– That someone is upset does not mean that it is automatically racism – VG

It’s been a hectic two weeks for Mads Hansen. The soccer veteran launched into the debate when Dplay eliminated “Nissene over skog og hei” following black-faced accusations about the character Ernst Øyvind, played by Espen Eckbo.

Hansen believes that Dplay should not have unreleased the series. To show it, he posted on Twitter an image from the TV 2 series “Alle gutta” where he is punished with spray tan as punishment. It has created reactions.

On Tuesday, it became clear that TVNorge is changing: “Elves over the forest and hello” again in Dplay

– My only regret about this is that I came out in a way that had a slightly sarcastic feel to it. My point was to stand up for Eckbo and ask the question, “What’s next?” He tells VG.

In addition to being the host of Farmen on TV 2, Mads Hansen is also associated with VG through the VGTV show “Spårtsklubben”.

After that, she has assaulted him on social media. How could it get so far? Suddenly, he has been branded as someone who stands up for racism or, in the worst case, a racist.

– But why the hell should I stay flat? I think it’s creepy if someone really thinks the spray tan episode is racist. If I had gone to bed, I would have almost given them the right. He had said it was a racist intention, it wasn’t, Hansen says firmly.

He believes that in general it is a requirement that you lie down as soon as you receive criticism, and that it is a way out.

– Lying down, even if you think you have done nothing wrong, just to avoid criticism, is cowardly.

Accused of defending racism

Hansen can’t say enough. He never meant anything racist with the spray tan trick. He is asked over and over why there must be a penalty fee darken on the skin.

– Penalties were often for doing something strange. I could go with a weird mustache, a weird hairstyle, or here, take a lot of spray tan. And it is not because it is strange or unnatural in itself, but that color is not natural me.

He has shared these arguments on social media. Some believe it is to defend racism.

The model Rawdah Mohamed (28) reacted in an article on TV2.no

– All forms of “black face” are racist. Whether it’s black paint or extreme use of spray tan to imitate dark people like on TV 2, she told TV 2.

In a post on Aftenposten Si; D, Unge Sentrum leader Simen Bondevik, asks why Hansen defends racism.

Hansen believes that if the definition is broader, if it is not only about caricaturing, but also about “imitating”, he can accept that Ernst Øyvind is black face. Until a certain point.

But that Hansen with the spray tan is black face, and by extension racism, he doesn’t buy it.

– People are afraid of discussion.

– But what was intending to post the spray tan image?

– It has irritated me for a long time that people are afraid of discussion. The climate of discussion has become such that you cannot question whether something is racism without being accused of defending it. That’s why I jumped into it, he says, adding:

– And they greet me constantly with: “You as a white man, you can’t say anything if something is black or not.” But of course I can. This is a definite term. But I never meant what people should be offended or upset about.

Also write this in an Instagram post.

– If someone says they are hurt or offended, why can’t you just pay attention to them?

– Yes, of course, but that someone is angry or offended does not automatically mean that it is racism. The fact that a homosexual is being raped does not automatically mean that he is homophobic. Just because the recipient is supported does not automatically mean that there is bullying. I think that’s important here, he says.

Hansen says he never wanted to tell others how they should feel about Eckbo’s character or his spray tan.

– Everyone has the right to decide how they react to something, but that does not mean that all definitions should flow according to how people feel.

– Do you think someone has been upset by what you have published and said?

– If someone has been upset, it may be because I was a bit harsh in my first post. I understand if people may have had the impression that I did not take racism seriously.

– You do it then?

– Absolutely. But that’s a bit of my point and. I do, and then I want to say that I also have to be able to discuss things, without all of this falling on me. And everyone can be offended by something. But that does not mean that everything is racist.

I wanted to qualify, think polarized

It irritates Hansen when others are criticized for being the wrong ethnicity to mean something in the debate. Excluding someone from the discussion on the basis of skin color is polarizing, he believes.

– But do you think you are helping to clarify or polarize?

– My goal was clearly to nuance, discussing the nuances of whether Espen Eckbo’s character was blackface, but I think that has unfortunately led to further polarization. I see that in my comment field and on Twitter, says Hansen.

One of the most frustrating things for him is what he calls “rotten eggs.” They are on both sides, he says, and they destroy for everyone.

– If someone, for example, is going to talk about my case and then comes up with racist statements, then they attribute it to me. They are ruining my case, he says.

Hansen has a bad taste in his mouth when people with racist intentions support him. At the same time, he is contacted by other people who agree, who do not have racist attitudes, but who do not dare to express it.

– They fear that they will also be unfairly accused of having racist tendencies.

They called me a racist

– But those who have not felt racism in the body, they may not fully understand it. There is something in it, right? Do you feel that you can listen to those who have experience?

– I think you have to keep your tongue straight in your mouth here. When I have discussed whether something is blackface or not, some object that I do not know from history, or that I have not known about racism. So I mean people misunderstand it. There are arguments about why blackface is racist and reprehensible, but not about whether a particular act can be defined as blackface or not, he says.

– And when so many attack me and give me intentions that I don’t have, it leads me to distance myself a bit from those who contact me with good intentions and good arguments – that I end up with the peaks against them too. It is foolish.

– Have they called you a racist?

– Yes. It’s scary.

– Social networks are the game of whispers. Some write that I have said something, others share it, and in the end I am a racist. Their truth remains, the story they’ve heard is that Mads Hansen thinks dark-skinned people are too sensitive, it hurts.

Furthermore, he believes that racists are the most primitive people out there.

– It’s blood Harry. Simply. Then I despise racists, and suddenly being accused of being yourself hurts a lot. And unreasonable. It is the worst stamp you can have.

– I didn’t use my platform well enough

Hansen has nearly 500,000 followers on Instagram. He says he is aware of the responsibility that comes with it.

But something has come to him in this debate, something he has heard. It’s about what you’ve done, or not done, ex.

– I have not used my platform enough in the fight against racism. That’s a good point.

In the end, Hansen hopes that something good can come out of this debate. He admits that he has learned a few things.

– I have learned that the debate on racism is even more heated and emotional than I thought. Emotional is the word here, and it’s very understandable that it should be so. But I also think, sadly, that it is destructive to a good and fruitful discussion.

– If someone had approached you on the street and told you that they were sorry for what you shared, because of the photo of the spray tan, what would you have done then?

– Then I would explain the scenario. It was not my intention to offend anyone. Sad to hear if someone gets mad. But that still doesn’t mean it’s racism.