T-M-I from T-I-M

Without racism and poverty, would black comics still be funny?

I believe that some of the greatest comedy out there is created by individuals who have felt great personal pain.  There are some exceptions (Jerry Seinfeld for example) but there are an awful lot of examples of the rule.

A few of my favorite comedians include Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and other blacks .  Often, the funniest things they talk about are based on the differences between whites and blacks (primarily) and what life was like when they were poor.

When Richard Pryor talked about it, it was groundbreaking, hilarious and even dangerous (check out his Sunset Strip movie it is out of this world).  He inspired an awful lot of other comedians, understandably.

But what would it look like if people weren't racist and poverty was gone?  How much material would that take out of the arsenal of black comedians?  I'm not suggesting that black comedians aren't funny without racism and poverty, they are.  Nor am I suggesting that the racism and poverty jokes aren't funny, they still are, but with a tinge of sadness that it still exists on such a widespread basis.

I just wonder how many more things they could bring out in their art that they don't already since they are burdened with the big two already.

Would you rather be Black & Rich or White & Middle Class?

I've been wondering lately if I had my choice would I prefer wealth in exchange for being black?  So we're clear, my definition of rich for purposes of this discussion would be million dollar home paid for, lots of money in the bank and still working at a highly paid job that I could leave if I wanted to.  Middle class would be decent home mortgaged, decent amount of money in the bank with a decently paid job that I have to have.

We live in a racist society and it's hard to consider living the life of a black person who behind gay people are the most overtly discriminated against people in the world.  It would be fine, to a certain extent, if I'm in my gated community but as soon as I step out, my status would almost immediately drop it seems.

I suppose another way to consider the question would be would I rather be a middle class white or a:

1. rich Asian
2. rich Hispanic
3. rich Middle Eastern
4. rich & Jewish
5. rich & Gay

Somehow the decision in every one of those cases feels easier, even though each of the 5 are also discriminated against. 

A black friend of mine told me that every day white folks have the choice of whether they want to deal with a black folks.  A black person HAS to deal with a white person every day.  And it's not quite russian roulette, but it is a game of chance as to how a black person is treated by white folks.

I don't know if I would have the fortitude to handle being black no matter how much money I had.  I guess it would be a day by day thing. 

I know things have improved quite a bit, but if I stepped onto BART in my suit after work and everyone reached for their wallet because I stood by them, how happy could I really be?

I wonder if racism will ever totally disappear.

Racism or Discrimnation? I've never felt it.

I was thinking this morning about the variety of words that are super charged with hate that hurt, deeply, a variety of people in this world.  So I thought through my life to try and access a time when someone said something to me that was in some way discriminatory that might have hurt me and I came up empty.

It just feels weird that there aren't any words that anyone would say that would cut me that way.  Even more unusual, it's kind of strange that there are no words the people need to "avoid" when talking to me. 

White boy?  No problem.  Cracker?  Doesn't bother me.  Honky?  I think that one's actually kind of funny.

It's just weird that I have no connection to it and I probably never will.  I wonder if that affects my ability to be compassionate.

It reminds me for some reason about the Richard Pryor/Chevy Chase skit where they are spewing racist comments at each other.  Nothing Pryor said (except for maybe DEAD HONKY!!) had any effect on me.

The Jena 6, OJ and our racist nation

I read this morning about the Jena 6, a group of 6 black teenagers who are in a legal mess around the beating of a white student in Jena, LA.  The attack, apparently, had it's roots in an incident last September when white students hung 3 hangman nooses in a tree. 

In November, a group of white students attacked a black student at a party.  The next day the black student spotted one of the white students and chased him at which point he pulled an unloaded shotgun on them that was taken from him by the black students.

The black students were charged for theft.  None of the white students were charged in the attack or in the hangman nooses (which apparently isn't a crime of any kind of course God help you if you decide to use the N-word and you're white....in public at least, the best you can hope for is a platinum Klan membership and a private slap on the back from the boys and public berating from a self-righteous, confused public).

