and conflict. I am not religious but what is going on has made me think about the Tower of Babel. I don't think that God wanted to prevent humanity from reaching the heavens. It was a test. If merely imposing different languages was enough to destroy human cooperation, we were not ready. And it does not seem that we are getting closer.
11
I think this likely illustrates the pronounced lack of diversity and sense of privilege in the so-called elite private schools. In this case Trudeau dress that way and attended the event likely without anyone addressing his unusual behavior.
3
Is makeup for characters in plays and movies going to be scrutinized now for racism over realism? If so, will those results reap a new layer of politically correct complaints? There is a big difference between wearing authentic makeup for a costume and
the mocking of one's skin color.
20
I was on the fence about which of the 3 parties to vote for. This complete waste of energy about brown face for an Arabian Nights costume party, may go a long way in my support for Trudeau, he apologized if it offended, let's move on. There are many bigger issues at stake in Canada for all ethnic groups.
We will all become paralyzed with fear of our pasts. We all did things that perhaps 20-40 years become questionable and not to be confused with the things are bad timelessly.
Move on people.
18
Oh get real -- what else are they going to bring up against him? This is getting ridiculous. The opposition look like idiots going after him for everything he has done or could do or will do. I don't think he is so great or intelligent but compared to the alternatives he is fantastic. And this fuss over SNC Lavalin -- whatever he did, criticize it as you might, was not to line his own pocket.
21
This is tough stuff. While it is easy to dismiss concerns, dressing in historical or cross cultural costumes, viewed from a certain perspective, inevitably raises the specter of dehumanization and suffering because that’s who humans are. That’s our history and our narrative.
So what do we do? Prohibit any costume that could be used to perpetuate stereotypes or cultural dominance? No toga parties? No Purim? No Mardi Gras? No pirates? No cross dressing? No cowboys and Indians? That would miss the point and overlook the healthy and mutually beneficial aspects of dress up and play.
Let’s acknowledge that some do dress up to taunt and demean. But we also do it to honor those who came before us, and not just those who look like us. We do it explore another culture’s experience, both celebratory and painful. And at a certain level, we do it to work through the historical trauma, complexity, and ambiguity we all share.
At the end of the day, the solution is dialogue and problem solving. Unfortunately, we humans aren’t always so good at that.
12
There needs to be some room for personal growth. I don’t hold the same views on race and gender as I did 50 years ago, nobody I know does (except my 95 year old uncle.) People change, thank God. Please don’t judge me on my previous beliefs. Learn to accept an apology and be glad that compared to 50 years ago, things are now much better exactly because people realize their mistakes and resolve to do better.
22
Our friends in Canada, how is he doing as Prime Minister? If he's doing well re-elect him, if not, elect someone else. There is no one in this world who, is truthful and honest, can say they never made any mistake. That's a fact of life. However, the recent finding that Trudeau had violated "federal conflict of interest rules by improperly trying to influence a former minister in relation to a criminal trial facing major Canadian engineering firm" is very troubling and serious, which may, in and of itself, compel Cabadians to elect someone else.
8
@Jurij
Actually,
1. the underlying affair is clearcut and I support the PM's judgement on it (it's pretty simple but irrelevent to this comment);
2. The justice minister misinterpreted and improperly applied the law and has since resigned from her post, which I feel is only appropriate given her incompetence;
3. the conflict of interest rules in question were incorrectly interpreted by the so called "independent" adjudicator;
4. the "rules" in question are advisory and not binding;
In the end, the question is entirely political and no different than the brown face "scandal", a lot of hand wringing for nothing and empty political shots.
In other words, to quote a politician who really should be in jail , this is "one big nothing burger".
It won't change my vote.
2
People have wrong priorities. Trudeau re election company should be in turmoil because of stealing money from Canadians but mostly uneducated Canadians do not care.
2
Different people, different standards, the end.
8
In Canada the Trudeaus are like the Kennedys. Canadians have known Justin since he was a child. Most believe he made a serious error in judgement but don't consider him a racist. However that won't stop the opposition conservatives from using it as political cannon fodder.
Whether Trudeau can survive this remains to be seen. If he does it will be because a lot of Canadians consider the Conservatives worse than the Liberals. And the thought of Conservative leader Andrew Scheer as Canadian Prime Minister in the age of Trump, too unpalatable.
21
Ok, I hereby declare everyone cancelled.
We're starting over.
19
This is more political nonsense.....it was a costume party w/ an Arabian Nights theme.....was the greatest actor of his generation, Laurence Olivier, a racist for wearing dark makeup when he played Shakespeare's Moor in "Othello"? Canada never practiced slavery and I see this as just an effort to take down JT.
50
He was in a costume. Aladdin is a darker-skinned character than he is. He did nothing wrong. His make-up is not associated with the disparaging, exaggerated blackface looks.
We have real issues with racism, but this is not one of them and it saddens me that the media is treating Trudeau as if he's full of sin.
Send all the "Trudeaus" to countryside why don't we, so they can be re-educated in the great tradition of leaders like Chairman Mao.
