tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post1860336766996995014..comments2024-03-06T08:29:13.333-08:00Comments on stuff white people do: quotation of the week (paul mooney)macon dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07795547197817128339noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-26550785185124222472012-12-27T04:05:59.333-08:002012-12-27T04:05:59.333-08:00The best out there stillThe best out there stillUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18002577286777137529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-32618152332603011272012-03-24T08:30:39.485-07:002012-03-24T08:30:39.485-07:00I love this M.F. the realist dude out there hands ...I love this M.F. the realist dude out there hands down. U wanna kno the truth ask this man. He will put u on......Dabrave1https://www.blogger.com/profile/09183488284445767667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-37287027052637717522010-11-19T14:55:05.145-08:002010-11-19T14:55:05.145-08:00Prestigious events like the Westminster Dog Show h...Prestigious events like the Westminster Dog Show have come to rival the Miss America Pageant in spectacle and formality and tells me whites love their pets to a fault. Comedians have made light of this tendency in whites for years. DC Curry's observations about white people and their dogs are quite telling. It’s this jab if you will that whites find uncomfortable, because they take pet ownership very seriously. It’s why I think whites had such a hard time forgiving Michael Vick; some still haven't by the way... <br /><br />I'm one of these annoying, dog loving whites that blacks like to ridicule & yes, i still detest Michael Vick. I make no excuse for enjoying the companionship of animals & feel pretty the much the same sense of absurdity towards black people & their religious fervour.natthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05670543972177793265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-84419166628087317382010-07-15T17:53:56.390-07:002010-07-15T17:53:56.390-07:00AE said...
As for the riff on Lassie, I think the...AE said... <br />As for the riff on Lassie, I think the joke is on white people who basically treat dogs like people. Some even treat their dogs better than people, and that includes talking to them like they're people. Who but white people would leave their entire estate to a goddamn dog (or cat)? <br /><br />That’s it exactly, whites are so busy living ‘normal lives’ they don’t consider their behavior/tastes as being anything out of the ordinary. “I mean everyone loves dogs don’t they?” But we POC observe whites and marvel at their eccentricities. Some dogs had their own TV show while blacks were struggling for better representation on the airwaves. Television sitcoms and movies in which dogs were featured prominently. <br /><br />Disney’s Old Yeller and The Littlest Hobo come to mind. The Adventures of Rin Tin and Benji the Hunted are a few others; then there’s this humorous Seinfeld send up of Lassie. “What's that boy? <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhBWvlQSL_o" rel="nofollow">Trouble at the old mill</a>?” <br /><br />Prestigious events like the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS0r6vf6uFI" rel="nofollow">Westminster Dog Show</a> have come to rival the Miss America Pageant in spectacle and formality and tells me <a href="http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/02/04/53-dogs/" rel="nofollow">whites love their pets</a> to a fault. Comedians have made light of this tendency in whites for years. <a href="http://comedians.jokes.com/dc-curry/videos/d-c--curry---pet-motel/" rel="nofollow">DC Curry's</a> observations about white people and their dogs are quite telling. It’s this jab if you will that whites find uncomfortable, because they take pet ownership very seriously. It’s why I think whites had such a hard time forgiving Michael Vick; some still haven't by the way...M. Gibsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15412079628160690200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-74609443072634329092010-07-15T15:40:00.468-07:002010-07-15T15:40:00.468-07:00I thought that the Lassie reference was Mooney'...I thought that the Lassie reference was Mooney's way of making white people more comfortable. v0vchub rollhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01299506334286151581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-28751582490150452002010-07-12T06:13:54.981-07:002010-07-12T06:13:54.981-07:00You seem so obstinate, Tyro. Mooney's not clai...You seem so obstinate, Tyro. Mooney's not claiming his comedy was "the edgiest"; he's explaining how it made white people uncomfortable.<br /><br />As for the riff on Lassie, I think the joke is on white people who basically treat dogs like people. Some even treat their dogs <i>better</i> than people, and that includes talking to them like they're people. Who but white people would leave their entire estate to a goddamn dog (or cat)?AEnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-84939173637946041542010-07-12T06:05:26.356-07:002010-07-12T06:05:26.356-07:00At least for me, the bit about Lassie is the fact ...