Any of you old enough to remember The Black And White Minstrel Show? It was one of Britain's most popular - if not the most popular - light entertainment TV show for over twenty years, up to the late seventies. But then racism was discovered and that was the end of it. Because you see they had White people dress up in blackface. This was ironical in some ways because the programme showed blacks in a positive light. Good-natured, talented entertainers. Not a welfare bum, mugger, rapist or knife-wielding gang-banger to be seen.And of course the termination of the show lead to a flood of black and brown media hagiography that continues to this day. One of the latest I call the Magic Black And Brown Doctors Show. (I don't know the actual name, the station its broadcast on nor am I interested in finding out). It purports to be a fly-on-the-wall documentary on extreme surgeries in Britain's hospitals. Mind you looking at it you'd imagine the location was Detroit or Pakistan because almost all of the genius surgeons are black or brown, the patients dim-witted Whites, bewildered, turning hopefully to their dusky saviours for salvation. So life-like.
Given that most black and brown doctors in Britain (that's a boat-load of them disembarking on the left)are either up before the Fitness To Practice Committee or in jail for criminal misconduct the producers' ability to track down sufficient numbers still at large represents quite an accomplishment.
By the way I must grudgingly concede the brilliance of those Indian and Pakistani doctors. After all White doctors struggle for six years to qualify while these guys can do it in six weeks!
By the way I must grudgingly concede the brilliance of those Indian and Pakistani doctors. After all White doctors struggle for six years to qualify while these guys can do it in six weeks!