Mychal Bell, 17 was one of the 6 and was tried as an adult.  That has been reversed.  He has a previous criminal record, and that's one thing that would seem to frustrate the white citizens of the town.

In comes Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton claiming a double standard of justice.

I agree.  And I think it's totally ironic that it's coming up just when our buddy OJ is back in the news.

Mychal Bell may very well be guilty in this case.  But, sadly, that's beside the point.  Our justice system is screwed up.  It seems the reason that some black folks were fired up when OJ got off wasn't because he was innocent (he wasn't).  It's because white America got a taste of how money gives an advantage in the justice system.  OJ got a super defense team and won (despite mounds of evidence against him).

For years it's been the other way around.  White folks have money.  We commit crimes.  We pay huge sums of money to defense teams and we win (even though we're guilty).  (Oh and sometimes we didn't even need to have huge sums of money...just be white...isn't that nice?  (See Emmett Till)

In this case, it may be that Mychal Bell and the rest of Jena 6 get off, even though they are guilty.  And what bugs lots of folks is that black folks are only asking for the same treatment that white folks seem to get. 

All I know is if I had to spend my entire life feeling scared when I heard police sirens (even when I'm innocent) or getting pulled over because of my skin color or just generally being looked down upon, I would have a hard time not being frustrated and even angry.

One thing's for sure, as much progress as we think has been made, let's face it, we are still a racist nation. 

I would love it if we could have some kind of constructive dialog about this.  Even if it's not illegal to put up hangman nooses, how can we not discuss that?

It sure feels like things haven't changed much.  It's just every once in a while, we are reminded of it in public.

Great Slate article on Larry Craig

If you haven't heard, Larry Craig is the senator from Idaho who got busted for cruising for homosexual sex in a Minneapolis airport bathroom.  (Did you know it's actually a crime to peep through the crack of a stall?  I mean I guess it makes sense, I just didn't know it was an actual law...but it is and he got busted for it and other things.)

Anyway, William Saletan wrote a great article pointing out the hypocrisy of the fact that Craig was a supporter of don't ask/don't tell and yet he still has his job after sort of admitting he is gay (well sort of denying then admitting now retracting it). 

I loved this quote from Mr. Craig regarding his take on DADT JUST TWO WEEKS AGO, after being arrested in June:

"I don't believe the military should be a place for social experimentation," Craig wrote. "It is unacceptable to risk the lives of American soldiers and sailors merely to accommodate the sexual lifestyles of certain individuals."

For me, honestly, I don't think they guy should be thrown out of office necessarily.  So he cruises airport bathrooms where it's known to happen, big deal (in fact that's why they set the sting up there...).  I just wish he would be honest about the whole situation.  As Mr. Saletan points out, it's the lying that is so hypocritical given the built in honesty bullet of DADT, it REQUIRES you to be honest or you're in deep trouble.

Nevertheless, I think it's game, set and match for Mr. Craig.  Perhaps it will give him more time to branch out into rest stops or park restrooms rather than the halls of Congress.

How hot is the place in hell for racist klansmen who hang black people?

I've been reading a lot about the whole Mike Vick dogfighting thing and have been mildly amused by some of the quotes.  But I have to say today's takes the cake. 

In Peter King's column in SI today I read this beauty from Senator Robert Byrd on people who love dogfighting:

"I am confident that the hottest places in hell are reserved for the souls of sick and brutal people who hold God's creatures in such cruel and brutal contempt.''

Made me wonder....yes this is the same Robert Byrd, a former member fo the Ku Klux Klan.  Robert Byrd who wrote this in a letter in 1945 about racial integration in the military:

Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds

I wonder, Mr. Byrd, given your point of view on the way Mike Vick has allegedly treated one of "God's creatures", where do you think your racist brothers and sisters deserve to go?

Better yet, given that you were a klansmen, where do you think you should go?