35
If people think Trudeau is a racist, they have a serious problem. He has always been known for dressing up (witness his recent trip to India). Also his socks and buckskin gear. Trudeau has also been assailed for his Haida tattoo. People like Andrew Scheer and Steven Harper who have actual anti immigrant agendas are the problem. And, everyone knows there is a Federal election on Oct 21, God thanks it's not on Halloween.
27
Disgrace. He should resign. I said the same about the governor of Virginia, and the Liberals should push him out and field a new MP to run the party. In the meantime, I’d vote for the New Democratic Party.
Please? It was Aladdin. a little context would be a helpful addition to thhis issue. and for the record, he's been a champion, a great supporter, an advocate for racial justice in Canada for decades. Can we suggest that our own president would garner such respect?
20
He should have admitted to identifying as an arabian knight. That would get him in the clear
4
He wasn't an Arabian knight, he was Aladdin at an Arabian Nights party, you know, like 2001 Arabian nights.
Knowing that there are those who will dredge up any kind of embarrassment or controversy in your past life, would you run for public office? God bless our digital world!
12
The point is he apologized! He sincerely apologized with no excuses for his behavior other than ignorance and insensitivity and to acknowledge his learned from this action and will do better. Question : Here in America what’s the difference between Democrats and Republicans when something like this happens?
Republicans deny deny deny or refuse to discuss or acknowledge their actions. Or they come up with every crazy excuse without taking responsibility.
And Democrats acknowledge their actions except responsibility sincerely apologize and show that they have learned from their actions and often also punished. as in the case of Senator Al Franken which I wholeheartedly disagree with the way that was handled by democrats .
Let you do apologize and MoveOn Canada buy a policy alone you’ve proven to be a far better example of democracy in a world gone mad.
The best to my northern neighbors
And if Al Franken ever runs again for the Senate I’ll do everything I can to get this awesome politician elected again!
6
It was an Arabian nights themed party. Dressing as Aladdin fit with the theme as did the brown face.
Sheesh. There are far more important things to get upset about.
27
It is one thing to dress as a minstrel which is viewed within the context of the slave master relationship, but to be criticized for adopting the costume of a commonly viewed character in literature considered suitable for a still widely viewed Disney film, is utterly ridiculous. It is almost as ridiculous as the Prime Minister of a country apologizing for doing so and admitting it was racist.
I have no problem at all with doing all we can to expunge the stain of racism which persists deep within our culture in places of which we are not conscious. I accept the burden of white privilege and I suppose he could have "browned" rather than "blacked" his face, but when racism does not exist, and clearly was not intended, then a leader should stand up and say so. Not by his costume but by his weak response Trudeau has shown himself unfit to lead.
It must be great fun for the right wing authoritarians to watch the self-immolation of the liberal establishment on the media hyped flames of woke.
10
Zero tolerance for liberal leaning candidates mistakes lead to 100% tolerance of right leaning candidates.
13
The same people wbo say it's no big deal are the same people who weren't living in the Americas to know the racism, hatred or violence attached to such actions. They have no idea of how much is owed to the civil rights movement. Or they come from the privileged white world of Trudeau that benefited from such racism.
Those saying it's no big deal are the same people who prior to Trump would tell me America was post racial. They claimed racism was over and I should just get over how my Indigenous and African ancestors were treated and how we are still treated.
Since all this is no big deal then it should be no big deal if Trudeau is defeated and when Trump is reelected.
1
Meanwhile, in other news, Trump is the subject of a Whistleblower complaint. I’ll be sticking with the Washington Post from now on.
6
Outrage culture at its finest once again. We shouldn't be vilifying someone for dressing up at a party 18 years ago. 18 years ago this was not a thing most people would even bat an eye at. He apologized, time to move on.
16
It’s entirely possible to not be able to see something as racist one day and then see it later. For example, since #MeToo, women have told me things that happen to them at work, etc. that never occurred to me as sexist, but upon reflection I could see it. Then I wondered how could I have missed it.
But I’m grateful that women have pointed out to me things that I could not see. We don’t see life as life is, rather we see life as we are.
5
This is a legitimate topic to be covered during an election, given the narrative that has accompanied Mr. Trudeau's tenure as Prime Minister. The opposition has for many years attempted to depict him as unfit to govern because of inexperience, and at times faulty discernment. Mr. Trudeau has cast himself as a champion of diversity and human rights.
3
@Trevor S
I remember when his parents were championed as some uber liberal family. So this is what they were teaching him at home?
Oh please. Aladdin was a hero. My hero.
9
If Andrew Scheer had appeared in brownface, Trudeau would have called for his resignation -- and you probably would have too. It's one set of rules for Trudeau, and another set for everyone else.
You don't evaluate bad behaviour against the perpetrator's "record." Either this is wrong or it isn't.
Personally, I take pleasure in seeing the champion of identity politics hoisted with his own petard. Maybe he'll learn from his lived experience.
7
I am troubled that the news outlets are focusing on an 18 year old photo of an 18 year old BOY dressed as Aladdin with a brown face. Should parent now be careful of what costumes their kids were at halloween for fear of hurting their careers in the future?
Let's focus on what Trudeau has done as an adult and Prime Minister not an 18 year old photo.
