Laura Bell Bundy's racist(?) caricature — Page 4

songandd-man, I didn't say they get a pass. I just said it's not racism, which is a culturally institutionalized mechanism that contributes to keeping people who are not of the dominant culture dominated.

If you think this is harmful and racist then you must take this type of humor out of every culture. If Laura Bell Bundy can't do it, then Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle can't do it. Margaret Cho can't do it. Etc, etc

The difference is of course that what they are doing is speaking truth to power. Much different. They are not overtaking the power and using it against the institutionalized power because, well, the culture is set up to prevent that.

I don't know the tone you intended your post Peter, but to me it reads as if you're about to blow a gasket. I'm not sure why taking on an issue that is brought up in the thread and contributing my analysis to it is "nitpicking bs," it's just contributing to the thread. And, um, "go and see a Broadway show" is not first on my list of relaxation activities.

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Updated On: 7/17/10 at 12:20 PM

And personally, I don't think Laura Bell's thing is hideous or unforgivably offensive (like, say, Mel Gibson or Shirley Q. Liquor) and that not all racism is created equal. I just wanted to chime in that people who love her (and I like her a lot) saying, "It's funny, it's not racist" doesn't mean that's true.

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"As far as Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and Margaret Cho, why do you assume that the people who find Bundy offensive don't find what they do offensive?"

Because it is being suggested that racism is only when white people make fun of other races, and never the other way around. Read above.

Fascinating discussion. Like Phyl, I phyl--uh, feel--a lot of complicated and contradictory things.

Namo, a genuine question for you: Are you saying that Louis Farrakhan's anti-Semitic statements (assuming we agree that they are) can't be considered racist because he doesn't belong to the U.S.'s dominant culture?

Sigh... No, actually read up the post

"...as far as the [rac]ism is concerned, that's something that can only come from a member of the dominant culture when aimed at members of minority cultures."

I was only talking about within the context of this post. That opinion was expressed, and people responded to it. Then someone read the response and not what it was a response to and wondered why it had been posted.

Updated On: 7/17/10 at 03:27 PM

Ah, just two days ago, courtesy of Ms. P.R. Stone:

"Also, I'm duly impressed that we're all having a discussion about race on BWW that has as of yet not devolved into tantrums and nonsense. :)"

I said earlier that the Tracey Ullman blackface characters made me uncomfortable, as anytime a white person puts on blackface makes me uncomfortable because I believe it is impossible to remove it from the loaded historical context from whence it sprang.

Having said that, I believe, RuPaul notwithstanding, Charles Knipp is coming from a much crueller place as Shirley Q than say Tracey, Laura Bell or even Fred Arnisen doing Obama. I think that kind of lampooning is ipso facto racist and all white people are racist and I don't know why people defend against that with such vehemence. Are there people whose racism can do almost no harm in the world because they are completely powerless and have zero cultural impact? Yes. Are there those whose racism can result in horrific criminal activity and those who maintain the status quo of institutional racism? Absolutely. Like Phyll said, it's a continuum.

I'm sorry I got all Stokely Carmichael on everybody's ass, but his definition of institutional racism is the one I subscribe to. No person of color has EVER reversed the cogs of institutionalized racism and used it against the dominant culture.

And Reg, I believe Farrahkhan's stark raving anti-Semitism is the the byproduct of oppressed minorities oppressing other minorities.

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I agree. And I wish Sarah Silverman's satire worked more than 50% of the time.

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I'd agree with you if everything about this character did not say otherwise.

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this reminds me of when Harry Connick Jr went off on an Australian talent show when a bunch of kids did black face to do the Jackson 5. the subject matter that is, not the photo.

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"some idiots"?

Really, piper? Did you read this thread or just skip to the end and add on?

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Um, I don't think you're really grasping the concept.


Try this. And if you can't see the difference I'll be surprised.

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Updated On: 7/18/10 at 01:41 AM