Business redux–if you didn’t see, yesterday’s update has a link to my piece on Houston. Enjoy.
Also, MattSoReal’s got pics from the Bun B video shoot on his blog, including one of me interviewing ESG. You know where he is–HoustonSoReal.
Moving on, Condi Rice was the subject of my first full post on this blog. That was when Ted Rall referred to her, in his political cartoon, as a house nigger. I found it to be pretty funny, and I thought the charges of racism were misguided. I was amazed that Rall got it and used the absolute perfect term to describe her. I didn’t know white folks were up on that house/field nigger thing.
Well, now we’ve got this one at the University of Florida, and I’m not feeling the same way.
(BTW, I talked about this some on the bidness blog, but I can’t cuss on there. Figured we could get more out of things over here.)
Now, to appreciate this, you’re going to need to check the cartoon, and I’d recommend peeping some of the commentaries. The cartoon appears to have been edited. If I’m not mistaken, the last sentence that says “Please,” should be, “nigga please.”
And that’s what throws people off a tad.
I don’t find this one to be funny. It’s not because Kanye’s being called “nigga.” I really don’t give a damn what you call Kanye. I call him “nigga” all the time. I call you–yes, you–nigga all the time.
But, it actually is funny.
Make sense? Of course…not.
That cartoon could really be funny. The humor, of course, comes from the fact that none of us could imagine Coondi saying “nigga please” to anyone. We could all imagine her blushing with embarrassment from hearing someone say that, but no one can see her saying that. Or maybe that’s just me, I dunno.
I’m not sure the kid that did this cartoon realizes that’s the only that would be funny. That’s it. Otherwise, this would be a drab cartoon, with or without “nigga.”
Hey, read it without “nigga” on the link. Not funny, is it?
Put in “nigga,” and a few of us are ready to fight.
Now, am I a hypocrite because I thought people overreacted this time last year but I don’t think that now? I’m not sure.
This what I know–Rall showed an understanding of a fairly nuanced issue. The Marlette kid–not to be confused with Doug Marlette, according to Aden–that did this cartoon doesn’t seem to understand what he was doodling about. And if you don’t know, leave it alone.
I’m not quite offended, but it does make me wonder why some white folks feel the need to go there, even when they know the results could be catastrophically bad. Is this another example of how greedy privilege can make people?
But when I start seeing folks write editorials talking about how any use of “nigga” is racist, that’s when I realize how many people just don’t get the point.
You think you’re going to take a stand against racism by not inviting Wayne Brady to campus? You serious? Wayne Brady? Really? One slip by Alfonso Ribiero, and his Carlton Banks Revival Tour’s in the toilet, jack.
And perhaps this crystallizes the problems that come when white people go to “nigga”–they tend to show a lack of awareness of what the issues are with the words and the people that term generally refers to. I don’t hold a lot of things against white people because they frequently don’t know any better, and I even understand that. If you don’t know any black people, do you ever have to think about the things they go through?
The problem, of course, is willfully displaying ignorance and then saying, “but I didn’t know” like it’s some sort of excuse. If you don’t know, just be quiet, man. Get a book or two, though I don’t want you getting Randall Kennedy’s book on this.
I really don’t know what to say. Feels a little bit like I’m being hypocritical on this, but I know better.
11 Comments
by nappy40
I saw the cartoon. When I got to the part where Condi says, “please,” I felt that the nigga was understood. So while it was funny, it’s not laugh out loud funny.
by NoyaClap
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=8921.
Gotta love shortsighted writers. Notice this is written by a rabbi and two of his targets–Sharpton and Jesse–have never been darlings of the Jewish crowd. That Hymietown thing did Jesse in, though it did give is a fantastic SNL sketch.
by jaedalaurez
Heh.
That article by the rabbi- he’d already lost me by the time he said “I saw brotherhood on Fox News”(Fox News? humph)…. and then when I read that, I realized he was too far gone.
As far as the cartoon- the nigga makes it funny…but then again, how many jokes are funny without the punchline, you know? Nigga, please is the punchline. So I don’t necessarily have a problem with it on its face.
by Kirk
I don’t think you’re a hypocrite. If anything, I think you’re taking it too easy on Rall. Just because he got it right by accident doesn’t make him any better. I’m not the best person to speak on the issue, I just don’t think Rall deserves that much leeway.
by DP
Now it is certainly possible that, since I never saw Rall’s Comic on Dr. Rice (if I dont like folk calling me Dave, when my name is David…I ain’t gonna run around shortening folk’s names unless I heard them do it) that I dont get exactly WHY he called her that, although I have my theories. I disagree, but for reasons that depart from the usual blase’-split that conservatives, especially black ones usually spout.
The UF comic falls flat because it is flat-out wrong. Kanye spoke not to play the race card. Kanye spoke cause thats what his heart said. Even a cursory view of the clip on the telethon showed that.
Playing the race card is a calculated event meant to draw attention, usually to oneself, rather than the incident being discussed originally.
Of course this college boy-hack wouldn’t get that. Since he didn’t even have the good sense to put Colin Powell in the comic instead of Dr. Rice.
First, great point about calling her “Condi.” I have a similar aversion to people calling me “Bo” without express permission. However, Dr. Rice is too much to me. I’ll continue referring to her as “Coondoleezza” (no typo).
At the same time, I’d like to work to eliminate the term “race card” from the lexicon. If race could just be played like a card, it wouldn’t be such a big fuckin’ deal. Race is the table the game’s played on. Not one of those tables you can fold up. I mean like one of them heavy tables they use in Vegas and the back room at your neighborhood speak-easy.
by nappy40
I don’t usually shorten the names of people I meet, but public figures like Condi, Jeb, W., I use their first names in my mild attempt at rebellion against authority. I certainly would not call her Condi if I ever met her.
by wow this is sad
you rebel by shortening their names? What are you 15 years old? Wow that’s sad….Oh no I don’t like Vladimir Putin so I’m gunna call him Vlad, that’ll show ’em
by nappy40
Well, depending on how you were raised, calling a person by their first name or a nickname before you were allowed to, or invited to do so, is an insult. It’s very disrespectful.
So if I’m writing something informal on the internet I’ll jokingly refer to her as Condi because I don’t know her. I don’t think anyone would call the SOS a diminutive name to her face if they’re not close friends.
It’s akin to intentionally mispronouncing a person’s name to their face–that’s disrespectful as well.
You call it sad, I call it old school.
by nappy40
Well, depending on how you were raised, calling a person by their first name or a nickname before you were allowed to, or invited to do so, is an insult. It’s very disrespectful.
So if I’m writing something informal on the internet I’ll jokingly refer to her as Condi because I don’t know her. I don’t think anyone would call the SOS a diminutive name to her face if they’re not close friends.
It’s akin to intentionally mispronouncing a person’s name to their face–that’s disrespectful as well.
You call it sad, I call it old school.
by lady B
The comic is ignorant – flat out. Our BGSA has been going around on this issue all day – “up in arms is an understatement.”
Next point: To me, nigger (etc.) is an insult regardless of from whom it comes. So, Bomani, I do think you are a hypocrite and that is okay. I understand your logic. I simply do not agree.
On the first name thing, old school is right. My family thinks it’s odd that I call my professors by their first names…
by lady B
The comic is ignorant – flat out. Our BGSA has been going around on this issue all day – “up in arms is an understatement.”
Next point: To me, nigger (etc.) is an insult regardless of from whom it comes. So, Bomani, I do think you are a hypocrite and that is okay. I understand your logic. I simply do not agree.
On the first name thing, old school is right. My family thinks it’s odd that I call my professors by their first names…