Everyone forgets that 18 years ago most people including black and brown were not offended by costumes and play acting.
11
@Truscha
Article said he was 29, not 18.
A private costume party Arabian Nights, character - Aladdin. Personally, I like it!
It was a different era. Still, I think 18 years ago some people - were - offended by "costumes."
Actually he’s a 29 year old high school teacher dressed up in that photo...
Mr. Singh asks a rhetorical question which can be asked of everyone in the universe. Are we the same in private as we are in public? Of course not. We all play different characters in different situations. These leaders are playing the generous benefactor in public, while behind the scenes they are all working to make points against their opponents. That's politics.
Regarding Mr. Trudeau, overall I think he is genuine. He makes silly gaffes, like the India fiasco, and serious gaffes, like this almost 20-year-old incident, but he has the decency to apologize and admit it was wrong. I truly believe these are gaffes, and not rooted in some deep-seated internal bigotry or racism.
Mr. Singh has been the leader of the NDP for a couple of years but has been largely invisible, probably because he did not have a seat in Parliament until March 2019. He has some catching up to do to raise his profile before our election in a few weeks. If he stays focused on this incident I would ask why the acknowledgement of being wrong and the apology are not enough to get Singh to move on and talk about his plans for the country.
And then there is Andrew Scheer. From him I have heard what we should do, what we shouldn't do, and what he won't do. Nothing specific about what his party will do. Oh, and how bad Trudeau is. Scheer and his party love to punch at Trudeau. It seems to be their main thing.
Newsflash: Trudeau can take a punch and Scheer is not above scrutiny.
5
As a Canadian who voted for the Liberal party in the last election, I have very mixed feelings about our current Prime Minister. In many ways he's been exactly what I wanted in a leader. He's an elegant classy leader on the world stage, who epitomizes the values I cherish as a Canadian. He's sensitive to minorities and very aware of the importance if immigration.
However, I just can't get past his compulsive need to apologize for everything, even if it's not his fault. We elect our leaders to represent our country, and while we expect them to be accountable for their mistakes, we also need them to be strong and avoid being trapped in meaningless conversations generated by partisan attacks.
I honestly believe if Mr. Trudeau had simply acknowledged that this photo was taken out of context and moved on this issue would be dead. Instead, he called a press conference and apologized, and as a result our press will be talking about it right until the election.
While I fundamentally agree with the philosophy of the Liberal party, I wish it's leader didn't seem so weak.
3
I fail to see why an apology is seen as a sign of weakness. I view an apology as a symbol of someone's strength to character.
2
@Still Serving
I agree, there is nothing wrong with apologizing for one's mistakes... but Mr. Trudeau's constant stream of apologies (including this apology) just seem like an inherent fear of offending anyone. That's not what leadership looks like.
The photo is embarrasing more for what it says about Trudeau's credibility than anything it says about his racist attitudes. He was elected when he promised to be a diffreent kind of politician -- honest, progressive, and trustworthy. That was his brand. Sadly, time and time again, he has shown himself to be just like "all the others." He has said one thing and done another. He has looked after his cronies, and he has lived high on the hog while insisting he's just an average guy. Sad.
6
Oh brother. This is the sort of stuff that gets Trump and other conservatives votes. It's ridiculous.
22
Canada, the US, the world have real problems to solve: poverty, racism, systematic discrimination, social injustice, climate crisis and anti-democratic right wing parties.
Maybe the problems seem so daunting that people throw a fit about a decades old picture of the Canadian prime minister in an Aladdin costume!
Really?
People, get your priorities in order!
14
OK fans of political correctness on both sides of the border, it's once again time to demonstrate whether you really mean to punish these sorts of decades old events or if they are only eternally damnable when committed by a political enemy.
Talk among yourselves and get back to us.
14
I'd love to weigh in my opinion, but it's just not worth it anymore. You do know what generally follows when the talking ends?
1
Is being morally bankrupt from the start the only way to political power?
2
Well, I guess I will have to scrap my plans for Halloween. Some friends and I were going to dress up as the Village People, and I was to be the Indian Chief.
That is now so wrong, on two issues.
6
I don’t see any reason why Trudeau should be so apologetic. The more he acts this way, the more insincere the whole thing looks.
2
Look around and try to find anybody who didn't do something lame, insensitive, or stupid, and good luck with that. I did dumb things when I was younger. So did you. The issue isn't whether things happened. The issue is whether we realized they were insensitive and pointless, and whether we changed our behavior. You and I know this was brought up a a cheap political trick, and frankly, cheap political tricks are a problem we are facing today. Let's deal with today's problems in the context of who we are right now, and not in the context of the stupidity of youth.
16
“This is something I shouldn’t have done many years ago,” Mr. Trudeau said. “It was something that I didn’t think was racist at the time, but now I recognize it was something racist to do, and I am deeply sorry.”
Mr Trudeau will be re elected because admits he didn’t know then what he knows now. Thus, all will be forgotten. If he had tried to ignore this or defend his behavior by saying, for crying out loud, it was just a costume party, then this would have lingered.