<i>At least for me, the bit about Lassie is the fact that people make a big deal about Lassie being so fucking smart. It's a dog. Yes, dogs can be intelligent- most animals are (raccoons, cats, mice, pigs, horses). They may not be smart in a human way, but they are smart.</i><br /><br />Sure, but I don't see why that routine would be specifically coded as "about whites" to the point where a white audience would be uncomfortable-- unless, as he implies, he does that routine in his "white people voice," in which case it's not about Lassie it's about, "it's funny when the comedian imitates white people." In which case it would have been funnier if he did that voice while talking about heading out of their condo, hopping in their volvo, and listening to NPR while they head to the farmer's market. But he broke into the business in 1970: the jokes were probably a lot more topical. And maybe POCs have a whole cultural set up references regarding WP's affection for the TV show Lassie, which I've never seen. I was just kind of trying to figure out how I'd be a white person made totally uncomfortable by the lassie joke and instead came away thinking, "Huh?" , and he clearly thinks this is some of his edgiest material.<br /><br />It was the 70s-- kind of a crazy time, and you had to be there, I guess.Tyronoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-3191402395722384692010-07-10T19:33:44.522-07:002010-07-10T19:33:44.522-07:00Darn. Meant to add:
@Tyro Also, use of the word l...Darn. Meant to add:<br /><br />@Tyro Also, use of the word lame is othering and disrespectful to people with disabilities. Other words you could use include (but are not limited to): silly, ridiculous, wacky, inane.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-25568406769938371072010-07-10T19:30:03.185-07:002010-07-10T19:30:03.185-07:00@Tyro At least for me, the bit about Lassie is the...@Tyro At least for me, the bit about Lassie is the fact that people make a big deal about Lassie being so fucking smart. It's a dog. Yes, dogs can be intelligent- most animals are (raccoons, cats, mice, pigs, horses). They may not be smart in a human way, but they are smart.<br /><br />Lassie is human smart, but not human. (Possible connection to treatment of POC in the past?) I haven't seen Lassie- are there POC in it? I'm betting not. It's sad when you live in a world where a group of people treats a single animal better than a whole other group of people (e.g., white people treating this one Lassie character better than they treat any black person ever). Maybe I am also missing something, but this still bears thinking about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-9106075599597953072010-07-09T14:23:45.583-07:002010-07-09T14:23:45.583-07:00i thought the questions and comments by Kait were ...i thought the questions and comments by Kait were very reasonable.Big Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02510881583909431416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-79915132673507787462010-07-09T00:17:23.132-07:002010-07-09T00:17:23.132-07:00Mooney's critiques and jokes about white peopl...Mooney's critiques and jokes about white people I thought were great, and funny. But I'm not cool with his ableist jokes. F'ex the entire joke that starts at <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJhugZsdA8&feature=fvw&has_verified=1" rel="nofollow">30:30</a> hinges on how funny deaf people sound when they talk. The only reason that would be funny is if you have the p.o.v. that people with disabilities are "wacky" and abnormal. Same thing after that joke where he makes fun of people with Parkinson's Disease...for shaking. PwD don't need to be othered in comedy shows, they get that enough in real life as it is.Christina SLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16481384854445558310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-65520795845419863802010-07-08T19:56:15.910-07:002010-07-08T19:56:15.910-07:00Actually, what's the context of the Lassie rou...Actually, what's the context of the Lassie routine that makes it funny? Are whites stereotyped as having excessively human-like relationships with their dogs, or are they typically laughed at by POCs for enjoying such lame TV shows?Tyronoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-84500869213034183352010-07-08T12:27:47.399-07:002010-07-08T12:27:47.399-07:00@bloglogger:
Good point. If jokes like this &quo...@bloglogger:<br /><br />Good point. If jokes like this "cross the line" then it needs to be crossed, badly.Kraasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-85639130623185490162010-07-08T10:20:13.188-07:002010-07-08T10:20:13.188-07:00@Kraas re: 'I don't think they're in t...@Kraas re: 'I don't think they're in the right, or that they have any real reason to feel upset other than "the scary black man poked fun at me, waaaah".'<br /><br />Another possibility, whether they would voice it or not, is that they might walk out feeling indignant because they thought Mooney had "crossed the line" or that what he said was "uncalled for"--in other words, because he doesn't know his place. The idea that white people set boundaries for blacks is still very much a part of white culture.blogloggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01465639610604161309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-91653159024524670872010-07-08T07:27:54.129-07:002010-07-08T07:27:54.129-07:00"Understandable" and "right" a..."Understandable" and "right" are two different things. I can understand a WP walking out of a performance like Mooney might give, but I don't think they're in the right, or that they have any real reason to feel upset other than "the scary black man poked fun at me, waaaah".Kraasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-1598609917282793802010-07-08T07:15:04.610-07:002010-07-08T07:15:04.610-07:00@ Victoria
