Going bananas
Okay, this blog entry is long overdue. Sorry.
About a week ago, my friend Aaron sent me a link to this article, which in a nutshell describes how a woman contacted the mayor's office after being grossly offended by a police officer eating a banana.
I know what you're thinking: he was making come hither gestures with his eyes while he pretended to fellate the banana; or, he was encircling it with his thumb and forefinger and thrusting it back and forth; or the like. But you would be wrong. He was just eating it like a normal person would eat a banana.
The details I left out were these: the police officer was white, the woman was black, and monkeys eat bananas. Still stumped? Well, "monkeys" is a very rarely used derogatory term for black people. The woman thought the officer was implicitly comparing African-Americans to monkeys by consuming a banana. So she wrote a letter to the mayor complaining. I love the mayor's reaction.
So now I'm debating: the next time I see a black police officer eating a cracker, should I also write a letter to the mayor? Or should I simply accept the fact that he was hungry?
There aren't many people who give a flying shit about race anymore. It's upsetting that some do still exist. But when people try to interpret everything in a negative light, that's only detrimental to the cause of civil rights. I would advise everyone to choose your battles wisely, so you won't just seen as crying wolf.
Song lyric of the day:
"And it's been a long time
Which agrees with this watch of mine
And I know that I miss you
And I'm sorry if I dissed you"
- Modest Mouse, Trailer Trash
About a week ago, my friend Aaron sent me a link to this article, which in a nutshell describes how a woman contacted the mayor's office after being grossly offended by a police officer eating a banana.
I know what you're thinking: he was making come hither gestures with his eyes while he pretended to fellate the banana; or, he was encircling it with his thumb and forefinger and thrusting it back and forth; or the like. But you would be wrong. He was just eating it like a normal person would eat a banana.
The details I left out were these: the police officer was white, the woman was black, and monkeys eat bananas. Still stumped? Well, "monkeys" is a very rarely used derogatory term for black people. The woman thought the officer was implicitly comparing African-Americans to monkeys by consuming a banana. So she wrote a letter to the mayor complaining. I love the mayor's reaction.
So now I'm debating: the next time I see a black police officer eating a cracker, should I also write a letter to the mayor? Or should I simply accept the fact that he was hungry?
There aren't many people who give a flying shit about race anymore. It's upsetting that some do still exist. But when people try to interpret everything in a negative light, that's only detrimental to the cause of civil rights. I would advise everyone to choose your battles wisely, so you won't just seen as crying wolf.
Song lyric of the day:
"And it's been a long time
Which agrees with this watch of mine
And I know that I miss you
And I'm sorry if I dissed you"
- Modest Mouse, Trailer Trash