2
The double standard is unbelievable. If a liberal is busted for wearing brown face makeup years ago as part of a costume everyone circles the wagons around him and treats it like it's no big deal. If a conservative is caught wearing black or brown face makeup in an old photo everyone would be demanding his resignation because he's been outed as a racist and we'd never hear the end of it.
14
Is this not getting a bit ridiculous?
What next , skewer movie directors for casting actors in any race other than their own ?
Have Oscars for the most diverse DNA analyses?
Not allow artistic progression ? No molding blues into rock , you people !
Is it not the attitude when donning other's personae that's the crux of the matter ? The same act could be a tribute or a slur , depending on something we'll never know.
Enough !
12
@jopar
No Jeff Chandler as Cochise, or Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto. Didn't Katherine Hepburn once play an Asian?
And Eddie Murray as an elderly Jewish man.
6
Just like all the Democrats in Virginia, he will be forgiven. It’s only unforgivable if you’re a conservative.
12
As someone who voted for Ralph Northam, I wish he had resigned or would do so even now. Remaining seemed and still seems hurtful on a number of levels, including that it invites just such contentions of a double-standard.
I think Maxime Bernier summed this up pretty well. Real issue with this photo is the hypocrisy of the Liberal Party in Canada. They have been holding others up to the highest standards when it comes to racism and past behavior. No transgressions allowed you aren't Rich, Legacied and Attractive. If you are lucky enough to be all of those things seems a different standard applies.
6
The brown face incident is an artifact of Canadian culture, something that must have seen as usual at the time. Most likely Trudeau didn't understand its racial implications. We must give people a chance to evolve and change their worldview if their apology appears genuine. Otherwise, we're no different from the racists.
9
It is true that a great many white men and women in North America carry within them an inner African-American/Canadian personality. They sometimes display that personality to one another if they are in an uninhibited social space to the great amusement of one another. However I wasn't aware of an inner "Aladdin" issue. Probably the more prevalent example of Euro-American cultural disrespect and appropriation is found in the North American's relations with Indigenous peoples. Every year on cue thousands of NFL football fans show up in "Red-Face" in Washington DC and Kansas City whooping and hollering in ritual mockery of America's indigenous peoples .
6
Everyone is offended by everything these days, and I sincerely don’t see the crime here, by today’s public standards you are not allow to commit any mistake (or ill-advised decisions) during your life, which is not very realistic if you ask me.
16
Please, can we move on from this?
First, he was in costume dressed as a sheik, not an African-American. HUGE difference.
Secondly, who cares.
This has to stop. I'm a Progressive and totally disgusted by how out of control the PC in this country has become. This literally is the only issue that I agree with Trump on.
In about 1-2 years, none of us will be able to say anything, do anything or wear anything because we will either get sued, fired, shot or media shamed.
On, one more thing...why dont we just ban Halloween too? That will definitely help
/s
27
@Ben M
Arm draped over the shoulder of the woman next to him very possessively ok with you too? If it was his date its ok with me. If he came someone else and is holding onto this woman in this way, not so much.
Perhaps some perspective.
Trudeau was dressed as Aladdin- at an Arabian Nights-themed costume party- almost twenty years ago.
Well, I guess it’s a good thing he didn’t dress as Princess Jasmine!
16
Please Justin, don't resign.
"Cancel culture" is out of control. You were a fully developed adult when then happened, but you weren't and don't espouse racial superiority or inferiority.
I'm not often a fan of your politics and I would feel this way if you were a Conservative.
I have felt this way when people parody my identity. It's okay. There's dress up and there's fun and there's a being a bit subversive and those are all fine so long as they aren't cruel.
11
“Who is the real Mr. Trudeau?” Mr. Singh asked reporters. “Is it the one behind closed doors, the one when the cameras are turned off that no one sees? Is that the real Mr. Trudeau? Because more and more, it seems like it is.”
Everyone, even Mr Singh, becomes someone else when the doors close and the cameras are turned off. I have long despised Trudeau, but the pharisaical rhetoric from his hypocrite opponents just might sway me to vote for him.
6
As a voter, you don’t really need to know who the “real” Trudeau is. Just look at his policies and actions. If you feel he’s done a decent job, vote for him. Or not.
His dressing up in tribute to a Syrian folk character 20 years ago seems pretty irrelevant to me, but it’s up to the voters to decide.
10
@Treetop
When the actors in the Minstrel Shows dressed in black face was that a tribute to the people folk people they portrayed? Trudeau is educated and surely knew about the Minstrel Shows and what the wearing of blackface really meant. It happened in 2001, not 1957.
@GregP He was dressing up for an Arabian party (probably sometime after the Disney Aladdin movie came out), not as part of a minstrel show where black characters are denigrated and mocked.
Aladdin is a genuine character who comes FROM Arab culture -- it is quite a different situation than a made-up black character meant to be laughed at.
I am not losing any sleep over this issue. Going to vote for Trudeau. Great oil party of Canada will try to dig up any mud against Trudeau. Trudeau has done a marvelous job for Canada. From a visible minority voter.
13
It’s interesting reading through the first 15 or so comments and seeing the apologists come out. One can also guess these individuals are NOT of colour by their names.
