On CNN’s “Black in America” Special Report

Not feeling it. Just not. I’m hesitant to even watch any more of it. It all just seems to be more parading over-exaggerated black folk pathology than anything else. That’s not helpful. It may be good for ratings, but it’s not helpful. I’m sick of all of these “special reports” that seem to do nothing other than point out what’s wrong with black folk. What about what’s right? Why not spend some time hi-lighting that for a change?

Mammies and Niggers: We Ain’t No Joke

This is going to be one of those rambling, “where the hell is Kev going with this type of posts.” Just so you know.

I’m pissed. I’m pissed off at this thread in particular right now; and no, I’m not pissed at Ilyka for rightfully expressing outrage at the offensive use of a mammy figurine for “preventing drunk dialing.” I’m pissed at the people flooding that thread twisting and contortioning themselves into every possible shape imaginable to try to excuse themselves or their friends of having fucked up. To wit:

One might also posit that there are a literally endless number of more harmful examples of pervasive racism in our current, living culture to get up in arms about — there’s the black man in pop culture having the option of being a musician, an athlete, or a prisoner; or the black woman’s similar pop culture pigeonholing as either the Sassy Best Friend Who Gets Maybe Twelve Lines Total in the Romantic Comedy That’s Out This Week or, simply, the ghetto ‘ho. I would wager any of these stereotypes has a lot more negative bearing on African Americans living today, in the 21st Century, than The Mammy

Oh, you’d wager that, huh? After reading several comments written by people of color expressly stating that they were offended, YOU still know more about what has a “negative bearing on African Americans living today.” Yeah. Right. Gotcha.

But it get’s better:

I know this will convince exactly 0.0% of the people reading this, but Sarah, who has the Emancipatia figure, is a friend of mine, and there is not a racist bone in her body. I think it’s perfectly valid to discuss this, but some of you need to stop patting yourselves on the back. There is a danger that you can look right at real honest-to-god racism and not see it, because you’re too busy being proud that you know Aunt Jemima was a little off-color. Maybe that’s even part of the joke.

Um, yeah. You see, Joshua, this is where, as Tim Wise would say (and really, I suggest that you spend some time reading his work) your “whiteness is showing.” A good number of comments on this thread were written by people of color, and you want to claim that these same people might not know “real honest-to-god racism” when they see it? As if we haven’t lived it our entire lives? Oh, but you thought everyone on the thread was white, didn’t you? Because everyone on the intertubes is white, right? And we just don’t get the joke. No, trust me. We get the joke, and it’s not funny.

And then we get what I was just waiting for: the “I’m sorry if” non-apology:

I want to say that I do feel embarrassed for not realizing that not everyone would know the context here, for just assuming the rest of the world would know that Emancipatia was purchased, given, named and displayed with total knowledge of how gross it was that she was ever manufactured. The purchase was not a smug hipster joke, it was someone being so horrified that this thing existed that they had to show it to someone else, one of those so bad you have to laugh to keep from crying situations. And the joking commentary from my friend Brian was his attempt to distract me from something awful happening in my life at the time, nothing hateful. I don’t think this thing symbolizes someone choosing to wait on me or any of that other nonsense previous commenters suggested. I do regret putting that on the internet without any context or explanation, and I apologize if I’ve offended anyone. This was thoughtless and foolish on my part, but definitely not racism.

First of all, if you haven’t yet, I want you to now stop reading and follow the link to the mammy figurine picture and commentary. Now, notice that there is nothing, absolutely nothing that suggests any sort of horror or condemnation. Nothing.

I don’t buy it. The center does not hold.

I want to be clear here, however; NO ONE is calling anyone a white-sheet wearing, cross-burning white-supremacist. You just fucked up, is all. You were blind, is all. You can get past that if you just stepped back for a minute and actually LISTENED to what people are saying to you and just owned your shit. We all know that you meant no harm. That’s not the point. The point is that the harm was done when you didn’t mean it. That, often, is more hurtful than when the harm was intended. Get it?

And I just have to say, I cringe every time I read “I’m sorry if…” It rings so false and so condescending that I’m inclined to stop giving people the benefit of the doubt the minute I read it. So what? Are you saying that if you didn’t happen to offend someone then you’re not sorry? Again, own your shit. If you mean it, say “I’m sorry THAT I offended you.” Otherwise you can just stfu.

Now, on to Dog Chapman.

What does Dog Chapman have to do with this particular rant, you ask? A hella lot, actually. You see, it really pisses me off that people are so willing to dismiss legitimate claims of grievances, that people are so willing to say, “just get over it and focus on the important stuff” when it is so obvious that all of this is connected. One thing leads to another. Let that racist mammy figure slide, and the next thing you know you’ve got Dog Chapman or Michael Richards. Next thing you know….

“But really, it’s all just a joke. Don’t you get it?”

Again, yes. I get it. It’s not funny. And I’m not going to get over it. It’s time for you to deal. This matters and I applaud those that are willing to call it for what it is.

So, if any of you Emancipatia owners still don’t get it, I would like you to think long and hard about Dog Chapman. I would like you to realize that you’re feeding into this same bullshit, regardless of your intentions. Think about how Chapman and his supporters are making THE SAME EXACT ARGUMENTS OF INNOCENCE as you are.

