Why Do Stereotypes Offend Us?

I've lived with and worked with many men of many races, religions and cultural backgrounds. Most notably in college, 4 guys + moi in a duplex apartment, which I called my, "Real World Apartment" bc it was the most diverse set of personalities I've ever had under one roof. Aside from a few conflicts of ideology on tidiness, we all got along very well, but we were THE most stereotypical band of ppl ever assembled since the power rangers. More stereotypical than GI JOE.

Roll Call:

DOWNSTAIRS
The Irish Guy - Who drank every night...and most days.
The Chinese/Asian Guy - AKA Guy Downstairs, AKA The Man under the stairs. He never left his room. The only time we saw him was through an opening over the wall/partition as you're walking up the stairs. Whenever everyone else is hanging out in the living room, we'd hear random punchlines and funny snaps coming from under the stairs. LOVE EM! BTW, he watched anime and played videogames all day long. I'm convinced he installed a bathroom on his pc. We all went to the same school, 3 art students, 1 architect and one engineer. Take a wild guess what major he was? Ok, you'd accuse me of exaggerating if I said he was good at math too, huh?

Sidenote: I don't know if he had a car bc we lived in Tribeca, but I'd bet money it was a regular or souped up Honda civic.

Upstairs
Black Guy #1 - Southern Black American from "Bawlmormyrrrlin", who fried EVERYTHING and ate fried chicken almost every day.

Sidenote: Translation: Baltimore, Maryland. Here's some ignorant, obnoxious New Yorker insight okay. To us.........EVERYTHING south of Newark, is SOUTHERN.

The Jewish Guy - Who was notoriously meticulous with money, penny pincher and really cheap. He handled all the bills so we'd all pay him. Most distinctly, I vividly recall an incident where he haggled black guy #1 bc he was 3 cents short on the phone bill. I literally picked up 3 cents off of the carpet (see previous comment about ideology on tidiness) and handed it to him, but he refused it and demanded #1 pay him.

Which leads us to....last but definitely not stereotypical least.....

Black Guy #2 (Gee I wonder who) - Brooklyn born Caribbean (or as one of my friends former racist Korean landlord would say "SAME KINDA BLACK!") who rapped, breakdanced, danced all the time, burned incense, blasted rap, reggae and soca music the few times he was actually home and had cornrows or a massive afro............from the hoooooooooood!!!! OH! And who also was the loud angry short-tempered member of the group.

Not to say that we represent the archetype of our respective cultures, but I could sit here and list a few dozen other cases. So over the years I've come to the conclusion that most stereotypes that we say about each other.............ARE TRUE! Not for everyone, but many are rooted in truths for large majorities of the population. If that's the case, why do we get so offended by them? Kumbaya little Timmy, that is a great question. I think I have an answer for you (where would we be without good old Timmy? He asks more questions than the rest of you). Quite simply, human beings don't take critique well from strangers. Forget critique, we're not a fan of any commentary period. No matter how true or un-true it may be. I've actually heard a female compliment my friend's outfit and she said to me "I don't need this bitch's opinion." It's the same concept of you calling your pal stupid, a slut, bitch, Laker fan, and then you turn around and get offended when a complete stranger says the same thing. That's one reason why I don't like the n-word and I think it lurks one of the greatest hypocrisy of my people. If you want to use the word all day and night, don't get mad at anyone outside of the race for using it.

After confronting all these racists online and in videogame online, I've learned to tune out the outsiders bc at the end of the day their opinions really don't matter. Why award a total stranger the power and privilege of ruining your day with their words?

Sticks and stones folks. Sticks and stones.

Racism in America 3

Sidenote: I know, I know, but I couldn't help hold this one back. It'll be a quickie.

Previously on "My $0.02"................

Racism in America/ Black Eye of the Tiger 2

Black Eye of the Tiger

and

Racism in America

This health care bill is really devouring talk radio, news stations and turning the uninformed masses to madness. I still hold it under the microscope so I'll hold off on my ticker tape parade. I'm a Chronic line-in-between reader and master of connect the dottitry.

Sidenote= connect the dots lalalala is one of the greatest songs to sing ever bc of its gratuitous usage of lalalala.

Ppl always talk about "bringing america back." back to what? a time when you can burn, beat, lynch and hang, not necessarily in that order, black ppl and the law did nothing about it? a time when rape was something ppl looked the other way to? a time when women only had a "place" in the home and kitchen? a time when a person had to live their life in secrecy bc of their sexuality? a time when you could beat the crap out of your wife and kids to no reciprocity? a time when blacks, asians, latinos and anyone one darker than a khaki off white hue were not allowed to work eat, or live in certain areas?

Sidenote: And then the socially oblivious wonder why ppl have such a problem with the confederate flag.