As an Indian who was raised in Canada, these photos are deeply offensive and speaks to Trudeau’s lack of judgement both then and now. There is an undercurrent of racism in Canada and though it’s not as pervasive as parts of the US, it’s still present. The fact that he is the PM makes this 10x worse. He should resign.
3
As a black African woman who’s lived in Canada, the UK and the U.S., my observation of readers’ comments is that the issues are being conflated.
It is not ok to wear brown or black face. Please do not justify Trudeau’s actions.
However, he has apologized. He has a track record of treating minorities well. I do not think that he should be ‘cancelled’ because he erred.
794
@Anu H Thank you. I appreciate your view on this.
20
@Anu H What if the conservative candidate had appeared in brownface? Could we be clear about the rules here?
32
@Anu H
As an African woman your family was not here to know the hatred and violence attached to this behavior. You are here after we fought against this. Maybe you and recent immigrants need to brush up on history.
6
"I am deeply sorry" .... that I got caught being a hypocrite.
9
Whatever happened to imitation being the sincerest form of flattery and why is it we can no longer tell the difference between flattery and mockery? What about all the white kids that dressed up as Michael Jackson because they LOVED him. Political correctness is gone, self-righteousness has taken over. What a bore. What a waste of time. What a shame.
12
What is going on in this crazy world? How is this even remotely racist?! The only thing that's wrong, is what people are thinking and believing about something, in this particular instance, that is truly nothing.
10
Prime Minister Trudeau should be applauded for taking responsibility for his actions and giving his sincere apology. How refreshing!
8
@Karen
20 years later he gets caught.
Not exactly being responsible.
6
@Dr. John. Can’t disagree more with your comment. He took total responsibility for his actions.
1
How did he “get caught?” This is not something he tried to hide or suppress.
2
Lets keep to the issues today. Justin has done more than any other P.M. to help restore peace and reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous peoples. His conservative rival will likely hone in on a 20 year old mistake and the public will lose out on what today's politicians really represent. Give me a break. Justin rightly apologized, now lets move back to 2019.
21
This is the crux of the problem for the Liberal Party of Canada. All ways a special rule for them. Do as I say, not as I do.
They are the epitome of limousine liberals. Their social policies get headlines, but when implemented are so restrictive that they cover a small fraction of the population.
7
sounds like the Democratic Party in the US
2
Such as healthcare for all? Come to the US for some contrast.
3
@glenthomas I think the commenter is referring to how little has been done in RECENT history. Canadian Medicare was passed in 1966. Little has been done to strengthen and modernize the system in recent history. Granted, it remains far better than the insurance cartel that currently dominates US healthcare. As is the case in most Western democracies over the past few decades, the supposed party of the left has done little to push back against needless austerity measures which have shifted distribution of wealth to the top and substantially eroded the social insurance programs established in the mid 20th century.
For those who are confused, yes it was inappropriate. What he did was not to send a message of respect to other people and cultures. Either he wanted to look “funny” or worse.
2
This is the “top news” story of the day?! If you’re going after the person, then you need to go after the school, all the people in the photograph as well as every person who attended this Arabian nights” party....and then every person who has colored their skin for a costume. Ever. In the history of photography.
History might not be so kind to the reporters who currently run these page 6 news stories as “top stories”.
PS: I live in toronto and voted Liberal last election. I have been equally proud and disappointed by Trudeau. Refugees, environment, standing up to Trump as best he can, the elevation of canada on the world stage: all good. Abandoning Proportional representation, buying the pipeline, snc lavlin all bad.
Those are far more newsworthy items than a party from pre 9/11.
I don’t know if I will vote Liberal this time but it has nothing to do with this dumb story and more to do with who will do more for the environment this go round.
You can do better NYT.
33
It was a character in a popular story. It is amazing that a government and culture would need it pointed out how stupid it is to call this a racist act. When will people come to their senses? There is a film called "idiocracy" that should probably be mandatory viewing for the populace of Canada and swaths of the US.
13
Canada settled more refugees than any other country in 2018. That should be the end of this discussion.
But of course it's not. This brouhaha is concocted by the media to spin news and entertain us, and the right wing to make genuine racists, like those in America who happily wore blackface and played plantation games, seem like heck, everyone, they're no different from someone dressing up as Aladdin.
Btw, part of this disaster is the fact that nowadays a lot of younger people think Aladdin is a Disney character and don't have a clue he's a character from one of the brilliant Thousand and One Nights tales, a brilliant folk tale from the Middle East, spun by the wonderful character Scherherazade.
13
I don't see the connections to a Canadian wearing blackface imitating a dark skinned Arabian compared to a US citizen wearing blackface denoting a slave culture. What is Trudeau actually apologizing for? Aren't we being a little too PC in this case? BTW I am no Trump supporter.
14
Mr. Trudeau is ensnared in a web of political correctness he helped to spin. The sense of manufactured outrage over this non-issue is ridiculous. But I confess I find it difficult to muster much sympathy for Trudeau, who once notoriously embarrassed a speaker for using the word mankind rather than peoplekind. Let this be a lesson for all who are quick to cast stones of PC sanctimony.
