Nigga Please II

Vino, Gee and Maese all disagree with my Chappelle sentiments.

First, let me say this ; originally, the Nigga Please post was gonna be a part of another Couple Things blog, but I just kept goin. And in the back of my mind I knew that I had deadline-oriented work still undone, so my mind wasn't totally clear. Now, I stand by everything I blogged, but I do want to add just a few other things to my arguments, some clarifications, so to speak.

Chappelle: I'm not blamin Dave, as in, "Chappelle this is your fault, you should either stop using the word 'nigga' or ask Congress to pass a law that forbids white people from viewing your shows or attending ur comedy-concerts."

That's not what I'm saying. But this is clear, Chappelle's show has made the word 'nigga' no different than 'bitch'. That's just not cool.

See, although DC grew up in D.C., he exudes something that white people find irresistable. Probably because he's semi-dorky, smokes a lot of weed and white men think they could 'take him' in a fight. As smart and aware as he is, Chappelle is no more than a safe Negroe that makes them laugh. Chappelle seems like the cat that would go to college and have nothing but white friends, he's Their Type of Nigger. So, when he says "BITCH!" It's like one of their bros sayin "BITCH!" and they follow along. Chappelle says "NIGGA!" in that funny nasaly voice and next thing you know, his millions of bros are right there with him sayin "NIGGA!"

As much as white people listen to hiphop, they still know it's a black thing. That's indisputable. And the gangsta-motif throughout hiphop makes it that white people may aspire to be that, want to be that, envy that, but not necessarily identify with that.

Chappelle is worth $50 mil because white people identify with him. That's so powerful. He's been able to offer, at times, scathing social critiques and semi-militant sentiments, all the while maintaining a fraternal relationship with white people.

White people go to see Chris Rock to laugh at themselves and laugh at the powers that be. White people go to see Chappelle to laugh at themselves and the powers that be, but to ESPECIALLY laugh at his interpretation and depiction of blacks.

I argue with my boys about this all the time. They LOVE Chappelle. I'm not a huge fan. I think a lot of his stuff is mindless and B-rated (although just as much of his stuff is genious and A+++).

The fact that the stupid cartoonist used Chappelle to reconcile his cartoon is a blatant example of how white people are watching Chappelle and getting too comfortable.

It all goes back to W.E. DuBois notion of 'duality', one of the greatest social 'thoughts' ever. It highlights the dilemma that black people face: you can either do you, which is entirely American, the acceptance and motivation to act as an individual and care basically about yourself and, at the most, your family. But blacks jog while laboring under the burden of that 20-ton weight jacket. You can't just do you. You can't just act as an individual, because some of the things you do as an indivdual -- scratch that -- many of the things you do as an individual, impact the black community. Duality. Living for yourself and/or living in behalf of everyone that is some shade of your brown skin. It's a hellacious burden at times.

Chappelle must deal with this. Either decision is understandable. But he must know that because he's so likeable and because he's so popular, there legions of white people that are growing comfy with laughing at blacks. And that's cool, but not when laughing at can turn to 'taking light' that can turn to 'disrespecting' that can turn to 'dehumanizing'. It's not a slippery slope, it's manhole.


The Cartoon, The Cartoonist and his Editors

My dinner's ready now and it's looking to good to spend much time on this next issue. So let's see if I can, for once, be succinct and coherent.

I hate white people that are unapologetically insensitive. That's what the cartoonist was. I read him say, "I can hear a black woman saying that to someone like Kanye West." Does that give you the right to use a word that is the epitome of taboo for your race? No. Not at all.

And I point to the stereotypical depiction Kanye, the anti-thug rapper, as a typical thug rapper (either that or the poor blacks he sees when he's slummin in Gainesville). The bug-eyed court jester on the race card. And the sterotypical shape of Condi. That all spoke to a young..and let me stress YOUNG white dude that has many preconceived notions about blacks. Some warranted, but still..

And the cartoon was stupid. Cartoonist are supposed to provoke. But his cartoon isnt provoking what he wanted to provoke, "Did Kanye use the race card and how do OUR black people feel about his stupidity". Nah dumby, it's only provoked people to question your intelligence and the insane decision making of what was undoubtedly an all-white editors staff. If there was a black person on the decision-making team then Shame Shame Shame.

That Word Nigga.

My nigga Rick Maese is a friend of mine and he's white. He said in a comment to the previous post that he doesn't like the word to be used by anyone, including white people. And that's fine. I can see it making white people uncomfortable (at least certain white people). But in the end, I'll be cot dammed if a white person tries to influece the way I use the word. I'd never try to tell an Italian not use the word guido. Although there are very good reasons to discontinue the use of all racial epitaths, if people of that race wants to use it, so be it.

The word appears a lot in this blog, because I basically type whatever words come to mind and rarely go back and edit. Unfortunately, I've grown accustomed to using the word nigga a whole lot. But I always try to be mindful of not using around white people...for ne because I don't want them getting comfortable and thinking they can use it with me..and two, because I don't want to make them uncomfortable.

I haven't decided yet, but I may curb the use of the word Nigga on this blog. Don't know yet.