As the Internet, media, and adoring fans mourn the death of Micheal Jackson, here in the real world it is business as usual. A 7 year old child was murdered in Kansas City Kansas. That makes two children this week who have been callously murdered. Two kids who will never have the chance to realize their potential. So it only stands to reason that the BIG NEWS here in KC revolves around the death of an entertainer, who shared nothing in common with his legions of fans. A guy who silenced child molestation allegations with millions. A walking cartoon character, whose face changed more often than Liz Taylor's husbands. Sure he was talented, innovative, iconic, give it a name. While his fans weep, wail, and gnash teeth, they hold little in common with the walking freak show behind the mask. Maybe I'm just a surly, cynical, prick. Perhaps I'm being unreasonable to feel so contemptuous of the masses who weep for a man they never really knew, who they shared nothing in common with, who was so far removed from the everyday reality of the world the rest of us live in. Maybe I expect too much. Maybe I'm the one with the screwed up priorities. Maybe the local news stations are right to air endless Michael Jackson memorials, while only offering up a few minutes every hour to the news that a 7 year old child was brutally murdered in our own backyard.
Now for a dose of reality and common sense. The new Transformers movie is RACIST!!!!!! 'Transformers' Sequel Brings Jarring Issue of Race". That's the headline on the ABC news web page. Apparently two of the cars are speaking in a manner that some people are saying is disrespectful to African Americans. One of the actors who did the voice over says "When he took the role, he was told that the alien robots learned about human culture through the Web and that the twins were "wannabe gangster types." While critics and pundits are raising voices filled with righteous indignation, decrying the use of street slang and a gold tooth as demeaning to black folks, an insulting parody. What I find offensive is the assumption by these politically correct douche bags, that black people all speak in gangsta dialogue, or sport gold teeth. Voices rise up to lambaste a sci fi movie, while remaining mute over the stereotype laden movies that star black actors. Go figure, it is perfectly acceptable for Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Eddie Griffin, or Chris Rock to make movies poking fun or getting laughs through parody and stereotype of both blacks and whites, but a robot is totally offensive for speaking like a gangsta and sporting a gold tooth. Somewhere along the line, in our need to be sensitive and politically correct, we have lost our sense of humor. We are afraid to laugh, poke fun of ourselves, to lighten up. People go out of their way to find offense where none is intended. Hey, that shit sells.
I don't normally take shots at comments, other than the occasional troll, today I'm going to make an exception. A commenter on my Citadel Plaza post, who lives or lived in the Ivanhoe area off of Troost, a white woman, took exception to my post. She went so far as to describe me and my readers as, and I quote " white people and middle class people making their pronouncements about poor people and minority neighborhoods. Most of them are so scared of these areas, they never go there. To offer up a slice of this persons mindset here is another quote from a post on her blog. " Ah, the fallacy of my white privilege came on full display. I, me, the privileged one, had cared about and been in the life of this young man. Ergo, he should be safe. " She was referencing a young black guy who was recently killed. Nothing like a well off, white college professor to put life in the inner city in perspective. She feels guilt over her whiteness, so much so that she jumps at the chance to write off any white folks with differing views as, middle class, fear driven, chicken littles. Normally I take the time to read what someone writes before I take a shot at them. I like to make sure I'm not making a decision based on my own bias and prejudice, rather than fact. This self described "White Girl in the Hood", an educator no less, can't be bothered with facts, not when there is a race card to be played. Not when there is perceived injustice to address, wrongs to be set right. Fuck the truth, who needs truth when you can sling accusations based on bullshit.
What pissed me off about her comments and her post, isn't the fact that we disagreed. People disagree with me all the time, I get shit wrong, it's rare, but it happens. What pissed me off is this guilt ridden morons dismissal, based solely on the color of my skin. Never mind that I spent half a lifetime in places this clueless bleeding heart would never tread. Ignore the fact that most violent crime takes place on the east side. In fact she wrote " Having lived much farther east in KC than this particular location, I feel I can say with some assurity - they are all full of crap. Yes, there is crime. Yes, there is poverty. Is the area as safe as the most affluent neighorhoods? Yes and probably safer ". I have to say that little snippet, is either the most delusional or moronic thing I've heard in recent memory.
So whats the fuckin point MM? The point is I find it impossible to suffer fools. When people say stupid shit, I can't help but react. When some out of touch, over educated, white broad, who plays the race card in place of logic, who trots out her white guilt and angst, while enjoying its fruit, I tend to get a little pissy. When she calls me out as some Suburban middle class white guy, which is her way of calling me a racist, I get pissed. Being white doesn't automatically make me a racist, or fear monger, or clueless, any more than being black automatically means you speak in Ebonics through a gold tooth. I'm harder on white people on this blog than I've ever been on Black people. That doesn't mean I automatically give them a pass, or lay all of their ills at the feet of white America. We got where we are today, through the fault and to the credit of folks white, black and brown. Nobody is free of blame, or denied credit. So I'm going to have to trump that race card. Common sense and facts beat out white guilt and hyperbole every time.