10
I doubt any white Southern Republican would apologize for this. In fact, they’d be proud of it.
This isn’t racism. If you want to see racism, look no further the Evangelicals of the GOP.
10
What was he supposed to go dressed as to an Arabian Nights themed event? As, perhaps, Jasmine?
This is a tempest in a genie lamp.
19
@Dominique, “This is a tempest in a genie lamp” is a witty turn of phrase, but I don’t see the subject of this discussion that way.
And genies were slaves.
If Trudeau is as sincere as his words seem, then there is hope that his leadership might eventually help open the eyes of the ruling race.
But even if Trudeau’s own eyes are now open, judging by the bulk of the comments on social media by self-identified liberals, he is not likely to risk alienating them by pressing the point.
I am sorry that most of us are making excuses rather than joining Trudeau in apologizing.
Mr. Trudeau said that he had “always been more enthusiastic about costumes than sometimes is appropriate.”
Now THAT'S the real story here!
6
I think the point is not so much about the Arabian Nights thing which was a long time ago in a different world and taken alone his action speaks more of naive ignorance than perceived racism. However, taken in the context of his actions to date, the story revealed is not pretty. It's a story of elite entitlement under a glossy veneer of progressive hypocrisy. Cringe worthy is probably the correct expression about matters such as on gender where his utterances are made for effect ( the "peoplekind vs mankind" interjection) as well as that highly embarrassing trip to India. Both highly patronizing signals. Of course the real telling point about him as a person and PM is the SNC-Lavalin affair which is a clear case of using bullying tactics for mostly political purposes to obstruct justice. He is just another politician whose golden boy mask has slipped revealing a whole lot more grimy reality.
5
Maybe Aladdin could spread some magic in the United States. We could sure use some about now!
Trudeau wasn’t trying to insult anybody. That’s the point.
10
The Times needs to take a long, hard look at what it considers to be its role in shaping the social dialogue in today's particularly fractious political environment. We have the country on the brink of yet another war, environmental progress rolled back and ensuring the demise of the planet, and yet the editors feel the top headline should be about a costume party that took place 20 years ago. If, as the Washington Post tells us over and over, that "Democracy Dies in Darkness," then the media that focus on such nonsense as Justin Trudeau's Sins of the Past bear an enormous culpability in helping to snuff out the candle.
21
It is true that his dressing in that manner is inappropriate for a leader of Canada. If he did it today, call for his resignation. But he was a kid having fun not calculating the feelings if millions. It was meant as fun. He is not the same person. Who among humanity has not made mistakes? He has apologized. We have pressing issues to attend to. It is more important how he acts as Prime Minister not some kid at a dress party.
9
He dressed the part on an Arabian nights party. I don’t see anything wrong with that. Disney characters from Aladdin to Jungle Book have darker skin depending on the role. Costume stores used to sell kits that included dark makeup such as a Rastafarian costume that I wore for Halloween in the 90s. He does not need to apologize and should just explain himself and the context. A persons record speaks louder than a costume party from college.
18
Here is what I would say: "I admire the culture, and in my heart, longed to know more about it and experience it directly. This is one way I expressed that desire. Maybe it was clumsy, but it came from a place of respect and admiration. My desire and commitment to racial brotherhood is strong. I invite you to meet with me and help me further this effort."
Then, let the pieces fall where they may. He may not want to be a political leader in such fraught times where extremists can have their every whim exalted.
5
Oh, no sense. It was an Arab-themed party. He was a Moor.
We have gone mad.
13
Liberals - you made the rules. Now you have to play by them.
11
Amazing that Justin Trudeau feels contrite about this while Trump does a bazillion times worse — bragging about grabbing women you know where and possibly raping a child he met through Epstein and breaking the emoluments clause every hour since taking office — and has zero remorse.
This is not important. He’s such a better leader in so many ways — let’s not get hung up on this and lose sight of the bigger picture here.
9
I think Aladdin had brown skin. Why is this racist? I am soooo tired of this over the top search for racism where none exists. Waste of his time and ours. Go find some some serious issues of true racism to work against. There are many.
15
You're whistleblower story is much more important than this one NYTimes. MUCH MUCH more important.
6
If you're wearing a plastic Aladdin mask, is that racist?
My pale faced red head son wanted to be his red sox hero, Cecil Fielder for Halloween years ago. I let him. Wouldn't do it today.
11
This is the kind of nonsense that makes our papers and tv increasingly irrelevant. How many of us have not made a mistake when we were young. I dressed up as a "Red Indian" several times. I won't do that now. But my friends and I read comics and saw shows that influenced our attitude towards "Red Indians". That term itself was widely used. A paper like the NYT should ask itself is this kind of trivea adds to its reutation as a serious paper. I am sure one can find a few actions taken by your journalists years ago that would show them to be insensitive or worse. This is not serious journalism.
7
We've all done very foolish things in our youth. Well, maybe you perfect liberals haven't but the rest of us normal people have. Leave this guy alone. I don't particularly like his politics, but he did something foolish in his youth and has apologized for it now everyone move on.
People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."
8
What's foolish about dressing up as a Moor for a costume party?
