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Thanks Rob! “Michael Irvin postulated that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who is white, owes his athletic ability to the miscegenation of a distant relative with one of her slave hands…”[Romo's] great, great, great, great Grandma pulled one of th
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“Michael Richards aside, many comics, musicians and artists make use of the ‘N’ word in their work. How do they decide when it’s appropriate? Hip-hop icon KRS-ONE and comedy legend Paul Mooney discuss the topic with Farai Chideya.”
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“How does the hit reality show Flavor of Love play on black America’s long war on racial stereotypes? Commentator Mark Anthony Neal is an associate professor in the Department of African and African American Studies at Duke University…”
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“what happens when the guilty officers are Black, White and Latino? Did the White guy make the others pull the trigger? Can Black people be accused of racial profiling against their own race? Do Latinos profile Blacks the same way Whites do?…”
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Thanks Kyla! “The judge mocks his hair, which the deputy helpfully explains is styled in twists rather than cornrows, and repeatedly and without apology calls him “Sammy.” In Southern parlance, that’s the insult of calling someone out of their name…”
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Thanks Kyla! “On Wynton Marsalis’ upcoming CD, he criticizes political leadership in America, cultural corruption, and sex and violence in rap — and that’s just on one song. “I don’t speak from outside, I’m not finger-pointing,” the 45-year-old jazz gre
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Meg wrote:
“[Romo's] great, great, great, great Grandma pulled one of them studs up outta the barn.”
—-why would anyone say that, was it an attempted joke gone bad? Maybe he was possessed by the spirit of rush limbaugh
Posted 02 Dec 2006 at 7:15 am ¶
S wrote:
Meg:
“[Romo’s] great, great, great, great Grandma pulled one of them studs up outta the barn.”
—-why would anyone say that, was it an attempted joke gone bad? Maybe he was possessed by the spirit of rush limbaugh”
There are white people who constantly say that any black person with long hair, or light skin or eyes owes it to some white mixture in the family. So, since black folks are stereotyped to be fast and athletic, Irvin made a black mixture remark toward Romo.
I guess no one told him that 2 wrongs don’t make a right. And yes, I am sensing that the Limbaugh spirit possessed Irvin!
Posted 02 Dec 2006 at 4:36 pm ¶
Katie wrote:
That Slate article on sports broadcasters is such a crock. It’s another prime example of that phenomenon we’ve been seeing so often lately – the article that fails to identify racist/sexist/homphobic behavior as hate speech, and ends up being an apologist for that same behavior.
Here’s a prime quote. “In the sports world, politically correct language and attitudes are anathema—that’s why it’s no surprise that gay athletes aren’t lining up to proclaim their sexual orientation. Athletes spewing racist and sexist garbage is nothing remarkable[.]” Did you notice how he plays it all down? I guess I’m supposed to consider hate speech just “political incorrectness.” Whoops, my bad. And it could have nothing to do with living in a racist, sexist, homophobic society. No, no, it’s something specific about locker room air that breeds this lack of couth.
Or another one: “athletes often say what they feel, however offensive, and it’s possible that media types who spend time in their midst have some of that attitude rub off.” That’s right – people who make a living using their muscles are physically incapable of self-reflection. I know how it is – I feel more racist every time I go to the gym! And it’s infectious! My roommates are getting more racist too!
But remember, we’re only talking about “when edginess turns into language considered uncouth by general standards.” Nothing to see here, folks, just some “uncouth” language, which evolved from “edginess.” At this point, I’m so convinced by Weintraub’s whitewashing job that I can’t even remember what I was angry about. Raci-…ra…I know it started with “ra.” Maybe it was “rabbits!” Pretty bunny rabbits!
His final lame argument is that the “sheer tonnage of live airtime” contributes to the fact that “it’s not all Daniel Webster-level oratory.” See how doublespeak works? You only get two options, folks – “uncouth” language or “oratory.” I really resent the implication that asking broadcasters not to use racist, sexist or homophobic hate speech means that they’ll have to hire teams of political speechwriters to carefully craft everything they’re going to say.
Nothing to do with the way our society constructs masculinity. Nothing to do with America’s deep-seated racism. Nothing to do with anything, really, and it was just some “racially insensitive remarks,” anyway, so what am I worrying about? I can’t even remember, frankly.
Posted 03 Dec 2006 at 4:16 pm ¶
Marshall wrote:
Nice post Katie.
The whitewashing of racist attitudes was also covered in Lynn Elber’s piece on Studio60 (a show I have generally enjoyed). The portrayal of a racially insensitive judge who nevertheless can deliver unbiased rulings could be interpreted as a subtle endorsement of racists in high office, as if their attitudes won’t affect their performance.
Posted 05 Dec 2006 at 6:23 pm ¶