Have I contributed to that or deraile...@ Victoria <br /><br />Have I contributed to that or derailed? I'm very sorry.<br /><br />What's funny to different audiences/universality of humor/reactivity onstage are really interesting to me; I'm a humor nerd and kind of go off on tangents there.<br /><br />Again, my apologies. I'll take this discussion to my listserv.Kaitnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-72173350596206910342010-07-08T05:55:27.485-07:002010-07-08T05:55:27.485-07:00Am I seeing this conversation turn to "Why it...Am I seeing this conversation turn to "Why it's understandable for WP to be offended by white-culture jokes made by POC"? That smacks of <a href="http://www.derailingfordummies.com/#butbut" rel="nofollow">But That Happens to Me Too</a> with "<a href="http://www.derailingfordummies.com/#asbad" rel="nofollow">You're As Bad As They Are</a>" undertones. <br /><br />White-to-White Message: you should be here to learn, not teach.Victoriahttp://vintagelux.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-85895970209071057392010-07-07T20:25:01.875-07:002010-07-07T20:25:01.875-07:00@ Jane Laplain
Yes, that's fair, and if the c...@ Jane Laplain<br /><br />Yes, that's fair, and if the comic is using humor to make people examine uncomfortable truths about racism, it's a good thing overall; this blog does it.<br /><br />I think Paul Mooney is funny. It's just that humor about your faults coming from your people is different. Catholic comics making fun of our religion? They get the mass pass. Someone else whipping out the pope jokes? Nope. That doesn't mean I don't know Catholicism as an organized religion has many faults -- we all know that, but it's an identity thing.<br /><br />Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle are funny. White fratboys repeating their routines (including racial epithets?) Unfunny, and often offensive, and I've said as much to them.<br /><br />"How many racist jokes does it take to make the whole room uncomfortable?" One, son.<br /><br />One of my favorite pieces ever is when Eddie Murphy was madeup with white makeup. The viewer is expecting that he'll be treated differently because he's white, and the white guy at the newsstand tells him, "go on, take it" when he picks up a magazine. "Nobody's looking. Go on." A loan officer hands him piles of money. So he gets these benefits which are exaggerated, but we all do recognize that there is a societal advantage to being white; there's truth under the satire of privilege, and that's why it's sharp and funny, IMHO. <br /><br />The Daily Show South Africa bit in the previous post? Isn't that kind of clever. (Why didn't the guy go to one of the displaced housing areas -- people made to move because of the World Cup. There were no white residents affected by that, AFAIK.)Kaitnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-54381354302743078402010-07-07T20:12:59.830-07:002010-07-07T20:12:59.830-07:00@Kait:
You're right, context IS important, an...@Kait:<br /><br />You're right, context IS important, and I feel like you weren't thinking of that when listing your examples. There is (or was?) tensison between the English and the Irish. Men in most societies are more than a little privileged over women. When a group that holds some kind of privilege over another then makes jokes about those they oppress, it's always going to be offensive because it just reinforces their dominance. But a member of an oppressed group joking about a privileged one has a completely different context. The things you listed would make me uncomfortable because they would be reinforcing negatives that people already have to disprove. I don't think that's the same thing as just being bothered that someone outside of my group was talking about me, rather, it's about the weight that those statements carry.ohmyohmynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-63871928896729759322010-07-07T19:00:24.248-07:002010-07-07T19:00:24.248-07:00For some (wacky, whimsical!) reason, I just can...For some (wacky, whimsical!) reason, I just can't wrap my head around the idea of white people getting up and walking out on a Paul Mooney show! I accept that it happens— probably quite a bit— and I can <i><b>completely</b></i> see why they'd <i>want</i> to. But I'm kind of amazed that they actually <i>do</i> it.<br /><br />I mean, picture it: they're the only white people in the club. And it's a looong way to the door...