4
By the same token: what’s so terrible about dressing up as a Moor for a costume party?
Nothing in life is as “cut and dry” as some would like to imagine.
3
Regrettable. Disappointing. Hurtful. But we are left with the question I recall Joe Biden posing some years ago: do we compare candidates to the almighty or to the alternative.
In my view, his actions as a politician outweigh the stupidity of these isolated events of some years ago. And he remains the better alternative.
13
The trip to India 2018 with his family donning tacky extreme Oldschool Bollywood attire 24/7, was not only insulting, and embarrassing but highlighted just how ignorant and white he actually is. India elite cringed - and said, " He needs to chill". Now threatening to sue Scheer (for what?)
He was all hype, a pretty boy: an overblown example of white privilege and a confusing and heavy following by liberals- Blind leading blind as long as he gets to dress up occasionally in something shiny and fancy. Not impressed.
5
For the love of God......it's a COSTUME!! If this is the worst they can dig up from this guy's past, I'd say he's golden.
20
Justin Trudeau, what's there to forgive.
YOU, like the rest of us, were born into a racist system.
This system has worked its way into the fabric of
white society so naturally, that, unfortunately, most of us perpetuate it without even realizing it exists ...
It is called institutionalized racism, and we are all an integral part of it.
It will not end until society first accepts its very obvious existence ... and then makes deliberate moves to abolish it!
5
It's OK for us to take a few vague memories of high school groping or frat party misbehavior- or no memories of the misbehavior but smvague campus rumors - as evidence of a US Supreme Court justice's evil character, but let's not condemn a Canadian - Canadians being cool and woke - of evil for cultural appropriation! That's silly. Gotta run... on my way to yoga!
4
The act of dressing as Aladdin is not racist. Maybe it is insensitive.
8
Now that we have come to the absurd end of these ridiculous PC identity political power grab, can we now stop this nonsense. Those who defend Trudeau by saying he’s a good man who had no mal intent, it was part of the times, or the act was in no way connected to his character, remember next time you hang a trivial act on a conservative politician and claim how deeply revealing it is.
6
@Paul there aren't enough racists, gun nuts, oil industry boosters and tax grifters in Canada to erase the memory of 9 years of catastrophic and divisive rule under Harper and bring back the wedge issue politics of the Conservative party.
5
@Andy no oil industry boosters? Have you ever been to Calgary? Wow you really don’t know Canada do you. What kept the Canadian banks afloat during the Great Recession? What powers the Canadian economy, maple syrup and wind power? The answer is the dirtiest of the dirty oil tar sands and pipelines to ship it. C’mon grow up.
@Paul
Canada survived and thrived despite the oil collapse in the "Great recession", not because of its dependence on oil but because it didn't have 0 money down no income loans the US did so there was no bubble to burst.
Your knowledge of Canada and its economy is laughable. There are plenty of oil boosters along with the other social reprobates but they tend congregate in the Conservative party because they're not welcome elsewhere.
Trudeau himself has been friendly to the oil industry for all the good it's done him; he'll probablly revise that mistake.
Btw, I will say tar sands, not the since revised "oil sands", bituminous deposits, dilbit or any other marketing term or jargon to hide the muck it is when I will push for Trudeau to shut it down.
So to finish, yeah, I've been to Calgary and all the provinces east and west, and I'm going to vote. Is that the part that burns you the most?
1
Long-past events are not the defining components of a person. Conisder what T has done since that goofy party and judge him on the sum of all he has done, not a single, or even a few, lapses of judgement.
3
I am brown-skinned. I was born in Pakistan to Pakistani parents and then grew up in Abu Dhabi with people of all skin colors. When I am conversing with someone, the skin color of that person never never never comes to my mind. The only thing that has any affect upon me is their behavior and my experience with them.
In a Arab themed event, if PM Trudeau dressed up as Aladdin and put makeup over his face, he DID NOTHING WRONG. NOTHING. I am sorry that he has apologized for it. In fact, PM should not even dignify this with any apologetic response but rather proudly say that he was Aladdin on that evening and wanted to portray the best Aladdin he could.
It is shameful for anyone asking the PM to provide an apology for a perfectly executed Aladdin role.
PM Trudeau, you are a good guy in my book and you have my vote.
22
With today’s eyes, his party outfit may seem inappropriate. But this was 2001. Times do change, and public opinions do as well. Maybe in 25 years’ time the general opinion will laugh at the period where people could not get elected if they had done something in the past, which then was - at least to some degree - considered acceptable, but considered unacceptable in this period.
This is political correctness at its worse. It is not like he killed someone, or committed any crime. He dressed up as Aladdin. But the lesson is apparently that if you want to be elected to public office, make the decision when 12 years old (max) and then live boringly efter after. However, you never know, 30 years later such behavior may be seen as deeply offensive and disqualifying.
7
This silliness is the completely normal and predictable result of liberal identity politics run amok.
Such movements always eat their own.
19
Let me be clear: our PM is NOT a racist! In fact, he is the farthest thing from one. He's a bit eccentric and likes to play dress-up! I would say that his artistic bent is what makes him great! I - for one - don't like it when people put in him the same bucket as the KKK and the white supremacists that have rallies in your cities. I am glad that he's apologized - because it is the right thing to do - but I for one don't believe that in any shape or form he meant anything derogatory...
