I have the most off the wall sense of humor, but could someone please explain what I was supposed to find humorous about this? Is it meant to be funny? How sad for this person!
No, it wasn't meant to be funny, it was meant to be a nasty slap in the face. Liberals don't like Republicans and they like black Republicans even less.
KingBastard: You don't understand it because there's essentially nothing to understand. If there were something to understand it would imply there were something that made sense. Since that blog, that posting, and the writer of that posting are liberal hypocrites, and nothing there makes any sense, there's nothing to understand.
Understand?
In all seriousness, I could have predicted he was black. In other postings he uses the term "nigger" freely. And everybody knows as long as you're black it's perfectly acceptable to go around saying "nigger" and drawing minstrel faces on back men like the Lt. Governor, referring to him as a Sambo. As long as THEY'RE doing it, it's fine.
I find that to be a great educational method to show young black children how to learn tolerance and nonracism. But then again, as far as I'm concerned, there are "niggers" and there are African-American people, just like there are Caucasians and white trailer-trash people. You are what you make of yourself and your cries for tolerance and non-racism start with YOU.
It's an old tradition among Democrats: Slaves are not allowed to leave the plantation.
Steven- may I borrow this line?
Rosemary thanks for that!
vickie- great point. But from my perspective, it isn't okay for anyone. When dealing with the masses, one is talking to many simple minded ignorant people that have no idea what the history of the word is, nor do they care to learn. You deal with the ; they say it so I can too mentality.
Pam:
"But from my perspective, it isn't okay for anyone."
I DO hope you know that when I said it was ok for them to go around saying it I was saying it tongue in cheek. I meant it sarcastically. Geez woman, don't you know what a smartass I am by now?! :)
Hi guys. Believe it or not, I have no idea what this story is about. I've been out of the loop for most of the day today. Also, the whole Harriet Miers thing (not to mention the CIA leak investigation thing) has pretty much sucked all the oxygen out of the sphere today.
I do occasionally read Steve Gilliard's web log. I glanced at a post on his site today, after seeing something posted on Atrios site. But honestly, I couldn't understand what the hell Gilliard was talking about, it was written that badly. It must not have been the original post?
I also did not click on Rosemary's link for the reason she stated.
So, please feel free to fill me in -- I might just surprise you with my reaction.
You won't surprise me whether you think Gilliard is a rascist or not. But I am definitely prepared to be surprised about how you get to wherever you go.
He painted Maryland's LT.Gov (an African American man)up to look like a minstrel. Then he called him little Sambo and preceded to attribute comments to him that sounded like illterate plantation speak.
OK. I saw the picture. I read the posts. And I believe you want to know if I thought it was racist?
Hmmm.
The short answer is yes, simply because the popular definition of the word has grown rather, um, expansive in recent years.
But (since you asked, Wince) let me give you an expanded answer.
First off, I'm somewhat old-school in how I define racism:
Racism is prejudice or discrimination based on the belief that race is the primary factor determining human traits and abilities. Racism includes the belief that genetic or inherited differences produce the inherent superiority or inferiority of one race over another.
Given that definition, I asked myself how I would measure these comments if the target of the comments was, say, Barak Obama and the speaker was, say, David Duke. No question -- I'd have judged the speaker's comments to be racist, if not also Neanderthal. Sambo?? Get serious.
But -- lo and behold -- Gilliard is an African American man, something that I didn't know (or care) about until today. And that puts another spin on his comments.
How so, you ask?
Think about it: if Dave Chapelle had said something similar about Condi Rice (and he probably has), would we think he was racist? Not really.
But Gilliard isn't a comedy genius -- not even close.
What if Harry Belafonte had said the same thing about Colin Powell (which he did). Would we think he was racist? Not really.
But Gilliard isn't a cultural icon -- not even close.
I'll leave it to someone more qualified to explain what exactly motivates guys like them to take shots at people like Rice and Powell.