Really, just think about it (listening helps too!)

This post is my contribution to the Day of Blogging for Respect in Media. If this mess pisses you off as much as it does me, then you should consider hitting them where it hurts, their pocket books.

Other Bloggers for Media Justice:

1. Purple Zoe purplezoe.blogspot.com/
2. Kevin slanttruth.com/
3. Yobachi www.BlackPespective.net
4. Tolu Olorunda www.yourblackworld.com/blogs/yourblackpolitics.htm
5. Aaron www.politicalseason.blogspot.com/
6. She Codes blackwomenvote.blogspot.com/
7. Francis Holland francislholland.blogspot.com/
8. Dr. Boyce Watkins blog.boycewatkins.com/
9. Villager electronicvillage.blogspot.com
10. Vanessa Byers www.vanessabyers.net/
11. ChangeSeeker whyaminotsurprised.blogspot.com
12. Jerome kid-kidfunkadelic.blogspot.com
13. Hawa fackintruth.typepad.com
14. Bluelinchpin bluelinchpin.blogspot.com
15. Deborah msladydeborah.blogspot.com
16. newblackwoman.blogspot.com
17. Sojourner’s Place sojournersplace.blogspot.com/

How to be Succesful in the United States

Update: I should have known. Our “representative” appears to be Niger Innis, son of Roy Innis, National Chairman of CORE–that once radical Civil Rights group that somehow found itself supporting Nixon in 1968 and 1972. Here’s a look into Innis’ mindset:

“When you say to society at large that you have to accept, not only accept our lifestyle, but promote it and put it on the same plane and equate it with traditional marriage, that’s where we draw the line and we say ‘no.’ That’s not something that is a civil right. That is not something that is a human right,” said Niger Innis, national spokesman for CORE.

Take a guess what he’s talking about. Yeah, not exactly someone I want on my side fighting for civil rights.

———————-

Be a racist and sexist slimeball! It worked great for Don Imus, after all. So hey, why can’t it work for Dog Chapman as well:

[From The Associated Press]

HONOLULU (AP) — Bounty hunter Duane “Dog” Chapman’s TV show will return to the air this summer, months after it was pulled when the reality star used a racial slur in a profanity-laced tirade.

Filming has begun on the fifth season, according to executives with A&E, the cable network that broadcast “Dog the Bounty Hunter.” Reruns of the show will start June 25, with new episodes, including ones from the fourth season that have not previously aired, coming a few weeks later.

The show features Chapman and crew chasing down bail jumpers in Hawaii and other states. It was pulled from the air in November when Chapman was heard in a taped phone conversation using a racial slur in reference to his son’s girlfriend, who is black.

The Chapman family, A&E executives and a representative from a civil rights organization were part of a carefully choreographed press conference Wednesday to announce the relaunch of the show.

Whoa! Wait-a-minute here!

“The Chapman family, A&E executives and a representative from a civil rights organization were part of a carefully choreographed press conference Wednesday to announce the relaunch of the show.”

“A representative from a civil rights organization”?

Ok, now I want to know who this “representative” is and what “civil rights organization” this representative is coming from, because that’s just not right. Dog Chapman repeatedly refers to a black woman as “a nigger” and a “representative from a civil rights organization” is going to get involved with promoting the relaunch of this racist slimebag’s show? I’d be inclined to not believe it, but then again, representatives from civil rights organizations have let us down in the past.

The Afrosphere Action Coalition has the plan:

We in the Afrosphere Action Coalition do not believe that Black folks should stand for this type of derogatory behavior, and that they and others of like conscious certainly shouldn’t have our money support companies who support this demeaning behavior towards Blacks in the popular culture.

Therefore, we’re inviting you to participate in a concerted campaign to derail Dogs ability to profiteer off our consumer dollar while harboring such vile feelings and intent towards us. Further, we want to continue to establish dignity for Blacks as paramount in the market place.

This is not a one shot action. It will be a sustained action that continues what Bloggers previously accomplished in successfully challenging BET on it’s Hot Ghetto Mess; and we will be active in challenging media and corporate America on its respect of all citizens going forward.

Here’s the plan for this immediate specific action. Will You Join? Comment and let us know.

Current Plan:

A letter to A&E and its advertisers will go out this week.

B. This will be followed next Wednesday with a the Day of Blogging for Racial Justice In Media to incite our readers to support the position of the letter, and to ask our readers to take action to contact the A&E and it’s advertisers.

You need not be a blogger to participate, you can also do this through email to your in box.

Also, there will be a press release to the media that goes out the night before.

C. Depending on response from A&E and it’s advertisers, a next action will be announced.

[Note: If you plan on taking part in this action, please follow the link above and comment on Yobachi's site, not here. I'm not an organizer of the Afrosphere Action Coalition.]

James Rucker on Net Neutrality

Save the Internet

Father Michael Pfleger Knocks Fox News Down a Notch

I Just saw this via Resist Racism via Zuky and had to share.

As the title for the clip says, Fox got owned by Father Pfleger.