Obama and Turkish News Anchor in Blackface

Here's the question: Is this a spoof or a real newscast?



Atlas Shrugs and ScoopThis have some of the translation.

(Rough) Translation: Welcome, Mr. Obama. You took our hearts with your hospitality. We appreciate your kindness. We will do whatever America asks of us, as friends. Now, we ask the same of you.

The reason why the announcer is wearing black face paint is because he wants to show respect to President Obama. This is a real anchorman, and he is just trying to give a bit of a comedy act.

More translation:

We inquire that you give us what we give to you. By all means, if someone translates this and I call you “black, Arab, or negro”, it does not mean I am disrespecting you. I mean no harm. We respect you.

Very strange.

Blackface is no way to show respect.
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Brandon, a caller to the Schnitt Show, offers a translation and an explanation of the Turkish anchorman's actions:

BRANDON: Well, essentially what he says is, 'I'm going to do something that none of the politicians are going to do and send a message to you, Obama, something that's very close to the Turkish heart.'

And what he says is that while America keeps making demands, demands, demands, and Turkey keeps turning its back on the rest of the Middle East, i.e. Muslim countries, and looking towards the West, America fails to do anything to assist Turkey with the PKK, which is the terrorist organization that continually bombs them. So, he's saying...

SCHNITT: Why the blackface?

BRANDON: That is because of a Turkish expression that's called ('?'), which means, which translates to black face, but it means shame or sadness. So he's saying, 'I'm very shamed.'

And he also says that 'people are going to mistranslate this. People are going to misconstrue it, but let me be clear, I don't mean any offense. I'm not trying to offend. I'm just doing this to show you this is what we really feel.'

SCHNITT: I had a caller last hour that somewhat I think said something similar, but if this guy were working in United States television, this guy'd be out of a job.

BRANDON: Well, I wouldn't be surprised depending on what station he's on if he would lose his job there, but he felt, I guess, that he had to do it. That's the statement he wanted to make. So he knew it would get noticed.