This comment was noticed on Facebook by my friend Michael. Sadly, it is just one example of the type of racism appearing on the internet tonight (Facebook and Twitter) - and it started within minutes of the announcement that Kim Jong-Il is dead.
My friends Michael and Brandon (who is Michael's boyfriend) - who write for Middle Tennessee State University's paper Sidelines - reacted with horror and disgust to this type of behavior - and they were told that it's okay because it's "from a movie" (Team America: World Police.) Yes, it's from a movie that employs racial stereotypes against an entire group of people because they don't like one of the people who fit into that racial group.
My friend Michael took to his Facebook account and to his Tumblr account, and he said:
Public Service Announcement to the Interwebs about Kim Jong Il
It’s okay to not like Kim Jong Il, and I don’t mind that people are poking fun at his death a little bit. But that “funny accent” that some of y’all are using in your tweets and Facebook comments is still racist no matter whether you’re talking about a “good” person or a “bad” one.
To which I reblogged on Tumblr and replied/added:
Public Service Announcement to the Interwebs about Kim Jong Il
a-great—perhaps:
It’s okay to not like Kim Jong Il, and I don’t mind that people are poking fun at his death a little bit. But that “funny accent” that some of y’all are using in your tweets and Facebook comments is still racist no matter whether you’re talking about a “good” person or a “bad” one.
Um, yeah. His death was just announced and it took a few minutes for the racism to start? Does anyone else see a problem here? Is it just that no one has really ever bothered to think about why his death matters because we’re in a privileged place and don’t have to worry about dictatorships and being ‘disappeared’ by our government? Perhaps people should reflect on his death and the people he killed and ‘disappeared’ over the years and the terror he inflicted upon all of the citizens of his country.
It really seems that race is the easiest issue to grasp onto simply because racial stereotyping is so embedded in our privileged country. We don’t have to worry ourselves with doing the hard thinking of a situation that has been unconscionable for almost 25 million people in the world. All of those people have suffered under this man. And what are some people doing? By using race as a club against him, they are attacking his victims as aggressively as they are the guy himself.
Why would you do this?
@2 hours ago with 9 notes
Then he replied and added:
Public Service Announcement to the Interwebs about Kim Jong Il
indiemcemopants:
a-great—perhaps:
It’s okay to not like Kim Jong Il, and I don’t mind that people are poking fun at his death a little bit. But that “funny accent” that some of y’all are using in your tweets and Facebook comments is still racist no matter whether you’re talking about a “good” person or a “bad” one.
Um, yeah. His death was just announced and it took a few minutes for the racism to start? Does anyone else see a problem here? Is it just that no one has really ever bothered to think about why his death matters because we’re in a privileged place and don’t have to worry about dictatorships and being ‘disappeared’ by our government? Perhaps people should reflect on his death and the people he killed and ‘disappeared’ over the years and the terror he inflicted upon all of the citizens of his country.
It really seems that race is the easiest issue to grasp onto simply because racial stereotyping is so embedded in our privileged country. We don’t have to worry ourselves with doing the hard thinking of a situation that has been unconscionable for almost 25 million people in the world. All of those people have suffered under this man. And what are some people doing? By using race as a club against him, they are attacking his victims as aggressively as they are the guy himself.
Why would you do this?
Bolded for truth.
And then Brandon weighed in with:
Can we please discuss how humor can be used as a tool of oppression? Of course not, because then we will get the classical derailing tactics of it’s a First Amendment issue, why are you so sensitive, or better yet “Why is everyone so politically correct?”
That last thing went unaddressed on Tumblr, so here goes: The First Amendment is a great thing which begins "Congress shall make no law..." and it then proceeds to list things that Congress cannot address in its laws except to a very minimal extent. Telling someone that what they are saying is offensive is not violating their first amendment rights or any other civil rights in any way. The very idea that attempting to have a discussion is shutting down a discussion is absurd on its face. Brandon's totally right that it happens all the time nonetheless.
Humor, or "humor" in this case, can come from a place of privilege - like not having to think about race enough to come up with something more witty than slurring one's words to form an ethnic accent based on a stereotype of a group of people. It's only "funny" to the extent that you can find other people in your circle of friends who will be just as privileged.
That means that it can easily be turned into a weapon wielded against a 'lesser' class of people at their expense - even when the "joker" isn't deliberately trying to offend. From their point of view, they've done nothing wrong, because they're seeing the world from a completely different (and better, for them) place.
The conversation is continuing on Tumblr, and on AOL Instant Messenger and Facebook - but it has been the most productive conversation on race that has been had in weeks, or maybe even months. It's useful to deal with these things as they happen even when not everyone's in agreement - and they are receiving some pushback on Facebook, specifically.
I only recently joined Tumblr, but if it is going to be this productive I am going to remain over there. This has been insightful and I think everyone has learned something.