Give forgiveness and understanding a try Mr. Byrd, without it you'd still be wearing a sheet instead of a suit.

Racist columnist threatens to kill his neighbor and her family

A few months ago I wrote about an Asian Week columnist who wrote a scathing, discriminatory piece and then honestly defended himself showing how racist he really is.

Come to find out our man has been arrested for threatening to kill a mom and her family if her dog bit him.  At least I know now he wasn't faking it.  He's an angry, hateful individual who is clearly losing touch with reality.

Gary Sheffield's take on being black

I read an interesting and revealing interview with Gary Sheffield today.  (Then again most every interview with him is both interesting and revealing.)  Mr. Sheffield plays baseball for the Detroit Tigers.  He's seen as a bit combustible and angry, I've always found him honest.

The most interesting part of the interview was his answer to the following question:

You wrote that Derek Jeter is well-liked because he's biracial. You feel that helps in the clubhouse?

It doesn't have everything to do with it. It also has to do with him being a quality person. That's what I look at first. But when a black player walks in the room, he's got to fit in with what's in there: a majority of whites. We don't ever walk in a room and already fit in. I ain't never heard of that. I've seen squeaky-clean black players walk in the room and people ask me, "What kind of guy is he?" But when a white player walks in the room, nobody ever asked me that question.

The underlining was me.  He's just speaking his truth, from his experience and it's hard to dispute it.  Say what you want about progress, etc. we still live in a racist society and I'm grateful that people like Mr. Sheffield will speak up about it.

Author defends his column, honestly

A week ago I wrote about a racist column that Chris Yeh had hipped me too.  Today I read an interview with the columnist.  Thank goodness he was honest.  The gist of his defense?  They do it too and they've done it to me and it stinks that's why I do it.

Well, you know, just to be blunt, 90 percent of them (black people that is) usually walk up to me and call me, you know, like for instance, ching-chong and stuff like that. I mean, I don't really give a damn, but you know, I mean, after a while it gets pretty damn annoying. And not to mention they get so much media attention.

If this isn't a perfect explanation of why NOT to do it, I don't know what is.  It hurts when they do it to him so why do it to someone else?  I love that he doesn't give a damn and gets annoying (can those two things possibly make sense).  And the media attention part is I'm sure foremost on his mind.

Luckily this person is not polished nor does he appear to have anyone advising him.  He's just speaking honestly actually teaching us something.

Too bad he doesn't seem to get his own teaching.  I am starting to believe what Chris suggested, that in a very short period of time this person will be fodder for the rearview mirror.

What discriminatory remarks would be most punished?

After that last post on discrimination, it got me wondering.  Let's assume someone makes a discriminatory remark (no matter who it's directed towards it's really harsh).  Let's also assume that the person is not part of the discriminated class.

Here's my thoughts on the severity of punishment by class (meaning, make a discriminatory remark about #1 and you're punished the most, #2 next and so on):

1. Black people:  In today's society, it seems true, look at Michael Richards.
2. Jewish people:  A close second.
3. Women:  Although Gov. Schwarzenneger bucks that
4. Asian people:  maybe, Rosie skated by pretty cleanly
5. Gay people:  That's right, I think below 1-4 but they are the most discriminated against
6. White people:  Then again, even when you do, it doesn't matter look at the heckler from the Michael Richards incident
7. Arab people:  They almost don't make the list, look at George Allen of VA, in some areas it's a plus (although I guess that's true for all of the groups)
8. Poor people:  Of course almost none of us care about them
9. Men:  Actually, in some ways, we like the slurs.  Call us callous, it just means we're tough.  Call us insensitive, it just means we make sense.  Call us greedy, it just means we're driven.  Call us monkeys, it just means we're ANIMALS!!!

I'm not at all advocating slurring anyone.  I am advocating honesty.  I feel like the higher a group is on the list, the more distant we seem to become as political correctness takes the place of honest dialogue when discriminatory remarks are made.