I'm done. Have a safe weekend, make sure and drive to the Piggly Wiggly on Linwood to do your shopping, even if you live in Blue Springs, you over privileged white devils you.
Now for a dose of reality and common sense. The new Transformers movie is RACIST!!!!!! 'Transformers' Sequel Brings Jarring Issue of Race". That's the headline on the ABC news web page. Apparently two of the cars are speaking in a manner that some people are saying is disrespectful to African Americans. One of the actors who did the voice over says "When he took the role, he was told that the alien robots learned about human culture through the Web and that the twins were "wannabe gangster types." While critics and pundits are raising voices filled with righteous indignation, decrying the use of street slang and a gold tooth as demeaning to black folks, an insulting parody. What I find offensive is the assumption by these politically correct douche bags, that black people all speak in gangsta dialogue, or sport gold teeth. Voices rise up to lambaste a sci fi movie, while remaining mute over the stereotype laden movies that star black actors. Go figure, it is perfectly acceptable for Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Eddie Griffin, or Chris Rock to make movies poking fun or getting laughs through parody and stereotype of both blacks and whites, but a robot is totally offensive for speaking like a gangsta and sporting a gold tooth. Somewhere along the line, in our need to be sensitive and politically correct, we have lost our sense of humor. We are afraid to laugh, poke fun of ourselves, to lighten up. People go out of their way to find offense where none is intended. Hey, that shit sells.
I don't normally take shots at comments, other than the occasional troll, today I'm going to make an exception. A commenter on my Citadel Plaza post, who lives or lived in the Ivanhoe area off of Troost, a white woman, took exception to my post. She went so far as to describe me and my readers as, and I quote " white people and middle class people making their pronouncements about poor people and minority neighborhoods. Most of them are so scared of these areas, they never go there. To offer up a slice of this persons mindset here is another quote from a post on her blog. " Ah, the fallacy of my white privilege came on full display. I, me, the privileged one, had cared about and been in the life of this young man. Ergo, he should be safe. " She was referencing a young black guy who was recently killed. Nothing like a well off, white college professor to put life in the inner city in perspective. She feels guilt over her whiteness, so much so that she jumps at the chance to write off any white folks with differing views as, middle class, fear driven, chicken littles. Normally I take the time to read what someone writes before I take a shot at them. I like to make sure I'm not making a decision based on my own bias and prejudice, rather than fact. This self described "White Girl in the Hood", an educator no less, can't be bothered with facts, not when there is a race card to be played. Not when there is perceived injustice to address, wrongs to be set right. Fuck the truth, who needs truth when you can sling accusations based on bullshit.
What pissed me off about her comments and her post, isn't the fact that we disagreed. People disagree with me all the time, I get shit wrong, it's rare, but it happens. What pissed me off is this guilt ridden morons dismissal, based solely on the color of my skin. Never mind that I spent half a lifetime in places this clueless bleeding heart would never tread. Ignore the fact that most violent crime takes place on the east side. In fact she wrote " Having lived much farther east in KC than this particular location, I feel I can say with some assurity - they are all full of crap. Yes, there is crime. Yes, there is poverty. Is the area as safe as the most affluent neighorhoods? Yes and probably safer ". I have to say that little snippet, is either the most delusional or moronic thing I've heard in recent memory.
So whats the fuckin point MM? The point is I find it impossible to suffer fools. When people say stupid shit, I can't help but react. When some out of touch, over educated, white broad, who plays the race card in place of logic, who trots out her white guilt and angst, while enjoying its fruit, I tend to get a little pissy. When she calls me out as some Suburban middle class white guy, which is her way of calling me a racist, I get pissed. Being white doesn't automatically make me a racist, or fear monger, or clueless, any more than being black automatically means you speak in Ebonics through a gold tooth. I'm harder on white people on this blog than I've ever been on Black people. That doesn't mean I automatically give them a pass, or lay all of their ills at the feet of white America. We got where we are today, through the fault and to the credit of folks white, black and brown. Nobody is free of blame, or denied credit. So I'm going to have to trump that race card. Common sense and facts beat out white guilt and hyperbole every time.
I'm done. Have a safe weekend, make sure and drive to the Piggly Wiggly on Linwood to do your shopping, even if you live in Blue Springs, you over privileged white devils you.
