I remember the first time I went to a corner store with my best friend as a kid. I noticed that one of the clerks was following us, which seemed odd and foreign to me at the time. I asked my friend "Hey man, why do you think that guy's watching us?" He answered "Because I'm black."
That was my first experience with racial discrimination but it wouldn't be my last.
Imus needs to go. Frankly, Mencia should go too. There's nothing wrong with pointing out, and reveling in, the differences that we all bring to the table, but when any joke or punchline relies on a negative stereotype for effect I think that's just hate speech with a smily face on it.
Chappelle is not in the same category as Mencia when it comes to productive racial commentary as comedy. There is a difference there folks.
The big issue, for me at any rate, is doing something to eliminate the constant boogeyman fear-mongering on the nightly news. How many times do I have to hear "An unidentified black male"? When will they change the 'rules' of broadcasting to allow single victim non-white murders to be covered. Or robberies committed by whites. And we've got to do something about the fact that more and more minority males are spending more and more of their lives incarcerated.
Oh goodness, I could go on forever. Anyway, novapsyche, it's not silly to fight the good fight, nor to keep watching lest an opportunity go unnoticed.
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2007-04-10 09:19 pm (UTC)Shit, I fear for the present.
I remember the first time I went to a corner store with my best friend as a kid. I noticed that one of the clerks was following us, which seemed odd and foreign to me at the time. I asked my friend "Hey man, why do you think that guy's watching us?" He answered "Because I'm black."
That was my first experience with racial discrimination but it wouldn't be my last.
Imus needs to go. Frankly, Mencia should go too. There's nothing wrong with pointing out, and reveling in, the differences that we all bring to the table, but when any joke or punchline relies on a negative stereotype for effect I think that's just hate speech with a smily face on it.
Chappelle is not in the same category as Mencia when it comes to productive racial commentary as comedy. There is a difference there folks.
The big issue, for me at any rate, is doing something to eliminate the constant boogeyman fear-mongering on the nightly news. How many times do I have to hear "An unidentified black male"? When will they change the 'rules' of broadcasting to allow single victim non-white murders to be covered. Or robberies committed by whites. And we've got to do something about the fact that more and more minority males are spending more and more of their lives incarcerated.
Oh goodness, I could go on forever. Anyway,