Wednesday, December 13, 2006

I'm guilty of easing the racial fears of some white people, and that stops now..

As you have noticed by now, every blogger and newspaper person with a personal computer that they randomly use for downloading midget porn and other deviant sex acts, has waxed poetic about Michael Richards' use of the "N-Word". Personally I didn't think it was a big deal, not when we have real problems in the world like the spread of AIDS in the black community and our own government pulling out their collective cocks and taking an R. Kelly-style piss all over our constitution. It also wasn't a big deal to me because sure I feel that Richards is a racist, but that was more of a guy that didn't have the mental capacity to produce a significant enough of a retort, so he went to what he knew worked when attacking black folks. Its like this white guy that I knew in college named Jesse, a tree-hugger of a fellow that was on a mission to save the planet, equipped with blond dreadlocks, a nap-sack full of books that you could randomly find him reading, an a knowledge of The Black Panthers that would put most black folks to shame. This is the type of melanin-challenged individual who I thought, if born 30 years earlier, would have marched with Dr. King and taken rocks to the head while walking with the other protesters, arm and arm, while singing some soulful church hymn with a smile on his face. I thought that Jesse was down with the brothers, that was until his girlfriend got assaulted and robbed by a couple of black teens, an act that resulted in a group of my friends overhearing Jesse use so many racial slurs and epithets that it would have made the guy who wrote the script for "Mississippi Burning" cringe in disgust. A few days later Jesse approached me with a sort of embarrassing half grin on his face, the type of facial gesture that a friend would give you the day after he got shitfaced and tried to drunkenly sodomize your dog, he said "I guess you heard what I said huh?? Dude, I'm sorry, I was just mad that my girl got mugged!! (now smiling) Come on bro, what other white dude in the world knows as much about the COINTELPRO as I do??" I think I just looked him in the eyes, shook my head, and simply said something like "Smoke and Mirrors man.. smoke and fucking mirrors!", and walked away with his hand still out-stretched awaiting a hand shake that would never be reciprocated. For the next couple of years after that I was battling the good that I felt people had in them versus my father's sentiments that "All white people are racist!!".

Based on the fact that one of my fantasies is to fill Janeane Garofalo out like an application is proof that good prevailed over evil, but hearing someone expose their racism not only isn't shocking to me, but who fucking cares anyway?? I mean, when somebody like Richards spews some sort of racial epithet people want him to apologize on every television show in existence, take sensitivity classes, say 40 Hail Mary's, learn "Welcome to the Terrordome" verbatim, masturbate to an issue of "Black Tail", or some other form of PR rehabilitation that isn't needed because at the end of the day I'm glad that he said it because now I know where he stands and not to fuck with him.

I feel that there are more important matters anyway, like the stereotypes that people live their life by and the racial fears that they have held close to their chests for as far back as they can remember. Hell, people who would never dare say the dreaded N-Word still might clutch their purse when a black male walks by, think that all Hip Hop songs advocate the killing of police officers, and that the black male is intellectually inferior and lazy, these widely held beliefs by people are far more dangerous and destructive than a racial epithet that someone with a lack of vocabulary spits out moments before they are spitting out teeth. Therein lies my dilemma, I noticed the other day that instead of blasting people for their fears and stereotypes, even going against my better judgment and schooling them on black folks, I have eased their racially fears even by the subtlest of actions. Let me break it those examples down.

I recently flashed a smile at an old lady: A few weeks ago I found myself in this fancy-shmancy hotel in downtown Norfolk, trying to get some late-night ass from this woman from California that I had drunkenly wooed in a bar a few nights earlier. Yes, I'm a germaphobe who fears nothing more than casual sex that results in me washing my balls in the sink immediately after the act and a few nervous visits to the clinic in the months to following, but I distinctly remember the woman saying how much she loved giving "mouth-hugs" so I knew that there was a good chance that I could get serviced without having to reciprocate, or even have to part a set of roast-beef flaps that I was unfamiliar with. She was on the 20th floor so I approached the elevator and catch the doors before they close, noticing an elderly woman in her 70's standing in the corner of said elevator. After I punch the 20 button on the elevator I lean back against the other side of the elevator, wondering how this chick is going to react after I attempt to bounce after leaving her with a mouth full of monkey spit, then I look over and notice that the woman is not only clutching her purse but she is gently shaking. I mean, I am a chubby black guy with extremely long-dreadlocks and a grizzly Adams beard, sort of looking like a black Jesus with a thyroid problem, but I don't think I'm that scary. Anyway, I found myself flashing the woman a welcoming smile and hitting her with some small talk to ease her fears, and act that I immediately became ashamed of. I mean, why should I try to ease the racial fears of this dusty broad anyway?? Looking back, I should have gone on and on about my recent acquittal, and how stupid the D.A was because of his failure to pin those decapitated heads of all those elderly white women I had in my freezer on me. But I didn't, I just farted silently before I got off the elevator and laughed at the thought of her dying at my digested steak and eggs "Denny's" breakfast, and as the door closed I kept screaming "Do you smell that racism!!! Do you smell it!!!" Yes, I'm immature.

I moved to the other side of the lane one dark night: I have no idea why I was in that soulless monument of consumerism that is "Wal-Mart", but I was there for some reason late one night. As I walked to my car on the left side of one parking lot lane I saw a small white woman approaching the store on that same side. I saw her body clinch up, her eyes widen, and she acted as if she was about to be abducted by aliens and get the business end of an anal probe. Do you know what my dumb ass does, I switched to the other side of the lane to put this fucking broad at ease. What kind of mind-fuck is that exactly, what in the fuck is wrong with me?? I guess I could be less upset with myself if I consciously said, "OK, I'm going to make this Caucasian woman feel comfortable!!", no, I did it unconsciously the same way boxers have that muscle memory and know without thinking to throw that right hook as soon as his opponent throws his left jab. Looking back, I thought that I should have just stayed in that lane, and when I got beside her screamed "Boo!!" or some shit, but her heart might have exploded out of her chest.

