Just last night I watched one of my favorite videos, Grace Jones's "Slave to the Rhythm." There's a bit of avant-garde minstrelsy goin' on, but I've never been offended by it.
Man, on first sight, that video sliced a little deep.
Then, as I watched it, I began to realize that these guys were probably 75% weaned off of the slave-master mentality but still steeped in the Jim Crow consciousness. I flash forward to today and I see that all races parody each other on stage - but stereotypes still slice us deep when we're open.
So, back to the ill feelings as I watch the video, ...I then catch myself and think about how it is when you're in a fight-
...you take the opponents best shots and suck them up real-time,
...then, you don't anticipate the pain of any future blows
...once you're able to do that, you proceed to dodge or take his shots all the time looking for an opening that allows you to knock his simple ass out (or even kill him) with a mother fucking devistating precision placed hammer fist!
^ Weird thing is, in Tracey Ullman's new Showtime series "State of the Union," she's gonna do a couple of blackface characters... a Jamaican nurse and a ghettoish airport screener.
I dig Tracey... but not looking forward to the ethnic mockery. (I didn't like the old Chinese lady she did on her last show, either.)
You gotta be reeeaaally funny to pull that kind of thing off.
Disturbing this. Especially the ease that they go about it. The caricatures are so clearly ingrained, like they're so sure that this is a FACT about black folks.
Ugh.
ReplyDeleteJust last night I watched one of my favorite videos, Grace Jones's "Slave to the Rhythm." There's a bit of avant-garde minstrelsy goin' on, but I've never been offended by it.
the legacy continues:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgkBRul7jO8&feature=related
http://banshirleyqliquor.typepad.com/my_weblog/about_shirley_q_liquor/index.html
Yes . . . this is 2008
http://banshirleyqliquor.typepad.com/my_weblog/about_shirley_q_liquor/index.html
ReplyDeleteMan, on first sight, that video sliced a little deep.
ReplyDeleteThen, as I watched it, I began to realize that these guys were probably 75% weaned off of the slave-master mentality but still steeped in the Jim Crow consciousness. I flash forward to today and I see that all races parody each other on stage - but stereotypes still slice us deep when we're open.
So, back to the ill feelings as I watch the video, ...I then catch myself and think about how it is when you're in a fight-
...you take the opponents best shots and suck them up real-time,
...then, you don't anticipate the pain of any future blows
...once you're able to do that, you proceed to dodge or take his shots all the time looking for an opening that allows you to knock his simple ass out (or even kill him) with a mother fucking devistating precision placed hammer fist!
Peace
My mouth is just open. I'm not suprised; I'm just disgusted. The "retail" joke was kinda old school funny, but the backface...ugh.
ReplyDelete^ Weird thing is, in Tracey Ullman's new Showtime series "State of the Union," she's gonna do a couple of blackface characters... a Jamaican nurse and a ghettoish airport screener.
ReplyDeleteI dig Tracey... but not looking forward to the ethnic mockery. (I didn't like the old Chinese lady she did on her last show, either.)
You gotta be reeeaaally funny to pull that kind of thing off.
Disturbing this. Especially the ease that they go about it. The caricatures are so clearly ingrained, like they're so sure that this is a FACT about black folks.
ReplyDeleteGlad you put it up - people need to see this
out...