Race Relations 2016

My Response to this Viewer of the 1996 Chris Rock stand-up routine titled "Chris Rock - Black People vs. Niggaz"

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Draven wrote:

Draven4 months ago

Rock wasn't doing stand up. He was straight up preachin!

I wrote:

You're right about that, but that's what all great comedians do. They take the truth and make it somehow acceptable. However, I defy any white comedian to say the same thing and get away alive with it. There is a double standard. In fact, I have tried to tackle this issue myself and the ironic thing about it is that I've had more intelligent discussions with black folk about it than I have with white folk. Some black folk will also distinguish between the use of the "N" word as "Nigger" v. "Nigga"... one being a term of endearment, and the other being derogatory, even within the black community. Chris Rock is using the ER ending which if a white comic did it, he'd end up in the ER. I have had civil and educational conversations with black people about this, but when it comes to white people, they almost always shut the conversation down immediately, especially white women... Certainly, the use of the "N" word is inflammatory, but why can I talk to black people about it more easily than I can white people? I'm in Athens, GA where there is a significant anti-discrimination movement going on spearheaded by Knowa & Mocah Johnson. There is a bar in town that was serving a drink called the "Niggerita" that lead to a revival of anti-discrimination. Athens is a small town, larger than many, but still small as compared to Atlanta. Racism is evident, but I often like to point out it is usually more broadly Classcism. The anti-discrimination movement focuses on bars that deny access to people based upon race, but the issue is much deeper than that. I could elaborate, but I will stay on point here. Point being, I'm a white guy and that's why I really shouldn't even talk about it according to tradition, but since I recently plead guilty to being a black man in a court of law (and I kid you not), then I feel like I can at least say something... I was not raised in racist household, though as Chris Rock points out "there aren't any black people in Minnesota"... I, being from a small farm town in Illinois could relate to his statement. In fact, I never saw a black person until we moved to the South as a kid. I grew up on the Golf course, where there also were not any black people. I was what they call White Bred, but nobody in my family ever used the "N" word. I am told a family predecessor of mine was a racist journalist to whose writing I was later exposed in life. I didn't share his sentiments, though from living on the streets for the last eight years I have been exposed to an entirely different reality. Athens, GA is unique in many ways like in the way it deals with "poverty", which compared to most of the world is really lower middle class living. This is evidenced by the fact that one of the hardest things to find at the soup kitchen is a parking space, and another being homeless people. Athens is primarily white and black in terms of it's permanent population, excluding the diverse student population at the University of Georgia. White people here tend to be much more laid back than the high-strung Atlanta type, where in Atlanta life is much more frantic and filled with the hustle and bustle. Black people, in my humble opinion, are also different than black people in Atlanta with a much slower speech pattern and calm, among other things. The two descriptions aren't really that much different. At a recent Athens Anti-Discrimination rally, black speaker after black speaker reiterated the same message... "We need a new narrative". It was also mentioned more than once that Athens could be a model for the rest of the country, and it already is in many ways. While there is still room for improvement, Athens, GA is a great representation of what has happened since the days of slavery that really weren't that long ago, just a Great Grandmother, or two ago, in fact. But, again, there is still room for improvement. However, in terms of the "N" word, the only people I ever hear using it... are black! Maybe that's because of who I associate with. Or, maybe it's because I've spent a good deal of time in jail, where 90% of the jailhouse population is black. Let me retract a statement I made the other day too. Regarding the homeless shelter, I stated that the population was probably 90% white, in contrast to the jailhouse population. A quick count this morning found that to be untrue. It's was actually almost 50/50 at breakfast this morning with 13 Whites, 11 Blacks, and zero Latinos, or Asians. I'll check it again throughout the week, but for the most part these are the same faces I have seen for the past couple of years. So, to the white people out there afraid to talk about race relations, or to even hear the "N" word, you can keep sticking your heads under the sand, but until we talk about these things I don't think things will change, though they're not too terribly bad here in this small town... there is still room for improvement. Just understand one thing coming from this Cracker... I don't care what you call me, but if I ever use the "N" word, it'll be for educational purposes only and besides "Bullshit", it's still the other most common word you'll hear in the jailhouse.

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Two Videos To Watch:

Athens Anti-Discrimantion Movement

If We So Choose, Athens, GA Desegregation Documentary