<br /><br />[I gotta tell ya, if I were the employee operating the spotlight when some white people walked out, I'd be like, literally fighting with myself in the booth, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_hand_syndrome" rel="nofollow">Dr. Strangelove style</a>— "want... to turn... the spot... on these hilarious... fools!"]<br /><br />SMH. Funny the times/places some white people will find the nerve to "speak out" against (perceived, but in this case not actually existent) racism. Wonder how many walkouts John Mayer got?karinovahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14324280726621881771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-16281640771924245972010-07-07T18:44:07.136-07:002010-07-07T18:44:07.136-07:00I’m sure some would say, “All they do is make fun ...I’m sure some would say, “All they do is make fun of white people at those concerts.” But in actuality, the primary target of most black comedians is usually black people. From <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Ti5mqFRFs" rel="nofollow">Cedric the Entertainer</a>, to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOCu45gI9-k&feature=related" rel="nofollow">Chris Rock</a>- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txp8B4ek_kk" rel="nofollow">Richard Pryor</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4FOJFLJVlQ" rel="nofollow">Bernie Mac</a>; all performed from points of view derived from the black experience. However...once whites were seated in the audience, one would have to be a fool to think he/she could emerge from such encounters unscathed. <br /><br />Whites pay good money for those seats, so I’m sure they have some inclination as to the comedian’s bravura upfront. Consequently as whites were encouraged to laugh at their own idiosyncrasies, we blacks laughed ‘at them… as well as with them.’ <br /><br />Course we’ve been laughing at ourselves since slavery; because if we weren’t able to make light of the absurdity of our situation we’d go crazy. So as we sat in the slave quarters (away from prying eyes) we poked fun at the master- the mistress and those bad-assed white kids placed in our charge; all so we could face another day.M. Gibsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15412079628160690200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-53794266093771752202010-07-07T17:55:49.962-07:002010-07-07T17:55:49.962-07:00@ Kait
You're right. Context is key for humor...@ Kait<br /><br />You're right. Context is key for humor. White privilege and white supremacy is ALWAYS the cultural context in question, when discussing White people as a People. If WP get up and leave when a POC comic starts cracking on whitefolks, it's because they felt their white culture was being mocked. Since white culture IS white privilege, and white privilege is the engine for Racism, I'm just not ever gonna lose sleep over WP being made uncomfortable for being white... at least not in THIS context.Jane Laplainhttp://talkgayracism.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-76920480865788508162010-07-07T17:25:49.785-07:002010-07-07T17:25:49.785-07:00@ Uncragil: I don't mind when people make fun ...@ Uncragil: I don't mind when people make fun of the Irish. If they're Irish. If they're English? Not so much. <br /><br /><i>It's funny, isn't it? Most of the white folks at Ye Little Club laugh about everyone else, but when I talk about them, they suddenly lose their sense of humor. They freeze up like an engine out of oil. If I do it enough, if I push it too far for them, they get up and leave.</i><br /><br />Okay.<br /><br />See, that's not surprising to me, because when someone not in your group is making fun of your group... at a certain point it can stop being funny to you. It may be thought-provoking in some ways, but not really funny. <br /><br />I get the same vibe when watching male comics riff on women, or women on men. There's a point where pointing out true differences or quirks or "I just don't understand where the hell they're <i>coming</i> from with that kooky relationship behavior" and "I really hope that bitch catches on fire!" <br /><br />Humor is subjective, yeah. But it's also context-dependent.Kaitnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-36216614643364528202010-07-07T17:16:00.544-07:002010-07-07T17:16:00.544-07:00Paul Mooney does not hold back. For some folks it ...Paul Mooney does not hold back. For some folks it is difficult to laugh at the humor that is akin to every different race of people.<br /><br />I personally think that Mooney is funny and he is fearless. Two traits of a great comic.msladyDeborahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17593695415626632490noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-528074983146803930.post-22157409561168959062010-07-07T16:18:43.405-07:002010-07-07T16:18:43.405-07:00Oh, wow, I love that.
It seems that a lot of tim...Oh, wow, I love that. <br /><br />It seems that a lot of times people will say to me, "Oh, black people get so angry when they're made fun of! Why are they so sensitive? I don't mind when people make fun of the Irish!"<br /><br />I don't deal with white people enough to observe a variety of things, BUT it's nice to see that someone who works in this field has taken note of this and written about it. Everyone gets touchy.Uncragilnoreply@blogger.com