July 09, 2012

In The News: "White People's Day" Tweet

This past 4th of July from last week went swell for me! I had plenty of BBQ and yummy food and got to sleep in aaaaaallll daaaaay, but the next day I heard an interesting story, and over the past couple of days it has starting to form a little more with the onslaught of constant controversy it has sparked, and I thought to post about it here.

Basically, what happened was that the comedian Chris Rock, tweeted this joke to his followers on the 4th, going like this:

"Happy white peoples independence day the slaves weren't free but I'm sure they enjoyed fireworks."

In my opinion the comment wasn't funny but I do agree with the statement, but I will explain why later, but for others some people found it flippin' hilarious, while others hated it and retaliated in full force to the actor.


From one article posted on the HuffingtonPost, it states:
While some quickly came to Rock's defense, including actors Don Cheadle and Zach Braff who seemed to see the humor in the joke, others took the gag as unpatriotic and fired back. Libertarian-conservative blogger Jeff Schreiber went so far as to attempt giving Rock a quick history lesson: "Slavery existed for 2000yrs before America. We eradicated[ended] it in 100yrs. We now have a black POTUS[Pres. of the US]. #GoFuckYourself." And blogger David Burge had a more humorous contradictory take: "Good one! I bet your Guatemalan house staff got a good chuckle."
However, some saw both the humor and relevance in Rock's joke. Comedian and activist Elon James White, host of the web series This Week In Blackness, tried to add some perspective to the conversation, tweeting, "I just wanna ask everyone who's mad at @ChrisRock--Is he wrong? IS. HE. WRONG?"
White later gave HuffPost his perspective on the controversy as well as why Rock's tweet actually matters:
I find this Chris Rock [bashing] absolutely ridiculous. Really? Someone tells the truth and you mad? I'm American. I never claim otherwise. I never give the "We didn't land on Plymouth rock" speech unless its in a really funny way. But part of being American, to me, is that I have to acknowledge all the bullshit that comes with it.
Basically some folks came over, stole other people's land, killed them, then started a country on the backs of my people, while killing them, and then at some point they freed the slaves but then oppressed them and killed them some more. Do I have the ability to do things here that I wouldn't in some parts of the world? Yes. But my family paid the price for that in actual blood, sweat and tears. If more people were like Rock and acknowledged the truth maybe we'd be in a better place as a Nation.
Now for my opinion, I agree with the "joke" fully, since in schools, plan as day, we learn about slavery and how slaves weren't even freed until after the Civil War during the Lincoln years, thats 89 years after the Independence Day that the fourth is even based on took place, meaning slavery in America was still happening even though it is the day were we celebrate being a free nation, though before anyone who wasn't of rich white American or British origin then you were already considered lesser-than or worthless, depending on your roots.


BUT, I didn't like the way it was said, though Chris Rock has always been a crude-humor type, it was begging to be hated due to its joking fashion. 


Annnnyyywwwaaaaaay, how did you feel about the joke?



14 comments:

  1. people should just chill and move on with their lives

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  2. at first when i saw it on Yahoo's trending topics, i laughed. He's a comedian, that's how he gets paid, unfortunately. Besides, if you think about it, isn't Martin Luther King's Day sort of "Black People Day"? Wonder if anyone brought that up

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  3. LOL......

    "isn't Martin Luther King's Day sort of "Black People Day""

    I hope you know MLK fought for the rights for all minorities to have equal freedoms, not just black people.

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  4. Comedians get paid to say stuff like that. Their jobs involve insulting other people.

    Black people get insulted when other people make jokes about them, but all my black friends bash themselves the same way, just as I sometimes bash myself for being white. The same is true for Indian/Asian/etc. friends.

    Everyone just needs to get over it.

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  5. I think it's one thing to be funny and slightly discriminatory, but personally, this crosses the line. It's mocking an event in history people fought long and hard for. Sometimes I think we take this for granted, but we need to remember this isn't true for the rest of the world and we are lucky to have these rights of freedom. Just saying.

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  7. Hmmm.... That 4th of July was just the start of great nation. Black people obtained their rights many years after the Independence Day, Women obtained their rights decades after. And we're still fighting for our rights, minorities, gays, lesbians trans, etc. It's not ending and it's not gonna end until everyone gets the rights that we deserve. For mostly people the inspiration could have even been from that 4th Of July.

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  8. dei is just an angry nigger!!

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  9. But this is Chris Rock you guys; why are you so surprised?

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  10. is so sad to read about this but so true, black people celebrate 4th of july? why? they werent free the same day so yes i agree with chris rock is white people's day, and for those poeple who think i'm black wrong! i'm so blonde and blue eyes, but my my sister is black, my aunt is black, but my mom and dad and me we are withe beacuse my grandfhater is from norway and my grandmother was black and yes i hate to read about this topics but are so true.

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  11. Independence Day isn't about freedom of individuals it is about freedom from England. Yes the black people of America were still slaves at that point but they were also freed from Britain over America that day.

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  12. It's just a Goddamn joke. Big deal.
    Not trying to sound offensive or rude but, Black people make a ton of jokes about us so it's not a big deal. He probably didn't mean it that way hence the term "comedian".

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  13. I am black && i don't celebrate the 4th of july even though I am african-american because black ppl were still slaves at that time which is why my family and i dont celebrate it so ppl just chilllllllllll

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