Posts tagged as The Difficult Subject of Race
'Huckleberry Finn' And "The N-Word"
"Those who wish to ban the use of ethnic slurs in American literature don’t have the manpower to accomplish such a deed. The fact that Mark Twain has been singled out means those who are crusading against the author haven’t read much of American literature. And where would such an enterprise end? Do we censor music lyrics next? Musicals like 'Showboat?' Hip hop as we know it would end. Every other song depends upon words that the word patrollers wish to ban." READ MORE
Your Racist Grandma Explained
"Some may say it as a joke, others might find it offensive, but it turns out there’s some truth to the idea that people of other races 'all look alike.' A new study demonstrates that people have more trouble recognizing faces of people of other races."
Am I Gullible, Or Are These People Actually Racists?
I am rarely accused of excessive optimism, so when such an occasion transpires I like to step back and take a look at the situation to make sure that I am not, in fact, being unduly positive. The current insinuation of credulousness on my part concerns this op-ed from the Wall Street Journal , which posits that President Obama is dividing the country on racial lines and has been ever since he suggested that the arrest of a black man for trying to enter his own home might not have been a good idea, and this interview with Jeffrey Lord, who has complained that Shirley Sherrod and Democrats in general are devaluing the word "lynching" by not using it exclusively to refer to black people executed with a rope. READ MORE
When A Frenchman Is Tired Of Indignation He Is Tired Of Life
"The French capacity for indignation is in decline." READ MORE
Long Island Newspaper Gets Only The "Sexist And Racist" Part Of "Making A Sexist And Racist Joke" Right
A Smithtown, N.Y., newspaper is under fire for publishing a photo spread comparing Barack and Michelle Obama to Fred Sanford and "Aunt Esther" from the '70s sitcom Sanford & Son. The Smithtown Messenger spread was entitled "Before And After," and in it pictures of recent Presidents and their spouses on Inauguration Day were compared with current photos. But the "After" photo for the Obamas is not some sort of Photoshop Aging Filter wonder; instead it's a shot of Fred and Esther seemingly about to come to blows. A scan inside. READ MORE
Rainbow Bridge For Whites Only, Say 'Thor' Fans
There is controversy over the casting of actor Idris Elba to play the Norse god Heimdall in Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of the Marvel comic book Thor. Elba, you see, is black, while Heimdall is white (and completely fictional). "Norse deities are not of an African ethnicity! ... It's the principle of the matter. It's about respecting the integrity of the source material, both comics and Norse mythologies," says one disgruntled ethnographer. "At the risk of sounding like a bigot," adds another, "I think this is nuts! Asgard is home to the Norse Gods!!! Not too many un-fair complexion types roaming the frigid waste lands up there. I wouldn't expect to see many Brad Pitt types walking around in the Black Panther's Wakanda Palace!" Now, I can understand how aficionados might want to see a certain degree of faithfulness to the source material (a cartoon) here, and I suppose arguing that one of the more interesting actors of the day should not be allowed to play a certain role because your associations with it (which come from a comic book) make it difficult for you to see past the character's skin color does put you at risk of seeming intolerant, but I'll be charitable. It doesn't make you a bigot. It makes you a cretin. Take comfort in that distinction.
