Got your attention, didn’t I?
Of course I don’t feel this way nor do I feel that even expressing it is acceptable.
However, consider this comment that Jamie Foxx made on SNL the other night when discussing his film “Django Unchained”:
“I kill all the white people in the movie. How great is that?”
I wonder what would happen if a Caucasian actor had made the same comment about African Americans …. even in jest.
It wouldn’t be very pretty.
In fact, most of us would find such a statement outrageous and unacceptable.
This goes beyond racism - it is hatred, pure and simple, disguised as humor.
And hatred, even when used in comedy, is divisive and not helpful in a world that is experiencing the challenges it is experiencing and in a world that needs us to come together more than ever.
We as a species will only grow when we realize that we are all in this together, tied together by mutual respect, collaboration, sharing and love irrespective of race, creed, religion, gender or anything else.
And so for anyone out there who expresses hatred against another, even in jest, remember this.
Respect given is respect received - we can’t expect it unless we give it.
In service and servanthood,
Harry
PS For years, on my walk home from Wall St. to the PATH train in the World Trade Center, I would have to walk by a middle-aged African American gentleman who, standing on a wooden box, with microphone-in-hand and surrounded by cheering supporters, was imploring African Americans to kill all white men for all the troubles that African Americans had experienced or were experiencing.
One day, I happened to notice a New York City policeman standing nearby and I joked “What would happen if I stood on that box and said the same thing in reverse?”.
His reply spoke volumes. “We wouldn’t be able to get you down off that box fast enough before someone killed you”, he said.
Like I said, if we wish to receive respect unconditionally, then we need to offer it unconditionally.
As someone who is a strong believer in tolerance, it is very difficult for me to watch/listen/read things like this that actually promote division and intolerance. The joke implies that Jamie's black audience would like to kill white people (or at least watch a movie where they could live vicariously through someone who does). That should have caused outrage.
ReplyDeleteJokes like this are tools to divide groups of people. When I first heard of this I figured that perhaps it was taken out of context. But, after listening to the whole dialogue, it actually ended up being fairly racist and divisive throughout. We should be far beyond this by now. One of the reasons we aren't is because group division is too strong a tool for the powerful not promote it. And, remember, Jamie's "Lord and Savior" (his own words) is a politician who has gained quite a bit from both class-based and race-based division.
A very insightful response, Nathan - thanks for sharing it! :-)
ReplyDeleteCreate a great day!
Harry