All I know is that Gilliard's use of racial stereotypes is insulting and not particularly funny. Not only that, it demeans him AND his target in the eyes of people who really are racist.
Bottom line: Gilliard is part of the problem, not part of the solution because his comments make racism more of a problem, not less of one.
Steven Malcolm Anderson 4 GodsSelfSex (mail) (www):
"Racism is prejudice or discrimination based on the belief that race is the primary factor determining human traits and abilities. Racism includes the belief that genetic or inherited differences produce the inherent superiority or inferiority of one race over another."
Yes, that is my definition of racism also. 90% of what is called "racism" today has nothing to do with this.
Ara Rubyan:
Excellent analysis. Outstanding. Whatever it is that motivates certain black people to use the worst stereotypes concocted by racists against each other, it is not good.
I disagree. That just reeks of "it's okay for me to say it, but not you". It doesn't matter if it is white on black, black on white, white on white, or black on black. The act is racist. Chappelles act, though very funny, is in fact racist. By your definition;
Racism is prejudice or discrimination based on the belief that race is the primary factor determining human traits and abilities.
- Chappelle,through comedy, puts on skits that take the most blatent sterotypes from the black culture, and portray the black person as ignorant and incompetant.
Steven Malcolm Anderson 4 GodsSelfSex (mail) (www):
"Racism is the lowest, most primitive form of collectivism. It is the notion of ascribing moral, social, or political significance to a man's genetic lineage -- the notion that a man's intellectual and characterological traits are produced and transmitted by his internal body chemistry. Which means, in practice, that a man is to be judged, not by his own character and actions, but by the characters and actions of a collective of ancestors."
-Ayn Rand, "Racism", The Virtue of Selfishness
Chappelles act, though very funny, is in fact racist. By your definition...
Yes. Well. You're not the first person to say that. And I'm going to cop out and not discuss it because this isn't a thread on humor. Sorry.
Maybe we could get Rosemary to post something about Chapelle and whether he is (or is not) racist. I'm not sure where Ro would come down on the question, but I have an idea.
The simple answer is that the brilliance of a Dave Chapelle goes waaaaaaaaay beyond overt racism. The guy is a wicked genius and hilariously funny. But he also actually has a point.
For example, have you ever seen his classic sketch about the blind white racist who didn't know that he was actually born black? Watch it sometime then let's continue this discussion.
I'm old enough to remember Lenny Bruce. Was he anti-Semitic? I think you'd probably still get an argument about that even today, 40 years after he left the scene.
Steven Malcolm Anderson 4 GodsSelfSex (mail) (www):
Vickie asked:
"Ara: I'll ask again - where did you get your definition of racism?"
That is the historic definition of racism. Here's another good one (this pertains more to the history of the European Continent in the last two centuries than to America's history, though it spilled over onto us in the form of two World Wars):
"Racism is the bad habit of looking for one's compatriots in other people's countries."
-G. K. Chesterton, The End of the Armistice
He's also way off-base on this one (he's way off-base alot, but it also drives traffic).
I don't understand how having different political beliefs is the equivalent of leaving the race.
Understand?
In all seriousness, I could have predicted he was black. In other postings he uses the term "nigger" freely. And everybody knows as long as you're black it's perfectly acceptable to go around saying "nigger" and drawing minstrel faces on back men like the Lt. Governor, referring to him as a Sambo. As long as THEY'RE doing it, it's fine.
I find that to be a great educational method to show young black children how to learn tolerance and nonracism. But then again, as far as I'm concerned, there are "niggers" and there are African-American people, just like there are Caucasians and white trailer-trash people. You are what you make of yourself and your cries for tolerance and non-racism start with YOU.
Rosemary thanks for that!
vickie- great point. But from my perspective, it isn't okay for anyone. When dealing with the masses, one is talking to many simple minded ignorant people that have no idea what the history of the word is, nor do they care to learn. You deal with the ; they say it so I can too mentality.
You're welcome to it!
Yours,
Wince
"But from my perspective, it isn't okay for anyone."
