"I thought when we elected a black president, we were going to get a black president. You know, this is where I want a real black president. I want him in a meeting with the BP CEO, you know, where he lifts up his shirt where you can see the gun in his pants." (Source here.)Is this an indefensible racist statement, or a benignly clever parody? It will come as no surprise that, since Bill Maher said it, it's cutting edge comedy. There has barely been a ripple in the media.
Of course, if a conservative radio talk show host said it, can you imagine the furor?
On the other hand, some folks think that obama should keep his cool and avoid the angry black man stereotype. The reasoning here is that American society is hardwired to respond negatively to angry black men. Think Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan, Jeremiah Wright, etc. Acting like a typical NBA thug or resident of Detroit could turn much of white America against obama.
And that's not being racist, just realistic...
No comments:
Post a Comment