I see a lot of black folks getting easily offended about certain things, although what happened in this thread is an extreme case.
Anything that ever challenges their "blackness" or hurts their pride in some way is immediately a volatile situation. I think they fail to realize that the longer they let these things bother them, and get all puffed up, the longer the people doing the things have the power.
That is one of my personal large issues with the black community is that we refuse to think logically about many things so we end up making stupid decisions like the gentleman that wanted to thrash him. Had that man succeeded in beating him he would have ended up with an assault charge thus adding fuel to a disturbing fire of people of color with legal issues for what? Someone with way too much time on their hands that did not deserve the time of day.
It's ok for the Wayans Brothers to dress up as white women, its ok for Chapelle to dress as a KKK member. The moment a white man says something folks are in an uproar.
The Wayans brothers are an abomination to the black community PERIOD. Chappelle stated before that sketch that many black people looked at him as if he had set the race back with a comedy and sketch and it is my feeling that if he did not he came extremely close.
Imus's infamous "nappy headed hoes" was blown way out of proportion. I do not think that the guy really meant anything buy it, but certain black folks and patronizing white people started a barrage of shit.
He was wrong as well. It was just a dumb thing to say. This is why jobs have sensitivity training.
Let me explain to you a story about growing up.
I was in the 6th grade and there was one black girl in my school who resembled Aunt Jemima, she really did. Not even knowing, really, what racism was I called her that. It wasn't a rip at her ethnic background, but the teaching staff and administration took it as so. I got suspended for 10 days as a result of that. I'm not trying to say that I'm a victim, but here is the point that I am trying to make-if you saw a bald white man and referred to him as Mr Clean would it be able to be twisted into a racial comment?
Not the same thing at all. Mr. Clean and Aunt Jemima represent two different things. Aunt Jemima is more of a representation of black women during the slave era. Unless there something i do not know Mr. Clean is simply the ad campaign for some cleaning supplies. Im not saying they were right for suspending you but that it can easily be misunderstood if you didnt know.
People are too sensitive to a subject which doesn't really even matter anyways. Patronizng white people add to this also.
Honestly racism as whole still does exist today. It may not be as blatant as it was in previous years but it is definately still there.
I can undestand if you were enslaved, or if every day you had to deal with people literally tormenting the shit out of you. We all have to deal with fleeting comments from people, usually things that are the most obvious to those around us. It's what we do with these situations that make us who we are. Nobody wants to hear people whine about trivial shit.
There hasn't been slavery for 150 years. No black slave is alive anymore, so none of them were ever enslaved. I don't have things handed to me just because I'm white, I have to get up in the morning and take my *** to work for everything I have. I grew up in what would be considered poverty and I still don't have a lot, but I don't expect any handouts or free rides. Slavery is over, it's been over, move on.
Indeed you do not have things handed to you and nor do I. Affirmative action and programs like it were introduced in the '60s back in a time when minorities didnt have all of the advantages that we have today. And the minorities that do sit around and collect handouts make us look like lazy bastards which pisses me off to no end.
Sometimes black folks will say some ignorant comment like "My people were enslaved by your people."
Guess whos people fought and died in order for slaves to have freedom.
Mine.
There were slaves in this country of all races. And all races fought to end slavery. The majority of the legal fighting however was done by white people but at the same time what legal rights did slaves posses to go into a court of law and fight for there freedom so it was done in other fashions. No one group is responsible for the end of slavery even though the majority of each group wishes to claim the accomplishment.
/story.
CT