I DO hope you know that when I said it was ok for them to go around saying it I was saying it tongue in cheek. I meant it sarcastically. Geez woman, don't you know what a smartass I am by now?! :)
I do occasionally read Steve Gilliard's web log. I glanced at a post on his site today, after seeing something posted on Atrios site. But honestly, I couldn't understand what the hell Gilliard was talking about, it was written that badly. It must not have been the original post?
I also did not click on Rosemary's link for the reason she stated.
So, please feel free to fill me in -- I might just surprise you with my reaction.
You won't surprise me whether you think Gilliard is a rascist or not. But I am definitely prepared to be surprised about how you get to wherever you go.
Yours,
Wince
He painted Maryland's LT.Gov (an African American man)up to look like a minstrel. Then he called him little Sambo and preceded to attribute comments to him that sounded like illterate plantation speak.
Please clarify. Thanks.
Hmmm.
The short answer is yes, simply because the popular definition of the word has grown rather, um, expansive in recent years.
But (since you asked, Wince) let me give you an expanded answer.
First off, I'm somewhat old-school in how I define racism:
Racism is prejudice or discrimination based on the belief that race is the primary factor determining human traits and abilities. Racism includes the belief that genetic or inherited differences produce the inherent superiority or inferiority of one race over another.
Given that definition, I asked myself how I would measure these comments if the target of the comments was, say, Barak Obama and the speaker was, say, David Duke. No question -- I'd have judged the speaker's comments to be racist, if not also Neanderthal. Sambo?? Get serious.
But -- lo and behold -- Gilliard is an African American man, something that I didn't know (or care) about until today. And that puts another spin on his comments.
How so, you ask?
Think about it: if Dave Chapelle had said something similar about Condi Rice (and he probably has), would we think he was racist? Not really.
But Gilliard isn't a comedy genius -- not even close.
What if Harry Belafonte had said the same thing about Colin Powell (which he did). Would we think he was racist? Not really.
But Gilliard isn't a cultural icon -- not even close.
I'll leave it to someone more qualified to explain what exactly motivates guys like them to take shots at people like Rice and Powell.
All I know is that Gilliard's use of racial stereotypes is insulting and not particularly funny. Not only that, it demeans him AND his target in the eyes of people who really are racist.
Bottom line: Gilliard is part of the problem, not part of the solution because his comments make racism more of a problem, not less of one.
Satisfied, Wince?
Yes, that is my definition of racism also. 90% of what is called "racism" today has nothing to do with this.
Ara Rubyan:
Excellent analysis. Outstanding. Whatever it is that motivates certain black people to use the worst stereotypes concocted by racists against each other, it is not good.
Where did you get that definition of racism?
I'm satisfied, although I think I can make a slight improvement. Your definition is: I think this sentence by Gilliard from the comments is racist according to that definition: So I'm very comfortable saying Gilliard a part of the problem.
Yours,
Wince
-Ayn Rand, "Racism", The Virtue of Selfishness
Chappelles act, though very funny, is in fact racist. By your definition...
Yes. Well. You're not the first person to say that. And I'm going to cop out and not discuss it because this isn't a thread on humor. Sorry.
Maybe we could get Rosemary to post something about Chapelle and whether he is (or is not) racist. I'm not sure where Ro would come down on the question, but I have an idea.
The simple answer is that the brilliance of a Dave Chapelle goes waaaaaaaaay beyond overt racism. The guy is a wicked genius and hilariously funny. But he also actually has a point.
For example, have you ever seen his classic sketch about the blind white racist who didn't know that he was actually born black? Watch it sometime then let's continue this discussion.
It's complicated.
"Ara: I'll ask again - where did you get your definition of racism?"
That is the historic definition of racism. Here's another good one (this pertains more to the history of the European Continent in the last two centuries than to America's history, though it spilled over onto us in the form of two World Wars):
"Racism is the bad habit of looking for one's compatriots in other people's countries."
-G. K. Chesterton, The End of the Armistice
You're quite welcome!