So when ppl say "bring back america" or "destroying america" what type of america are they talking about? What are they REALLY saying?

MESSAGE!!!!

Spoke too soon!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It wasn't even two weeks ago....wait, actually it was exactly two weeks ago (it is Thursday, innit?) that I said:

"...Obama better just make a decision to just leave chicken alone for the next 3-8 years bc God forbid anyone captures a snapshop of that."

...And today, my friend sends me this (technically 2 days ago, I'm now posting it):

Courtesy of one of my favorite reads, The Huffington Post article................sigh. No words.

Sidenote: That originally was going to be the end of the post, then my inner RrChitect said, "ooh! ooh! oh I have a word or two" and he had his hand up, waving feverishly in that "teecha! teecha! pick me, pick me"-type motion.

Notice the leach paparazzi didn’t even wait for it to hit the table. We have no idea if he actually even ate the thing. They just saw a heaping platter of crispy, succulent, mamma's southern fried chicken passing our black president, carried by good ol’ healthy black “mammy” of a woman (lovely homegrown lady at that) and this photographer pounced on it like a $100 bill on the floor in a crowded NYC subway. They probably ran right out the dinner (this is literally the last photo on the slide reel) and said "GOTCHYA BITCH!! It was only a matter of time, but we got him! We got a headline!!

Obama Eats Fried Chicken Lunch Despite Cholesterol Problem (PHOTOS, POLL)"

Sidenote: I think the "despite...." was added after the photo made it back to the actual journalists.

Correct me if I missed something, but outside of having a beer with Jr, and a Japanese chef damn near killing his father, since when does what a president eat become news? Do they not know Obama works out more than any president in recent history?

A lot of my friends think I’m too extreme or paranoid but here’s a newsflash that you would like to think is not a concern, but is: RACE MATTERS! Ask any Arab, Indian or dark skinned Dominican who's taken a flight since 2001. No one will admit it, but every other race has stereotypes about black ppl. Some are out of ignorance, but some are from actual interaction, which unfortunately isn’t always the most pleasant. The comical genesis of all this commenced when a friend of mine innocently went inquiring about something on line. HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT!! Google, “why” and wait a second. Look at the first 5 auto searches in the drop menu and tell me if anything strikes your eye that might provoke this topic.

I’m so over hearing “you’re the first black person I really got to know, so articulate, speak so well, I was surprised by your performance, not like other black ppl,” or any other variation of “compliment” when ppl realize that there are black ppl who don’t talk like JJ, Martin, Flavor Flav or someone out of a Tyler Perry story. I've even heard other black professionals say they rarely meet and work with young black ppl who conduct themselves or do business at the level of my associates and I. It’s all good intended so no offense taken; it’s just a constant eye opener that we will forever be scrutinized. Women have a different scrutiny, every other culture has one or two dozen, this is ours. And on the flipside, in my less cognizant and inglorious moments………………..I’ve confirmed a WHOOOOOOOOOOLE lot of stereotypes. Even on accident………….like sitting at a table as a platter of chicken happens to be walking by.

Stereotypes will be around just as long as roaches and rodents. Best combat I've found over the years is that when you're a "token," you have a moral obligation to be a shining star and dispel as much of the negative as you humanly can. Sorry, this is your burden whether you choose to carry it or not.

If I ever see him eating watermelon, he's not getting my vote in 2012 (jus a waitin on that watermelon image link to hit inbox, any day now).

Racism in......THE WORLD

The other day I randomly went to a comedy show (something I can't recall ever doing) hanging out with Dr. Kay Hay, and a comedian kept talking about how racist this one Australian commercial was. Then before I could even get home to search for this video, out of sheer coincidence, one of my friends send this in one of our infinite email threads, simply asking "Is this racist?"



WARNING!!! DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS IN AN ACTUAL GROUP OF BLACK PPL. THE OUTCOME MAY BE BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH. THE EVENTS OF THIS COMMERCIAL ARE FICTITIOUS, ACTUAL RESULTS MAY VARY.

...and then you know you can't just watch one video. "Related videos" are the devil!! This Korean commercial is even worse than the first one.....

Sidenote: I have one of a few circles of brilliantly intelligent, witty funny, positive males who have been running an email thread that's about 5 yrs old. We have some of the most amazing, vulgar, thought provoking, hilarious conversations ever...note to self. Clear inbox.

Sidernote: I hate the fact that when I go to .....video...posting...sites, its never an in and out operation. If it were a heist, I'd get caught. Soon as I go, first off they're recommending videos before I can even type. Then, there's "related videos..." plus my A.D.D. Next thing I know, I'm watching dance videos, booty shake clips, fitness videos, documentaries, news clips, videogame strategies, and somehow, every video online will eventually link you to conspiracy theories. 48 minutes dun gon on by and I haven't even looked at what I came to the site for...if I can even remember.