21
I cannot understand digging into the past of celebs and notable people unless they are paedophiles or something equally unpleasant. So Mr. Trudeau wore fancy dress. So what. None was offended at the time so why drag it up now.
11
Justin Trudeau today is a woke Canadian, woke human-being, and a fine Prime Minister of Canada, our dearly loved northern neighbor. Who doesn't make mistakes in the flush of youth? Who doesn't blush remembering stuff we did even more recently? So Justin likes to "dress up" in costumes? That's fun for him and his pals. We Americans admire and respect this Trudeau as we admired his Father, Pierre and Mother, Maggie. Let's hope woke Canadians re-elect him in October.
18
To read that anti gay conservative candidate for PM Scheer take what (he feels) is a socially positive position (in his mind) is like reading the Pope has suddenly decided to distribute free condoms to the third world for the common good - Check for the holes before use!
I have a pet theory that about a quarter to a third of voters of every democracy is irredeemably ignorant on any number of subjects, from the environment, to economic and social policy. That pretty much fits the description of the core of Conservative party support in Canada.
The hypothesis is pretty much verified by political pundits across the OECD democracies. Former PM Harper himself exploited that ignorance to great effect in Canada's first past the post, 3 party system to hold onto power for 9 years with wedge issues like gun control, (opposition to) gay marriage, oil sands development, you name it.
The conservative party genuinely represents socially backward attitudes in Canada, simply because there is nowhere else for racists to go; Liberals and NDP not only explicitly condemn it but they also purge party members for it. Conservatives? Meh...!
But hey, don't forget PM Trudeau wore brown face as Aladdin at a party 20 years ago. He's a real threat to visible minorities!
7
Senator Joe McCarthy, wherever he is, must be laughing with great satisfaction.
4
Is this what politics has come to? A person dressed up as Aladdin (who is an Arabian Prince), and is then publicly shamed, humiliated and asked to resign? What’s next? Should we disallow people who aren’t ‘of color’ portraying a character who is black, brown, yellow, etc.? What about people who are Mexican portraying people who are Asian. A costume is a pretty clear indication that it’s trying to portray a character as it was intended. All of the rest of this ‘problem’ is pure rubbish designed to sell clicks and create fake news, and to support some inane political agenda that has no purpose other than to dismantle a public figure’s credibility. Maybe we should shut down school plays, Broadway and cancel Halloween while we’re at it. People need to grow some common sense and stop making everything a political rallying cry for equality, racism or whatever edge agenda is on your list. No one cares about your political agenda when it’s brought forth as an attack on what should be contextually ‘otherwise harmless’ behavior.
10
People make mistakes in their youth. It’s time to move on this habit of picking on things of this small magnitude in people’s past. Otherwise, let’s have a “past” police, digging into “everyone”’s past, and not just white people. I am sure most people will have things they’re not proud of in their 20s. I certainly do and I am not white.
4
I'm African American. Yes, the photo is offensive. No, I won't take Justin Trudeau to task for a youthful indiscretion committed eighteen years ago.
Besides, I don't imagine that that Andrew Scheer, Trudeau's conservative opponent to be a bastion for Canadians with brown skin.
Let us move forward!
9
That was the theme. I don't see the problem. Can't believe he is apologizing over this nonsense.
12
An overreaction people. There are far more important social issues to discuss and need to addressed
13
I recall David Bowie acting as a horribly deformed man in Elephant Man. He was in character and it was nothing personal to anyone. If Mr. Trudeau was doing the same for Arabian Nights, then it's case closed for me. If he wore brown face to demean anyone, then he should answer for it. If we demand perfection from imperfect beings, which describes all of us, then we better get ready to live in a paradise defined by anarchy.
7
The dictators of political correctness now have their own McCarthy-like litmus test. "Have you recently or at any time in your life worn dark face makeup, or ever dressed up in a way that could be construed as being offensive to any minority group in any way, shape or form?".
If so, as was the case for leftist activists in the 1950's, you are disqualified for any future possibility of holding public office and many other career paths will be closed to you! What Troudeau did was a case of bad judgement. It was wrong. He should have known better. But this was 18 years ago. Since then, he has a record to run on. In these days of digital communication, we ALL live in glass houses. Let's please not forget that before we start throwing stones.
11
Good timing right wing Time magazine. As much as I oppose racist costuming, I oppose foreign,right wing election interference more. I'm also shocked at the sudden deluge of conservative voters who suddenly care about political correctness.
9
It all comes down to direction for the country (or should) even if one is highly offended by something like this. Clearly it was inappropriate and racist. The question for Canadian voters who have supported Trudeau is do they let that offense mean that they vote for someone who will take the country in the direction they do not want or live with the offense by Mr. Trudeau and vote for him anyway (not voting is the same as voting for the opposition). Sadly, some will let outrage guide them.
1
The resurgence of political correctness is getting out of hand. The disturbing part isn't the lack of forgiveness, but the tendency toward retribution, revenge. I'm not Christian, but let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
4