I went on and on about politics, haiku poems, even transcendentalism: I went to this trendy bar with an artist friend of mine last week, a watering hole where failed poets, wanna-be intellectuals, and people of that ilk can be found ruining their livers. As me and my boy were chatting it up, some of his friends come to our table and started talking about politics and other issues of the day, I just sat there quiet and listened because I was trying to get drunk and me talking about the incompetence of Bush would have slowed that agenda down. Then, all of a sudden, one of them looks to me and says "OK, we are excluding this gentleman from the conversation.. Lets change topics, so, what do you think of the new jay-Z album??" in the most condescending way. My boy gave me a "please don't beat his ass" look, so instead of socking the guy I somehow felt the need to show these gentleman how much smarter I was than them, talking about everything from politics, haiku poems, even transcendentalism.. Looking back, I had nothing to prove to these ass-hats, I shouldn't have to enlighten every Caucasian person in the world like its my birthright to do so. So as me and my boy smoked a cigarette outside, as he praised me for my restraint, one of the guys that I was speaking with earlier walks up to me and says, "You know, you are a pretty smart fella. I just wanted to tell you how much of an honor it was.." *Whap* That's when I hit that motherfucker mid sentence, him falling on the ground, with me bending over and whispering in his ear "If you ever talk down to me again I'll fucking kill ya, I'll fucking kill ya!!" That's when me and my friend walked off, me turning to him and saying "I just dispelled one stereotype and perpetuated another on, Shit!!"

10 comments:

boo said...

THAT was hilarious.

Amadeo said...

I do some of the same things. Trying not to scare people too much. Sometimes I think I should just kirk the hell out cause how can people be scared of a man wearing a blazer and drinking Venti Mocha? Like one day me and my boys roll up in Starbucks get some drinks, and roll out. My man goes back and gets the paper. When he returns he tells us about how some cops are in there reading the riot act to the kid that waited on us...it seems that as soon as we came it the door this little fucktard hit the silent alarm. People suck.

Anonymous said...

u is a fewl! loves it!

Sylvia said...

Great post...as usual! ;)

MacMarv said...

you should have hugged her and then pooted

Stucco said...

I dunno how anyone could grow up in this place without being racist to some degree, but then that's how it is with people overall- everything is a matter of degrees. I think more troubling than the rants of Jesse (or Michael Richards) is the condescention of the transcendental jack offs. People do stupid stuff when you hurt them (again- Jesse or Michael Richards for example) and they'll lash out in whatever way they think will return the pain, but this elitist attitude is mean spirited from the beginning.

Interesting post- cheers.

Lola Gets said...

I once told my male friend that he should run up to a frightened looking white woman and yell "boo" just to see what happens. I thought that would be funny. He says "yeah, until the cops come around, asking what happened." It was then that I was reminded of society's demonization of the Black man. Thats one thing that makes me glad Im a woman.

Anonymous said...

In response to Jessie in college situation.

If a group white boys assualted and robbed your girl, are you going to curb your language?
Probably not. After something like that I don't think you would be holding back "craker, honky, white trash, hillybilly mother fucker, etc. etc. etc. " or whatever popped in your mind. And if the tables were turned and Jessie happened to over hear, would you feel apologetic towards him for what you said, and feel you had to explain things? I don't know maybe it was assault lite and I am being easy on the kid? But any dudes beating up on a girl and robbing her.... not much holding back. Get over it. Certain things are going to be said in a situation like that from raw emotion. Where do you draw the line that a comment like that would be acceptable. If your girl was killed, raped or never. Im not trying to make it a gauge of when white folks can get a pass. I don't know. I understand what you are saying to a degree but on the other hand racial slurs vs assaulting and robbing...we are humans first.

The Humanity Critic said...

"If a group white boys assualted and robbed your girl, are you going to curb your language?
Probably not."

Great way to use assumptions and clumsy guess-work as the foundation of your entire argument. Bravo! Come on brother.

After something like that I don't think you would be holding back "craker, honky, white trash, hillybilly mother fucker, etc. etc. etc. ""

But that is what seperates decent individuals from the pieces of shit, doesn't it. If you openly admit that you would spew racial epithets around when something unfortunate happens, then you are nothing more than feces with a keyboard. "Something like that" has happened to me, and I considered the perpetrators to be "miserable pieces of shit", not exactly race specific is it?

"And if the tables were turned and Jessie happened to over hear.."

..but that's not even a legitimate question, because he would never hear me say such things..

"But any dudes beating up on a girl and robbing her.... not much holding back. Get over it."

Nah, especially since there are so many other words in the dictionary that one could use to express their disgust. I just hold my friends to a higher standard that's all..

Jameil said...

ya know, i was trying to figure out why i wasn't THAT bothered by the michael richards thing. you kind of helped me out. that's the reassuring thing abt southern racists. at least you know where you stand w/their asses. i've found myself being nice to strange white folk too but i've also found myself playing on their foolish fears by scowling in their direction.

know what i really hate tho? asswipes who say you should give people a pass b/c it was "in anger" or some other bullshit. how does your ass manage to justify racism? i wanted to beat the shit out of this fat white man STANDING AROUND talking abt it to people working out at the gym. HEY FAT ASS!! stop running your mouth and start moving.