April 13, 2007, - 9:56 am
The Black Imus: Will Damon Wayans Get Imus-ized over Blonde “Crackers” “Taste Better” Ad?
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As I was thinking what would be the equivalent of a Black entertainer saying the equivalent of what Don Imus said, I remembered the ads that ran for two months on BET, last year, starring Damon Wayans. A close friend complained about them to me, last summer.
Wayans, who hosted the 2006 BET Awards, did an ad, entitled “Back to My Roots,” promoting the BET Awards show. With a bunch of scantily-clad, buxom White blonde chicks surrounding him, Wayans slaps one of them on her butt, remarking, “Things taste better on a Cracker” (at the very end of the ad). Hint: He wasn’t referring to Saltines.
As a fake-blonde like those in the ad, should I be “scarred for life” a la the whining Scarlet Knights women’s basketball team at Rutgers. Will Damon Wayans lose everything–all his comedy, acting, and hosting gigs–for his racist comments against White women and implying that they are all “hos”? His comment in this disgusting ad was despicable.
Don’t hold your breath. There is only one difference between Don Imus and Damon Wayans (they are especially similar in their unfunniness): Don Imus is a White man. And Whites don’t enjoy full free speech, as dictated by the new thought police Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Airhead Elisabeth Hasselbeck, and White liberal America.
Instead of being up in arms like they were over Imus’ comments, Blacks all over the internet just loved Wayans comment about “Crackers,” laughing effusively about it, calling it “Hilarious! . . . LMAOOO [Laugh My Ass Off Off Off]” Haha funny, just like Imus’ comments. The creator of the ad, E. B. Dixon, Jr.–a Black man–bragged about it on his MySpace page.
And despite the offensive, racist ad, Queen Oprah–who, yesterday, featured the Rutgers womens basketball team on her show–still gave an exclusive invite and starring role to Wayans in her “Legends Ball.” Apparently, to Oprah, “Nappy-headed Hos”–not okay. But say “Crackers” about white chicks–and you’re a “Legend.”
We must begin to address why prominent Black Americans can get away with saying the most racist, most anti-Semitic, most bigoted statements–and get away with it, unscratched, while White Americans lose everything over it.
As George Orwell observed, all the animals in the barnyard are equal. But some are more equal than others.
Since we constantly hear cries and shouts about the lack of “equality in America” from minority activists, but they really don’t want true equality. They want to be able to continue for hate and bad behavior from their people to go unaddressed, while the same coming from a White guy, like Imus, draws a vastly overreactive punishment.
And that’s why we’ll never have true equality in America. Just watch the Damon Wayans “Back to My Roots” video, and you’ll see that’s definitely the case.
George Jefferson will always be “enlightened” and accepted for saying what, today, Archie Bunker would be a “racist” for saying (and would lose everything).
Tags: Al Sharpton, America, Archie Bunker, BET Awards, Damon Wayans, Damon Wayans Get Imus, Don Imus, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, George Jefferson, George Orwell, Haha, Jesse Jackson, Queen, Rutgers, Scarlet Knights, the 2006 BET Awards, the BET Awards
I’m old enough to remember watching Muhamed Ali talk about “beating whitey” on TV. His reward – universal love and lighting the olympic torch.
stevecanuck on April 13, 2007 at 10:49 am