This is why I tell my friends and colleagues all the time you have to always be cognizant about the image you are emanating whenever you are out in public. ESPECIALLY if you are entrenched in environments that take you out of the element of your "comfort zone" and remind you what the term "minority" means.

Sidenote: And so we're clear, minority is a relative term, not isolating and specific race. Asians are a minority in this country.........but not at any engineering school in this country.

Sidenote: My friend Jose Nievez (my comedic partner in crime and co-star of our award winning show, "Eff you, Its funny to us" who I probably should invite to guestblog sometime) told me, in response to Racism in America/ Black Eye of the Tiger 2:

"Your blog pic looks like the back of Tiger Wood's photo, so does that make the person who took the picture racist?" What a dick.......eff yall, it was funny to me.

So simple question: Are these videos racist? Or am I over analyzing?......AGAIN?

Racism in America/ Black Eye of the Tiger 2

Sidenote: Ok, some may call it lazy that I'm doubling a sequel, but if the two weren't intertwined, I wouldn't exactly have much to talk about right now would I?

Previously on "My $0.02"................
Black Eye of the Tiger

and

Racism in America

Now....... as I stated before

"The American media loves nothing more than bringing down a prominent black person from glory........YEAH I SAID IT!!"

Extreme? I've been told......and then I saw this:
Where does one start? With the fact that it was done before the incident or that it was done without Tiger's participation?
Now it's possible that going to architecture school within an art school has made me a little over analytical about graphic imagery. I might read too much into a bare-chested photo of a person (forget race, the image of a bare cheste black man has no historic context of barbarism) who is almost always portrayed in a polo shirt if not some other professional/casual attire. I might be o.d.'ing when I say the cold color scheme of the backdrop and blue filters combined with the metallic free-weights are reminiscent of an inmate in a prison yard. I may be a little over the top to imply that the otherwise contradictory scully hat (scully = knit hat, ppl in different regions call it different things) which otherwise makes no sense, is the crowning cherry on the top to create the hoodlum, thug, criminal, bandit, villain persona. Heavens no! No way that could possibly be intentional. I work out all the time...well... used to.... (notice it's been a while since a "Staying Motivated in Gym" installment but that's another conversation) and I have shoulder length hair, so I can imagine how cold the head of a clean shave athlete must get while working out.....in the same climate that prompts one to take off their shirt....... which in itself is not at all symbolic of stripping anyone of anything...other than clothes........especially in the context of his current affairs. That's too far fetched.

And I'm absolutely confident that such an accredited publication mogul like "Vanity Fair" would be so versed in the power of still images that if any of these absurd insinusations were ever possible, it would have come up at least once before it made cover or even made it to print. It's not like EVERYTHING isn't scrutinized, analyzed and discussed down to the composition, colors, position and size or type of fonts. There's no way any publication would be either so oblivious or aware of this and still okay the article. Cus we all know how bad contraversy is for magazine sales. Who would want that?

I'm not trying to say anything, I'm just saying. Observations, is all. Oh! This will DEFINITELY be continued....

This brain fart has been brought to you by the letter "T," the color Orange, The New York Public Library, sarcasm, AND VIEWERS LIKE YOU!!!!

EPILOGUE....or perhaps, rather prologue-ey, after-the-fact but actually written long before-type-thingy....

Why does this all feel like deja vu? Bc I had this same debate almost two years ago when Vogue had "Lebron Kong" on the cover. I was told then that I was too over the top so I wanted to share with you all a post I wrote at the time in my discussion group "Vital Issues 'n' Stuff with Charles" (apparently forgetting I actually had a blog at the time).

You wroteon March 27, 2008 at 3:09pm

I think its utter naivety to say that Vogue did not put any thought into this obvious racial slap or was oblivious to any racial connotation. Before I even read this post the the first thing i saw in a half second glance is King Kong.
Example: Lebron signature (or at least one of em) is the white head band. Where is it? What are the colors of the Cavs uniform? Red, White or Navy blue. Why is he dressed in all black. I could sit hear all day and tear this image apart.

Vogue was either conscious of the racial image they were depicting and knew they could veil it in the age old guise of "oh you're just reading into it...people are too sensitive about race" or they realized the racial association that was perceived and either didn't care, or counted on it to spike sales. If you really, truly believe a magazine that is the bible of fashion and image was not cognoscente of this, I have a bridge for sale that you should take a look at.

Despite my love of sesquipedalian salads and semiotic symphonies, one thing we've heard a trillion gazillion times, when word fail, a picture says a thousand words.....


UPDATE: OF COUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSSSSE!!!! NO WONDER!! ITS THE SAME PHOTOGRAPHER ANNIE LEIBOWITZ!!!!!!